Gay rights activists yesterday gathered at 228 Peace Park and called for the abolition of Article 235 of the Criminal Law (
Wang Ping (
Wang said that homosexual rights are heavily restricted and gays are often described as "obscene" and "perverts."
PHOTO: CHENG HSUEH-YUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
J.J. Lai (
Lai has also appealed to the Council of Grand Justices on the constitutionality of Article 235, which bans the sale, circulation and public display of obscene publications.
Unfazed by the failed appeals, Lai said: "This is a chance for gay rights activists to challenge the law and see that changes are made."
An alliance of gay and gender rights groups has also been formed to challenge the article.
The terms "indecent" and "obscene" should be clearly defined, because judges were allowed too much discretion to decide what constitutes obscenity, Lai said.
Academics in the alliance also discovered that Article 235 dates back to 1922, he said.
Lai said that it was high time for the article to be abolished.
"Sexual rights should not be under the control of the government. They cannot regulate what you can or cannot read, or whether what you read is `obscene' or not," Lai said.
The alliance plans to launch an "Abolish Article 235" movement on June 27 to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall riots in 1969.
The Stonewall riots were a series of violent conflicts between homosexuals and police officers in New York City. The first night of rioting began on June 27, 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village.
The incident is generally considered a turning point for the modern gay rights movement worldwide since it marked the first time that a significant number of homosexuals resisted arrest and fought back.
‘LONE WOLF’: The suspect was difficult to locate, as he did not use a cellphone, did not contact family and often lived in abandoned sites or parks, police said Taipei police on Thursday morning arrested a man accused of numerous burglaries and at least 14 incidents of sexual assault spanning more than 20 years, in what might be the nation’s most notorious crime spree in recent years. Sixty-year-old Tu Ming-lang (涂明朗) — who was yesterday placed in judicial detention, after a judge determined he was a flight risk without a fixed address — faces multiple charges of sexual assault and burglary, police said. A task force comprised of various law enforcement agencies arrested Tu as part of an investigation into an April 28 burglary in Daan District (大安), in which a
Ninth graders were asked to define “trolling” on this year’s standardized exam, reflecting efforts to make the test better reflect real-life situations. Adjustments to this year’s Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students were revealed on Sunday, after the last cohort of students completed the test over the weekend. The Ministry of Education solicited feedback about the test from teachers, who approved of the new question in the English portion. Not only was question No. 20 “very much in line with real-life situations,” but it also used a new style in which students were asked to ascertain the correct dictionary definition based
Taiwan is on alert for monkeypox, a rare viral disease that has caused 87 infections in 11 countries over the past three weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday. The WHO on Friday convened an emergency session to discuss a sudden outbreak of monkeypox in North America and Europe. Since the beginning of this month, 87 confirmed cases and 28 possible cases have been identified in 11 countries. The countries with the highest case counts are England with 29 cases, and Portugal and Spain with 23 each. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease occurring primarily in the tropical rainforest areas
ADAPTING: The CECC said the policy change would happen this week at the earliest, while PCR testing stations would be used to diagnose people and prescribe drugs The general public would be able to use a positive rapid test result that has been confirmed by a doctor for COVID-19 diagnosis starting later this week at the soonest, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 79,441 new local infections and 53 deaths. The center on Saturday announced that it was expanding the rapid test diagnosis policy to people living in indigenous townships and outlying islands, starting today. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, yesterday said the policy might be further expanded to include “all people” this week, at the soonest. He