National Dong Hwa University in Hualien on Thursday retracted its “endorsement” of a rainbow flag-raising event on campus yesterday, saying that the event is a “student organization activity” and that an e-mail suggesting that it was an official event was the result of an administrative error.
The university’s administrative office on Wednesday sent an e-mail to faculty and students, inviting them to attend the event, which was to be held in support of the Taipei City Government’s planned flying of the rainbow flag to mark a gay pride parade in the capital today.
At 9am on Thursday, the university retracted the e-mail with a “clarification,” saying the event was planned by a student organization on whose behalf the university had sent the invitation in the interest of “respecting and supporting social diversity,” adding that the administration takes responsibility for any “misunderstanding.”
University president Chao Han-chieh (趙涵捷) said the perception of an official endorsement was the result of a misunderstanding and while an administrative meeting was convened in connection with the event, its agenda was to grant permission, not to endorse the event.
He said the e-mail was sent by the university’s administrative office because organizers said they did not have enough time to promote the event, adding that the lack of clarity in the original message was the result of an administrative error.
“Taiwan has progressed as a society to the point that tolerance for minorities has become a priority and the university respects the rights of all people to voice their opinions,” Chao said.
Chao said that the university had received messages from conservative Christian groups objecting to the event and that several complaints had been sent to his private Line account, which he considered “a violation of privacy.”
Gender identity and diversity have become major issues in society, said Chang Te-sheng (張德勝), a professor at the university and a faculty instructor at the campus group Dong Hwa Rainbow Kids, the organization responsible for organizing the event.
The university is a place for students to receive an education about the realities of a pluralistic society in which people do not always agree and from an educator’s perspective, having students exposed to disagreements on campus is a good thing, he added.
Chang Che-yuan (張哲源), vice president of Rainbow Kids and the organizer of last month’s Hualien Rainbow Carnival, said Chang Te-sheng was the faculty member who proposed the event to the school administration, adding that it was surprising that officials would later demand to see him following protests by religious groups.
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