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 first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
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