Same-sex marriage is now legal in Taiwan, marking a historic first for Asia.

Thousands of supporters cheered and embraced outside of parliament in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, this morning. This landmark ruling came after lawmakers passed a similar bill that offers same-sex couples similar legal protection as heterosexual couples.

The law will take effect after being signed by Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, who tweeted, “We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.”

Taiwan puts on one of Asia’s largest pride parades every year, but this vote came after a years-long debate over marriage equality.

In 2017, the island’s Constitutional Court declared that same sex couples had the right to legally marry and set a date for May 24 as the official day of legalization. That ruling sparked heated debates, dividing Taiwan. At this time last year, Taiwan voters opposed same-sex marriage in a series of referendums, which defined marriage as the union between a man and a woman.

However, on Friday, that law was brushed aside and the same-sex marriage law passed by a vote o 66-27. This ultimately gives Taiwan the lead in Asia on same sex unions.

Now that Taiwan has paved the way, be on the lookout for other Asian countries to follow suit.