The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced that homosexual party employees would be entitled to the same benefits as married employees, including honeymoon leave and wedding gift money.
The announcement came ahead of the Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade scheduled for Saturday in Taipei.
At a meeting of the DPP Central Standing Committee yesterday, the party said it would expand benefits offered to married employees, their spouses and families to employees who have registered their same-sex partnership with local governments.
Those employees will now be entitled to wedding gift money, honeymoon leave, parental leave, family care leave and bereavement leave for their partner, as well as relief payments and other perks reserved for married employees, DPP spokesman Yang Chia-liang (楊家俍) said.
“Marriage equality is a value pursued by the DPP. Making marriage equality a reality for party employees is the first step toward making legal amendments,” Yang said, referring to a draft amendment to the Civil Code proposed by DPP lawmakers on Monday that aims to legalize same-sex marriage.
“I expressed approval to the DPP’s commitment to marriage equality. We will give the best blessing to any party employee who requests those benefits under the new rule,” Yang quoted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as saying.
Tsai openly supported marriage equality at the LGBT pride parade last year, and the DPP’s decision to extend employment benefits to same-sex couples is her first, although implicit, statement about the issue after assuming the presidency.
There are 11 cities and counties where same-sex partnerships are recognized in the household registration system: the six special municipalities and Chiayi City, as well as Yilan, Hsinchu, Changhua and Chiayi counties.
Nationwide recognition of same-sex partnership requires a revision to the Civil Code, Yang said.
DPP Secretary-General Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福) has invited all DPP members to join in Saturday’s parade, Yang said, adding that the party has prepared rainbow banners, caps and stickers to be distributed to parade-goers.
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