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Professor and link to bestiality feature in court case

National Central University professor Josephine Ho (何春蕤), who is on trial for posting a link to a bestiality portal on her university Web site, yesterday said that she hoped to use her case to fight for more freedom of discussion in academic settings.

She appeared at the Taipei District Court yesterday on charges of offences against morality.

According to Ho, freedom of speech could not be fully practiced in Taiwan.

"I urge the public to reconsider the terms `pornography' and `obscenity' in our criminal code, as they are outdated, and also to get to know sexual images and culture from a modern-day perspective," Ho said.

Scores of social groups such as the Taiwan Gender/Sexuality Rights Association and the Collective of Sex Workers and Supporters, along with some of Ho's students, gathered outside the Taipei District Court yesterday in a show of support.

"Ho has been an academic for many years and her contribution is significant. It is ironic that she has to be indicted for making contributions to her own academic field, just because what she did fit the traditional definition of obscenity," said Wang Ping (王蘋), secretary-general of the Taiwan Gender/Sexuality Rights Association.

Ho posted a link on the Web site of the university's Center for the Study of Sexuality where she has served as a director for the past few years. The link was to "Beast Love," an Internet site featuring sexual intercourse between humans and animals.
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