Once in a sauna at a swimming pool, I overheard people talking about the nation’s low birthrate.
A woman, who is a mother, had a sudden, odd thought and commented on the LGBT community, saying: “The population is dwindling, but the government still encourages homosexuality. Allowing same-sex couples to marry goes against the course of nature and is unsightly. No wonder the population is shrinking.”
Almost everyone in the sauna seemed to agree with her and criticized the government’s same-sex marriage policy.
The opinion is probably quite common in Taiwan and some clarification is needed to get those who hold this opinion to learn to respect difference.
VEGGIE ANALOGY
When there is a banquet, the organizer gathers responses beforehand to see how many attendees are vegetarian and prepares a table with vegetarian food for them.
Same-sex love and vegetarianism are both human rights, so why are people unwilling to accept same-sex love when they are willing to accept vegetarians?
It is even more wrong to comment on the legalization of same-sex marriage — a significant indicator of progress in human rights — saying that it is a matter of “going against the course of nature” and “unsightly.”
SIMPLE RESPECT
Respecting those who are different is a fundamental quality of democracy.
However, showing respect is not the same thing as giving encouragement, and it is even less a matter of facilitation. It is simply a matter of allowing LGBT people to come forward with confidence and enabling them to enjoy the same human rights that everyone else is free to enjoy.
UNDERSTANDING
It was only after reading Silent Thrush (失聲畫眉) by Taiwanese writer Ling Yan (凌煙) in college that I came to realize that the working conditions of Taiwanese gezai opera (歌仔戲) troupes contributed to love affairs between actresses, which eventually evolved into same-sex relationships.
Later, I watched Ang Lee’s (李安) The Wedding Banquet (喜宴), a movie that explores a gay couple’s internal struggle and psychological journey.
Afraid of hurting his parents’ feelings, the protagonist dares not fail their expectations, but is at the same time unable to turn his back on intimate same-sex relations and his love for his partner.
Understanding and the possibility of acceptance only come with personal encounters. If people have family members or relatives who are gay, they still love and care for them as a family.
People should take the same sympathetic attitude toward others and accept their relations in the same manner.
NO CAUSATION
The nation’s low birthrate is not caused by same-sex love, and blocking marriage equality will do nothing to make ordinary couples more willing to have children.
Love between people of the same sex should be given human rights protection and be respected by society.
Again, showing respect is not the same thing as encouraging same-sex love — it is a way to protect groups whose sexual orientations differ from other people.
Terms such as “unorthodox” or “rebellious” should not be used to criticize the love between gay people or a government that stipulates protective laws.
Chen Chi-nung is the principal of Nantou County’s Shuili Junior High School.
Translated by Chang Ho-ming
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