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`Beast Love' site has Ho in hot water

KMT Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tsuo, left, with lawyer Yu Ying-fu, pushes a button outside the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office yesterday. The two were at the office to file a lawsuit against National Central University professor Josephine Ho, who had posted a link to a Web site detailing intercourse between humans and animals. The poster reads: ``Scholar who has changed color. Intercourse between humans and animals.'' The sign is a play on words. ``Color'' in Mandarin sounds the same as ``sex.'' PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES

A group of women's rights activists, lawmakers, lawyers, teachers and parents yesterday filed a suit against Josephine Ho (何春蕤) for posting a link to a Web site detailing intercourse between humans and animals.

Ho, a professor of English and the director of National Central University's Center for the Study of Sexuality, posted the link to "Beast Love" on the center's Web site but removed it in April.

The group, led by KMT Legislator Tseng Tsai Mei-tsuo (曾蔡美佐), held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan to complain about the link yesterday morning before going to the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office to file the suit.

"Ho's explanation for posting the link to the pornographic Web site is not acceptable. We are afraid that her twisted point of view could have a bad influence on the next generation. We hope prosecutors can begin to investigate the issue and that Ho will receive proper punishment for doing this," Tseng Tsai said.

Ho could not be reached for comment yesterday as she is attending a seminar in Japan.

"We are afraid that her [Ho's] twisted point of view could have a bad influence on the next generation."

Tseng Tsai Mei-tsuo, a KMT legislator

The controversy began on April 10, when Internet surfers discovered a link to "Beast Love" on the center's Web site. The story made front-page news.

The site, which features pictures and a manual, sparked discussion on the fine line between pornography and academic research.

In response to questions and critics, Ho issued a press release that same day and removed the link.

Ho said in her press release that animals and human beings have the same sexual desires and should be treated equally and fairly. Ho said the center added the link to "Beast Love" because the phenomenon is worth research as intercourse between human beings and animals does exist.

"I hope that everybody can take it as academic research rather than pornography," Ho said.

Lawyer Yu Ying-fu (尤英夫) said yesterday, however, that the freedom of academic research should not be abused.

"We respect the freedom of academic research. However, it should not be unlimited especially when the research subject may harm the next generation physically or mentally," he said. "We should be more careful with that."

Ho added that "Beast Love" belongs to neither the center nor to the university. She said the link should not offend Internet surfers because visitors to the site will see a warning before they can log in. The warning states, "Please leave now if you are offended by alternative animal intercourse pictures."

Meanwhile, prosecutors said that posting the link may have violated Article 235 of the Criminal Code.

The article says, "A person who distributes, sells, publicly displays, or by other means shows to another person indecent writing, drawing, or other [such work] shall be punished with imprisonment for not more than one year; in addition thereto, a fine of not more than NT$3,000 may be imposed."
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