Taiwan will hold a public vote on whether its civil law should recognize same-sex marriage, two election officials told Reuters on Tuesday, reviving a debate over a separate law for civil unions between gay couples. In Asia’s first such ruling, the constitutional court declared in May last year that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry, and set a two-year deadline for legalization. But in August an activist group proposed a vote on the issue to the Central Election Commission, saying a separate law would defend “family values”. After a month-long review, the commission decided November 24 as the date of the referendum, coinciding with mayoral and magisterial elections on the self-ruled island, two commission officials, who are familiar with the referendum plan but declined to be identified, told Reuters.