A gay-rights group yesterday released results of a survey which showed that 89 percent of the homosexual respondents believe that gay marriages should be legalized.
The survey also indicates that relationship problems are what troubled respondents most.
The survey, conducted by the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, focused on the relationship and family problems of homosexuals in this country.
The association said hotline records showed that most gays and lesbians called about their relationship problems, said Cheng Chi-wei (鄭智偉), head of the association's social-work group.
He said the gay-rights movement has gradually made progress over the years in Taiwan and homosexuals are less afraid of making their sexual preference known.
Homosexuals are ready for relationships and to consider future possibilities for their relationships, he said.
Taiwan does not have a law ensuring the rights of gay unions or marriages, said Ashley Wu (
"Close to 90 percent of the people surveyed want [gay] marriage to be legalized," Wu said. "However, only 57 percent of the people actually want to get married if such a law existed."
Some respondents said that marriage does not necessarily guarantee a good relationship, Wu said.
Cheng said that many respondents said they were worried about a negative reaction from their parents if they announced that they were gay.
Most hope to be accepted and understood by their parents and that their parents would care about their partners as well, Cheng said.
Heterosexuals have a better support system when it comes to relationship problems, he said, while many homosexuals do not even have family support.
One woman, surnamed Kuo, the mother of a lesbian, said that she meets periodically with a group of other parents of homosexual children to talk and provide support for each other.
Kuo said that that it had been hard to accept at first that her daughter was a lesbian when her daughter came out in ninth grade.
"I had to accept homosexuals, learn about them and finally try to understand them," Kuo said. "But after all that, I am still concerned about my daughter's future."
Kuo said that homosexuals should have the right to choose whether they want to marry or to have or adopt children. Her daughter is currently in a steady relationship and living with her partner.
"Ever since my daughter was born, I had imagined her walking down the aisle wearing a beautiful wedding dress, getting married, then having a lot of children," Kuo said. "Even now, she should have the right to do so."
She said that in the US counseling existed for homosexual couples and that Taiwan should have the same.
The survey was conducted online and a total of 300 surveys were returned.
The hotline provides services such as counseling for the homosexual community, families and friends and receives some 900 calls a year seeking help.
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