The Central Election Commission’s decision on Tuesday to approve three national referendum proposals against same-sex marriage came under fire yesterday from social activists and members of the public.
The commission said that two referendum proposals from Alliance for the Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance president Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) and one from its convener, Yu Hsin-yi (游信義), were drafted in accordance with the law.
One of Tseng’s proposals asks people whether they think same-sex marriage is a right that should be granted by means other than amending the Civil Code — which governs marriage — while the other asks whether education about homosexuality at elementary and high schools mandated by the Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) should be abolished.
Photo: CNA
Yu asked people whether they support keeping the definition of marriage in the Civil Code as a union between a man and a woman.
“The Central Election Commission has made its darkest decision yet,” author Chen Fang-ming (陳芳明) said on Facebook.
“Having a public referendum on human rights is an insult to Taiwan’s democratic society, undercuts the Taiwanese values that we have long been so proud of and it is a slap in the face to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who has publicly said: ‘My name is Tsai Ing-wen and I support marriage equality,’” he said.
Exiled Chinese democracy activist Wang Dan (王丹) also panned the commission’s decision on Facebook, saying: “It showed they [commission officials] are utterly ignorant of the Constitution’s protection of human rights.”
“Marriage is a constitutionally guaranteed fundamental right, like the freedom of speech; such rights are not determined by public referendums, but by the supreme court,” he said. “China is regressing to the Cultural Revolution. Taiwan should not follow that bad example in trying to reverse civilization.”
On Tuesday evening, Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), a group that supports same-sex marriage, staged a demonstration outside the commission building.
Veteran gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) — who filed the case that led to Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 in May last year, which ruled in favor of same-sex marriage as constitutional right — participated in the protest.
The commission’s ruling is unconstitutional, TAPCPR said, adding that its attorneys are considering suing the commission at an administrative court.
“Initially, Yu’s proposal to limit the definition of marriage and Tseng’s proposal to avoid protecting same-sex couples’ rights via the Civil Code raised concerns that they contradict Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748,” the commission said in a statement yesterday.
The constitutional interpretation states: “The freedom of marriage for two persons of the same sex shall be protected by the freedom of marriage under Article 22 of the Constitution.”
The commission also passed a referendum proposal suggested by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) about legally penalizing top officials who pressure the judiciary.
His proposed referendum would ask whether presidents, lawmakers, Control Yuan members or other high-ranking officials who directly or indirectly pressure, lobby or improperly influence members of the judiciary to obtain a favorable court ruling for themselves or others should face legal penalties.
The four proposals need to obtain 280,000 signatures each to pass the reconfirmation stage of the referendum process, after which a referedum can be held.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS