Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) legislators are scrambling in a “pro-China operatives” game, separately introducing prioritized bills, such as one aimed at relaxing restrictions on Chinese spouses of Taiwanese, which would reduce the number of years needed to become a naturalized citizen to four from six.
However, same-sex couples have been left by the wayside.
Today, Taiwanese can register their same-sex marriage with nationals from nearly any country, with the lone exception of China.
Due to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) and the strained relationship between Taiwan and China, same-sex marriages are closed off to cross-strait couples.
Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex marriages have fallen victim to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) policy of opposing everything related to China, creating a human rights orphan in the process. It is an unfortunate choice given the achievement of legalizing same-sex marriage under President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女), both of the DPP, have written articles and talked about the hardships, courage and insight of legalizing same-sex marriage, yet they never mentioned the omission of this human rights angle on the issue.
Under the DPP-led administration, in which there is often discussion around resisting China and anti-China consciousness, cross-strait same-sex couples have been left in a bind where they are allowed to love, but not marry. The DPP has forgotten that human rights should transcend ideologies.
Meanwhile, the KMT and TPP are treating heterosexual Chinese spouses as their legislative baby, whether it be through candidacies such as the, ultimately withdrawn, TPP legislator-at-large nominee Xu Chunying (徐春鶯), seeking identity cards in advance, pursuing absentee voting or discussing allowing Chinese spouses to bring their relatives to Taiwan to use the nation’s healthcare system.
Yet neither of these opposition parties has brought up how marriage, a most basic human right, cannot be granted to same-sex Chinese spouses.
On multiple occasions, the TPP has proposed that its chairman, Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), fight for a constitutional interpretation if elected president, using this as an excuse to take credit for same-sex marriage policies and absolve the former Taipei mayor of his homophobic remarks.
Today, its best method for whitewashing is to immediately raise the issue of Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex marriage, but the TPP’s silence and inaction show how its members truly feel about minorities.
The KMT — the largest party in the legislature — should address the glaring omission of the DPP’s largest human rights failure. Questioning and doubting the ridiculousness of its stance on Taiwanese-Chinese same-sex marriage has the effect of highlighting the intentional neglect of marriage rights by Tsai and her administration. Yet, the KMT has also neglected to bring up the issue.
The KMT and TPP on the one hand roll out the welcome mat for heterosexual spouses, while on the other tightly slamming the door in the faces of same-sex Chinese spouses.
Apart from these two parties’ bills to loosen up the laws on Chinese spouses showing a superficial affinity for China, nobody has discussed how it builds a concealed homophobia within. For cross-strait same-sex couples, their wait for marriage includes even more dashed hopes and cruelty.
Kang Yunni works for a gender equality non-governmental organization.
Translated by Tim Smith
To The Honorable Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜): We would like to extend our sincerest regards to you for representing Taiwan at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Monday. The Taiwanese-American community was delighted to see that Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan speaker not only received an invitation to attend the event, but successfully made the trip to the US. We sincerely hope that you took this rare opportunity to share Taiwan’s achievements in freedom, democracy and economic development with delegations from other countries. In recent years, Taiwan’s economic growth and world-leading technology industry have been a source of pride for Taiwanese-Americans.
Next week, the nation is to celebrate the Lunar New Year break. Unfortunately, cold winds are a-blowing, literally and figuratively. The Central Weather Administration has warned of an approaching cold air mass, while obstinate winds of chaos eddy around the Legislative Yuan. English theologian Thomas Fuller optimistically pointed out in 1650 that “it’s always darkest before the dawn.” We could paraphrase by saying the coldest days are just before the renewed hope of spring. However, one must temper any optimism about the damage being done in the legislature by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), under
To our readers: Due to the Lunar New Year holiday, from Sunday, Jan. 26, through Sunday, Feb. 2, the Taipei Times will have a reduced format without our regular editorials and opinion pieces. From Tuesday to Saturday the paper will not be delivered to subscribers, but will be available for purchase at convenience stores. Subscribers will receive the editions they missed once normal distribution resumes on Sunday, Feb. 2. The paper returns to its usual format on Monday, Feb. 3, when our regular editorials and opinion pieces will also be resumed.
This year would mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the India Taipei Association (ITA) in Taipei and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC) in New Delhi. From the vision of “Look East” in the 1990s, India’s policy has evolved into a resolute “Act East,” which complements Taiwan’s “New Southbound Policy.” In these three decades, India and Taiwan have forged a rare partnership — one rooted in shared democratic values, a commitment to openness and pluralism, and clear complementarities in trade and technology. The government of India has rolled out the red carpet for Taiwanese investors with attractive financial incentives
RSS