Criticisms levelled by Christian groups at the Taipei City Government for funding gay rights events has infuriated gay rights advocates who yesterday condemned the stigmatization of gays and lesbians.
The advocates also urged the city government not to flinch from raising civil awareness of gender diversity and promoting basic human rights by opponents' comments.
"Funding gay rights movements is a significant index of the city government's progress in protecting human rights ? But these [Christian] groups stigmatize us because of their outdated way of thinking," Ashley Wu (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu and other advocates, accompanied by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), made the remarks responding to various representatives of Christian groups, and KMT City Councilor Li Keng Kuei-fang (厲耿桂芳) who voiced disapproval on Friday of the city government's listing of the `Taipei Gay Civic Movement' as a normal item in its annual budget.
Li Keng and the representatives accused the city government of planning to sponsor a public wedding ceremony for gays and lesbians next month.
`disastrous'
"Legalizing same-sex marriage would be disastrous. Does the city government plan to subjugate the nation by allowing gay marriages?," Chang Mau-song (張茂松) a minister from the Hsien Tien Covenant Church said on Friday during a press conference held by Li Keng.
Deputy Chief of the Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs Yeh Jie-sheng (
Li Keng, however, continued to question the city government's friendly gestures to the gay community, warning that promoting same-sex relationships or marriage would only help the spread of AIDS, as homosexuals are "prone to having AIDS."
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"But it doesn't mean that we are encouraging people to become gays and lesbians," Ma said when attending a municipal event in Taipei.
Chairman of Taiwan's Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus Nelson Chen (
flower basket
"Last year the department sent a flower basket to my wedding as a blessing. Now it says that it doesn't support gay marriage when confronted by conservative groups," he told the Taipei Times.
The "Taipei Gay Civic Movement" was launched by the city government in 2000 with an annual budget of about NT$1 million (US$ 30,000).
The event will be held Sept. 18 this year with a rainbow-flag-raising ceremony in front of Taipei City Hall.
Gay rights groups will hold a gay parade on Sept. 30 and plan a collective gay wedding ceremony in Huashan Culture Park following the parade.
‘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