A proposed amendment to the Civil Code aimed at legalizing same-sex marriage was stalled at the legislature yesterday, after it met with staunch opposition from the Ministry of Justice and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators.
Since the legislature’s Judiciary Committee failed to hold a vote on the amendment, it will remain in limbo until the next legislative session, which is due to begin in February.
While the bill was debated, opposing rallies clashed over the issue outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy groups expressed their disappointment over the results, saying that many of the opposing comments from the ministry and KMT legislators seemed to “take us back in time to an unenlightened era, or a bygone century.”
The bill, dubbed the Marriage Equality Amendment, proposes to replace terms in the Civil Code denoting heterosexual couples with neutralized ones, for example replacing “husband and wife” with “couple,” which would therefore effectively legalize same-sex marriage.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) listed four main reasons for the ministry’s opposition to the amendment, saying that its passage would impact current marriage institutions, including population policies and inheritance principles, and introduce changes to too many laws; that it lacks social consensus and support; that it has met “strong opposition” at public hearings; and that the rights of gays and lesbians can be protected through legal reforms on issues such as medical visitation rights or taxation, without making “hasty” changes to marriage institutions.
Photo: CNA
Chen said legalizing same-sex marriage is unsuitable for Taiwan at the moment, since it goes against the nation’s “views on interpersonal ethics and morality.”
He denied allegations that the government discriminates against homosexuals, saying that the ministry would soon put forward a proposal to protect the rights of gays and lesbians “through successive phases,” adding that he was more open to supporting individual legislation than altering the Civil Code.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) compared Chen’s suggestions for separate legislation to racial segregation, saying that this would imply discrimination, not guard against it.
Cheng then asked the deputy minister what he thought about a recent music video by pop diva Jolin Tsai (蔡衣林), which features an elderly woman who is unable to sign medical papers for her partner.
Chen said that such issues could be solved through reforms conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) blasted the justice ministry over its concerns that legalizing gay marriage would lead to a population decrease and asked Chen if the ministry should, by the same token, forbid heterosexual couples who are unable to bear children from getting married.
However, KMT Legislator Liao Cheng-ching (廖正井) supported Chen’s views, saying he was afraid that same-sex marriage would exacerbate problems in Taiwan’s aging society and that there would be fewer young people left to take care of senior citizens.
Liao’s remarks raised some controversy, but not as much as those made by fellow KMT Legislator Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟), who said he was worried that the act’s passage might encourage “startling” behavior, such as polygamy and bestiality.
Cheng responded by saying she is unsure about who is more likely to engage in bestiality: gay or straight people.
While lawmakers were gridlocked inside the Legislative Yuan, more than 100 members of the anti-gay marriage group Alliance of Religious Groups for the Love of Families Taiwan gathered outside yesterday morning, calling on legislators to block the amendment.
“Under the influence of popular culture, homosexuality might become something of a fad, like the trend of holding barbecues for the Mid-Autumn Festival,” said one member of the group, who referred to herself as “Hsiaowei’s Mom (小偉媽媽).”
The protest was interrupted by gay rights advocates several times, including by a group of about a dozen activists who picketed the group and chanted slogans nearby, shouting: “Discrimination is not [protected by] free speech.”
A transgender activist known as Miss Wu (吳小姐), who was born male, but identifies as a transgender woman, stormed through the protesting group members while wearing a skirt and nothing but red paint smeared on her upper torso. She remained mostly silent, but made obscene gestures at the anti-gay marriage protesters.
As KMT legislators currently outnumber their DPP counterparts in the Judiciary Committee nine to four, LGBT advocates speculate that the committee’s convener, DPP Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) — a leading proponent of many gender rights issues — may have strategically stalled the vote.
Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights director Victoria Hsu (許秀雯) said that although many DPP lawmakers are staunch supporters of marriage equality, several DPP committee members failed to show up for today’s meeting, while Tuan, Cheng and other vocal supporters of the amendment do not have the right to vote in the committee.
Hsu questioned if the DPP is placing enough importance on the issue, as it has yet to make a collective effort to promote same-sex marriage.
Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights secretary-general Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) said that given the legislature’s current composition — with the KMT commanding a majority — the amendment stands little chance of getting passed.
She added that she hopes the issue can be debated in the 2016 presidential and legislative elections, with input from third party contenders.
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
POLLS CONCERNS: There are concerns within the KMT that a Cheng Li-wun-Xi Jinping meeting could trigger a voter backlash in elections in November Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to visit next month, her party and Chinese state media reported yesterday. Cheng, who took up her role in November last year, “gladly accepted” the invitation to lead a delegation to China, the KMT said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua news agency report. Cheng “looks forward to joint efforts by both parties to advance the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, promote cross-strait exchanges and cooperation, and work for peace in the Taiwan Strait and greater well-being for people on both sides,” the statement said. Chinese
SIGNIFICANT TO THE WORLD: The delegation’s visit aims to send a clear message that bipartisan support for Taiwan is consistent, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen said The US Senate’s bipartisan support for Taiwan remains strong and Taiwan-US ties would continue for decades to come, a US Senate delegation said in Taipei yesterday, while calling on the legislature to swiftly pass a special defense budget bill. A US delegation led by Democratic US Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Republican US Senator John Curtis — both members of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations — arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day visit. The other senators of the delegation included Senate Taiwan Caucus cochair Thom Tillis and Senate Committee on Armed Services senior member Jacky Rosen. Shaheen told a news
RSS