Gender rights advocates rallied outside the Legislative Yuan as they delivered the first citizen-drafted acts on same-sex marriage, civil partnership and family diversity to the legislative body yesterday morning.
Holding up signs that called for equal rights to marriage, a civil partnership system and family diversity, dozens of activists rallied outside the legislature as they delivered the acts. The rally was well received by lawmakers across party lines.
“This is the first time in history that civic groups have systemically researched an issue and independently drafted acts,” Taipei Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights director Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) said outside the Legislative Yuan.
Photo: CNA
“We hereby call on everyone to support the right for people to be married regardless of gender, sexual orientation and sexual identity,” she added.
Hsu said that although the ideal situation is to pass a package of legislation that combines same-sex marriage, civil partnership and family diversity, the groups are sending in three separate draft acts for the issues in case the legislature blocks one because some lawmakers are against the issues.
“We are not asking for any privilege; all we ask for is equal rights. We want to have the same right as you [heterosexual couples] do,” said a gay rights advocate, who wished to be known only as Hsiao Han (小翰).
“We are all humans and it’s the most fundamental right for all of us to be married, to form a family and not to be stigmatized,” Hsiao Han said.
A woman surnamed Kuo (郭) from the Loving Parents of LGBT Taiwan — a group that consists of mostly heterosexual parents whose children are gay — also took part in the rally to show her support.
“Most of us parents in the group are heterosexuals. We support the sexual orientation of our children and it’s our biggest hope that all same-sex couples can be legally married and find happiness in their lives,” Kuo said.
Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君), Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬), Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) and Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), as well as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖), were present to show their support for the group.
“The law must protect everyone’s rights, and the right to be married and to have families is universal,” Cheng said.
“This is not only a campaign for legalizing [same-sex] marriage, but also a campaign to get rid of discrimination,” Cheng added.
‘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