The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday called for more dialogue and discussions on the proposed same-sex marriage act, and said the Legislative Yuan should handle it carefully amid continuing disputes over the issue.
The KMT formed a special task force to discuss the proposed bill and define the party’s position on the issue under the instruction of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who expressed his support for gay rights, but said the bill should not be promoted hastily due to the lack of social consensus on same-sex marriage.
KMT spokesman Yang Wei-chun (楊偉中) said the task force, headed by KMT Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權), determined that the KMT respected the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
The Legislative Yuan should hold public hearings to seek a consensus on the issue before reviewing the bill, Yang added.
“Society should engage in more dialogue, communication and discussion on the issue, and the legislative branch should seek to reach a consensus on handling the bill,” he said.
The proposed amendments to Article 972 of the Civil Code, which would entail the legalization of same-sex marriage, include the neutralization of terms that are used to refer to couples planning to get married, spouses and parents.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), in a story printed in the Chinese-language Apple Daily, expressed reservations over the proposed bill. He said that traditional family values were important and said the attempt to change the traditional family system by legal means was premature.
“I don’t think our society is ready for such a drastic change to the definition of relationships between parents and children, and the regulations and protection of marriage,” he said.
He said the Taipei City government has gone to great lengths to create a friendly environment for different groups, including LBGT groups, and eliminate discrimination in various fields.
However, legislation providing for same-sex marriage should be suspended until a social consensus is formed, he said.
“We understand and respect the needs of different groups and continue our efforts to make Taipei more inclusive and diverse. However, the proposed bill is concerned with family values and is a highly contentious issue. Society should seek a consensus on the issue,” he said.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching