How does legalisation of same-sex marriage affect stigma against lesbians across different age cohorts in Taiwan

Abstract

Structural stigma assumes a central role in shaping both individual and interpersonal processes of stigma, while also contributing to health disparities . The recognition of the right to marry serves as a critical benchmark for evaluating a society's commitment to eliminating this structural stigma that affects marginalized groups. The legal sanctioning of same-sex marriage can serve as a protective macro-environmental factor with substantial implications for the psychological well-being and health of same-sex couples. Previous research has predominantly explored how LGBTQ+ individuals make sense of the legalization of same-sex marriage, but it has generally neglected to examine variations across different age cohorts. Also, discussions regarding the impact of same-sex marriage legalization in non-Western contexts remain conspicuously underdeveloped. The present study seeks to bridge these gaps by centering its investigation on Taiwan as the research site and exploring the influence of same-sex marriage legalization on the stigma experienced by lesbians of marriageable age.