Veteran gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威), who was yesterday announced as the winner of the Presidential Culture Award in the social reform category, said that he wished he could exchange the award for the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples in the nation to register their marriages immediately.
Chi — who applied for what would on May 24 result in Constitutional Interpretation No. 748, which has been hailed as a milestone of LGBT rights in Taiwan — said he wished the government would expedite efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
“Taiwanese should not be kept waiting two more years,” he said.
Photo: Courtesy of the General Association of Chinese Culture
The constitutional interpretation says that parts of the Civil Code that render same-sex marriages illegal are unconstitutional and that amendments legalizing same-sex marriage should be written into law within two years. Should the amendments not be passed within the allotted time, same-sex couples may use extant Civil Code regulations to register their marital status at household registration offices.
Chi said that he was overjoyed to hear the announcement of the interpretation, which has been viewed as a significant milestone not only by Taiwanese LGBT rights movements, but also those across Asia.
However, he said he was saddened to hear on Thursday that the Taipei High Administrative Court rejected a case filed by lesbian couple Fang Min (方敏) and Lin Yu-li (林于立) to request that household registration offices should accept their marriage registration.
The court said it could not grant the couple’s request, as “the legal framework for same-sex marriage has not been promulgated into law” and the two-year deadline stipulated by the constitutional interpretation has not lapsed.
While the interpretation stipulated that amendments should be made before May 24, 2019, it also declared that limitations on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, so courts should approve such requests instead of rejecting them, Chi said.
He said that his efforts to legalize same-sex marriage are not just for himself, but for many others who, like him, are not afforded legal protection to join hands with their loved ones, adding that while receiving the award would be a great honor, it is not fair that he alone is to enjoy the limelight.
If possible, he would exchange the award for the right of same-sex couples to register their marriage immediately, Chi said.
He called on the government to expedite the handling of the issue, saying that the nation’s LGBT community has been waiting a long time and should not be kept waiting any longer.
‘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