Taiwanese gay rights advocates are teaming up to join a pride parade in New York City on June 30, Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said, adding that the group is planning a “Wedding Banquet” exhibition to showcase the nation’s progress in promoting same-sex marriage rights.
Taiwan on May 17 became the 27th nation and the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, the ripple effect of which is being felt in neighboring countries, the coalition said.
Several South Korean activists expressed the hope that their country would follow suit during their pride march earlier this month, while a number of lawmakers in Japan have continued to propose bills to promote marriage equality, it said.
Photo courtesy of Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, which refers to a series of demonstrations initiated by gay communities in New York against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn on June 28, 1969, and is considered a seminal event leading to the LGBT+ liberation movement in the US.
To commemorate the anniversary, gay rights advocates are to stage the WorldPride and New York City Pride in the same city this year.
Given Taiwan’s leading role in promoting marriage equality in Asia, the coalition is encouraging people to join the June 30 parade.
A team composed of Taiwanese advocates would join the parade for the fourth consecutive year,
The coalition is also to stage an exhibition titled “The Wedding Banquet: A Celebration of Same-Sex Marriage in Taiwan and Beyond” at the Perfect White Box Gallery in New York City from June 29 to July 6, it said.
Cast in the form of a traditional Taiwanese wedding banquet, the exhibit is meant to trumpet Taiwanese society’s historical progress in promoting marriage equality and gay rights, as well as the values of democracy, freedom and human rights, it said.
By joining the parade and staging the show, the coalition said it hopes Taiwan’s experience in promoting universal human rights would shine on the global stage.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
Taiwan-based publisher Li Yanhe (李延賀) has been sentenced to three years in prison, fined 50,000 yuan (US$6,890) in personal assets and deprived political rights for one year for “inciting secession” in China, China's Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said today. The Shanghai First Intermediate People’s Court announced the verdict on Feb. 17, Chen said. The trial was conducted lawfully, and in an open and fair manner, he said, adding that the verdict has since come into legal effect. The defendant reportedly admitted guilt and would appeal within the statutory appeal period, he said, adding that the defendant and his family have
RSS