Marriage equality opponents are planning a strategic legislative retreat and are preparing nationwide forums to fight for public support to oppose same-sex unions, campaigners said yesterday at a news conference.
They also called on Premier Lin Chuan (林全) to resign over his “pro-homosexual” policy focus.
“We can petition the Judicial Yuan and launch an administrative suit to voice problems with the Council of Grand Justices’ decision, but there is no way to overturn it, so we need to push for any changes to be packaged in a special law to reduce changes to the Civil Code,” said Andrew Chang (張守一), secretary-general of the Alliance of Religious Groups for the Love of Families Taiwan, one of the most vocal groups opposing same-sex marriage.
The council’s decision in May found that a failure to provide legal guarantees for same-sex couples was unconstitutional, but stopped short of specifying whether a special law separate from the Civil Code would be sufficient to protect same-sex civil unions.
Chang criticized legislation drafted by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) last year in conjunction with prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights groups for directly amending the Civil Code, slamming provisions that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in adoption cases.
“Everyone is already equal under the law, with adoption decisions made by courts based on child-raising ability and conditions. Passing this kind of guarantee would give homosexuals special privilege,” he said, adding that no major protests are planned as campaigners await the promulgation of the Executive Yuan’s version of legalization legislation.
Chang appeared at a press conference with several Defend Family Student League activists, promising to “directly parry” the impact of the grand justices’ decision, which they termed illegitimate.
“The government has used the Judicial Yuan to tell the Legislative Yuan what its next move should be,” league convener Shih Chun-yu (施俊宇) said, promising to organize “hundreds” of forums to educate the public and make opposition “bud across the nation.”
Currently only two forums — in Taipei and Kaohsiung — have been confirmed, he said, adding that the league only has an active membership of between 20 and 30 students.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
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