Members of a gay group expressed hope that wedding leave can be applied to gay couples after the Kaohsiung City Government said it is considering including the partners of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) in its household registration system.
Chen Wei-jen (陳煒仁) said the group is pushing for improvements in the rights of the LGBT community, such as being accorded the same leave and benefits as legally married couples.
He also expressed hope that Kaohsiung would take its cue from the Taipei City Government and have its Bureau of Civil Affairs officials meet with gay groups regularly to hear their voices and needs.
Chen made the remarks at a press conference on Wednesday to promote a gay pride demonstration set for tomorrow in Kaohsiung, which is to commence at a local park at 2:30pm.
The groups have asked the participants in the parade — the city’s fifth — to dress in pink or wear pink accessories.
They said that many of their appeals in the past, such as unisex toilets and regular meetings with city officials, have yet to be realized, and that they want to review this lack of friendliness toward LGBT groups in this year’s parade.
In response, Bureau of Civil Affairs Director-General Tseng Tzu-wen (曾姿雯) said the bureau would work to seek a breakthrough in laws related to the LGBT community.
Tseng said earlier this week that Taiwan does not allow same-sex marriage under the Civil Code, although 25 countries have agreed to legal rights for same-sex partners and 18 countries recognize same-sex marriages.
She said the city government would study how to include same-sex partners in the household registration system.
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