Gender rights advocacy groups yesterday condemned former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) over his comments that there should be special legislation for same-sex marriages, so that people do not confuse them with “traditional” marriages.
Speaking about same-sex marriage in his new book, Lin said that “Although we do not understand why people of the same sex would fall in love and develop a desire for each other, we should respect it as something private between the two people.”
He added that he believes same-sex marriage and child adoption by same-sex couples should not be banned, but it would be better if there were separate legislation for the “new type of union” so that it would not be confused with the traditional version.
Photo: CNA
“Traditionally, ‘marriage’ is defined as a union between a man and woman, but we believe that everyone — regardless of sexual orientation — should enjoy equal rights. That is why we are pushing for amending the Civil Code to allow same-sex marriage,” Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
“Since equality in the right to be married is the central idea of the campaign, we would not accept separate legislation, because such legislation would still be discrimination and putting a label on same-sex couples,” she said.
Chien said that in many nations, such as Canada and New Zealand, same-sex marriage has been legalized by revising the definition of marriage from “the union between a man and woman” to “the union between two people” in laws.
“If other countries can do it, so can we,” Chien said.
“You may think people could be separate but equal, but segregation is not equality at all,” she added.
The alliance’s executive director Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) said that having a separate law for same-sex marriages would only deepen discrimination and would not help enhance social harmony and diversity.
“Equality is not putting differences aside, but recognizing and embracing them,” she said.
Gay rights activist Shen Ying-chun (沈盈君) said that she was disappointed by Lin’s remarks.
“As a lesbian, I feel disappointed to see your [Lin’s] remarks,” Shen said. “As a respected democracy activist, do you really think it is a democratic value to put people into two different categories?”
Shih Ming-te Cultural Foundation executive board director Chen Chia-chun (陳嘉君) said that activists are worried about the impact of Lin’s remarks, as he is a respected figure in society.
“When Lin calls same-sex marriage a ‘new type of union,’ I want to correct him because homosexuality is not a new creation. It has long existed in human history, and has been recorded in ancient texts and carved onto stone plates in ancient Egypt, Greece and China,” Chen said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS