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 But these [Christian] groups stigmatize us because of their outdated way of thinking," Ashley Wu (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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by