Unlike in other nations, where the strongest and most vocal opponents of same-sex unions mostly come from religious communities, the main impediment to Taiwan’s path to becoming the first Asian nation to allow same-sex marriages could be those who cling to traditional notions of what constitutes marriage and family.
Legislators appear divided on the issue. Even those who are in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage are having difficulties reaching a consensus on how they should fulfill that goal: by amending the Civil Code or enacting a separate law dedicated to same-sex couples.
Amid the public debate on the issue, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Monday released a survey conducted by a polling company last week, which found that 51.7 percent of respondents supported amendments to legalize same-sex unions, while 43.3 percent said they disapproved.
The majority of respondents, 53.3 percent, said they preferred to see a law passed legalizing same-sex marriages, while 32.2 percent favored revising the Civil Code’s definition of marriage.
Some outsiders might be fooled by the January election of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as Taiwan’s first female head of state into thinking that the nation has become progressive enough to welcome same-sex unions, but the truth is that conservative values remain deeply entrenched.
A close look at the KMT survey’s questions could shed light on what truly lies at the center of the legislative gridlock on the issue of same-sex marriage.
The poll asked if people could accept the removal of the terms “husband and wife,” “man and woman” and “father and mother” from legal documents, something that may be inevitable should legislators opt for amending the Civil Code.
While more than half of the respondents were supportive of legalizing same-sex marriage, 54 percent said they could not accept the loss of such terms, while 39.6 percent said it would not bother them.
The idea of losing “traditional titles” has been blown out of proportion by opponents of same-sex marriages, who have fabricated rumors that children would no longer be able to call their parents mother or father if the Civil Code’s definition of marriage was revised.
They are smart to play on people’s fear of losing such titles, which have played a key role in Taiwanese family life because of Confucian values and the emphasis on addressing family members and relatives by their “right titles.”
Another question highlighted the tendency to associate marriage with having children. Respondents were asked if they agreed with the idea that marriage between a man and a woman serves the public interest because it promotes procreation, whereas same-sex unions, it is implied, do not.
Nearly 56 percent of respondents agreed with the supposition and 43 percent disagreed.
Such linkages probably explain why some anti-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups have blamed the nation’s declining birthrate on the LGBT population, and argue that the legalization of same-sex marriage would aggravate the situation.
These KMT poll results are worrisome and could cast a further shadow over the Tsai government’s efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
Whether lawmakers in favor of legalization will cave in to pressure from such outdated voices or stand firm in their beliefs could be the make-or-break factor in the nation’s closely watched bid to achieve marriage equality.
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