Gay marriage advocates yesterday protested the registration rules of the Taipei United Marriage Ceremony event, as the city moved to establish a new, separate ceremony open to gay couples.
“Homosexuals desiring to marry should not be viewed as something to be quarantined and given ‘special treatment’ — they should be treated as members of society and as part of everyday life,” Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) chief executive officer and attorney Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) said.
Activists accompanied a lesbian couple who submitted registration forms for this year’s Taipei United Marriage Ceremony.
Photo: CNA
Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Commissioner Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰), whose department is responsible for organizing the ceremony, yesterday reiterated that this year’s United Marriage ceremonies would not be open to gay couples because of concerns over conflicts with the law.
The Civil Code currently defines “marriage” as being between a man and a woman.
While the department said it hoped that homosexual couples could be allowed to participate in the ceremony and would “move in that direction,” there is currently no timeline for revising registration rules, he said.
Current city plans call on the government’s new Sexual Equality Office, which reports directly to the mayor’s office, to instead organize an alternative “free marriage” ceremony open to both homosexual and non-homosexual couples. This year is to be the first time such a ceremony has been sponsored by the city government.
“The United Marriage Ceremony is intended as a ‘blessing’ by the city government to city residents,” TAPCPR secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) said. “Because marriage only legally takes effect after registration, the United Marriage Ceremony is just a symbolic ceremony.”
She said revising registration rules is within the purview of the city government.
Department of Welfare Commissioner Hsu Li-min (許立民), who also heads the Sexual Equality Office, said the city government’s main concern in holding a separate ceremony open to homosexual couples was current social attitudes, rather than legal concerns. Many heterosexual couples might be unwilling to participate in a United Marriage ceremony with homosexual couples, he said, adding that the city government hoped to gradually lead and change public opinion through the event.
Alliance of Religious Groups for the Love of Families Taiwan secretary-general Chang Shou-yi (張守一) said the city’s government decision to hold the ceremony would violate the spirit of the Civil Code. He said it was inappropriate for the government to try to “lead” public opinion on sexual behavior.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS