Gay and lesbian activists have decried a court verdict against the owner of a Taipei bookstore last week, calling it a setback for the rights of Taiwan's homosexual community.
Lai Jeng-jer (
At a press conference earlier last week, Lai said that he will appeal the verdict and continue to fight for justice.
"Judging from the attitude of Keelung customs officers, prosecutors and the judge during these two years, I am not surprised at the verdict," Lai said. "We [the gay community] believe that there is nothing wrong with the publications."
Gay-rights activists, who have lauded Lai's persistence in maintaining an independent bookstore for gays and lesbians, denounced the verdict as a reflection of the dominance of heterosexual ideology and hatred of the homosexual community.
Chang Hsiao-hung (張小虹), a proponent of women's rights and academic at National Taiwan University (NTU), said that the verdict showed that although Taiwan claims to be an open society which embraces racial and cultural diversity, it is still extremely conservative when it comes to the issue of homosexuality.
Echoing Chang's opinion, Chu Wei-cheng (
"Reading pornography is a common experience shared by homosexuals and heterosexuals," Chu said. "There is no reason to punish only homosexuals for reading or even just thinking about sex. I think we should abolish this ridiculous law."
Chu was referring to Article 235 of the Criminal Code, which Lai was found guilty of violating, and which states, "A person who distributes, sells, publicly displays, or by other means shows to another person indecent writing, drawing, or other [work] shall be punished."
Famous gay writer Hsu You-sheng (
"A bookstore owner who imported the book The Joy of Gay Sex from the United States in 1987 faced the same charge brought by the Canadian Custom officers. The judge found him not guilty," Hsu said. "Comparing the Canada case to this case, Taiwan's efforts to be a country with the respect of human rights is still years behind Western countries."
Josephine Ho (
"The verdict suggests that any sexual desire that come from the gay community is a sin. It is not only a denial of gays' human rights, but also a punishment of the empowerment of sexual desires and freedom to read, which is a serious loss to all of us, either heterosexual or homosexual," Ho said.
Lai was charged by the Keelung District Court in 2003 after Keelung customs officials confiscated more than 200 magazines imported by the bookstore.
Later the same year, the Keelung District prosecutors went to the bookstore and took away more than 500 magazines, including some that are legally published in Hong Kong as well as His, a local publication.
"When the judge asked me, `Why do you read those magazines?' I realized that it is once again a form of discrimination and prejudice against the gay community," Lai said.
"Just like heterosexual men read Playboy and watch porno films, homosexual men have sexual desires and deserve the same right to read pornography," he said. "Those erotic publications may be taken as indecent and criminal, but the magazines are important resources for sexual minorities."
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS