The Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance yesterday said it had collected nearly 2 million signatures for three referendum proposals on homosexuality, which would run alongside the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections once they complete the registration process at the Central Election Commission, while two referendum proposals to advance gay rights promoted by the opposite camp are still 80,000 signatures short of their goal.
The alliance’s proposals ask: “Do you agree that marriage should be strictly defined as between a man and a woman in the Civil Code?”; “Do you agree that the right of same-sex couples to live together should be protected through ways that do not require amending the Civil Code?”; and “Do you agree that provisions in the Enforcement Rules for Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法施行細則) concerning homosexuality education should not be implemented at the elementary and junior-high school levels?”
According to the alliance, the proposals gathered 678,550, 633,450 and 670,100 signatures respectively, far exceeding the legal threshold of 281,745 signatures.
“This is not a war between conservatives and proponents of new ideas. It is about making a choice about our fundamental values,” alliance president Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) told a news conference.
“Children encounter all kinds of problems in their lives and we always try our best to help them, but we will not allow any attempts to undermine values that are fundamental to families,” Tseng added.
While the group was ready to submit the 1,982,100 signed petition papers they had collected to the commission, officials were still occupied with referendum petitions submitted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Monday.
They were therefore forced to leave the papers on the commission’s porch after the news conference.
Meanwhile, two referendum proposals put forward by a group of LGBT rights advocates led by Social Democratic Party member Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) are also closing in on the referendum thresholds.
Their proposals ask: “Do you agree the rights of same-sex couples to marry each other should be protected in the Civil Code’s chapter on Marriage?” and “Do you agree that the Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) should require gender quality education to cover homosexuality, relationships and sex education and be taught at elementary and junior-high schools?”
The group on Monday estimated that it has collected between 220,000 and 230,000 signatures for each proposal, which means it needs 80,000 more before Aug. 30 to qualify.
Campaigns to promote the two proposals were launched on April 18, a day after the anti-LGBT proposals passed initial reviews by the commission.
However, they did not begin collecting signatures to meet the 281,745 threshold until July 24 due to the commission’s lengthy paperwork process.
For a referendum to pass, at least a quarter of the nation’s eligible voters must cast an affirmative vote, with the “yes” votes outnumbering the “no” votes.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS