There should be no technical obstacles to adding a third gender option to passports as long as the Ministry of the Interior approves such an option for household registration and national identification purposes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
The issuance of passports is conditional on the issuance of national identification cards, so if the interior ministry decides to include a third gender option, the foreign ministry would make the same change to passports, foreign ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said at a news conference.
Several countries have introduced an “X” — “unspecified” — gender option on passports, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Malta, Nepal and Denmark, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
If the government were to make new policy on the matter, the Department of Household Registration would make changes as required, department Director Chang Wan-yi (張琬宜) said.
The Executive Yuan’s Gender Equality Committee yesterday said it is working to introduce a third gender option on identity documents to protect the rights of transgender, intersex and other gender-diverse individuals.
The government has decided to add a third gender option, the committee said, adding that it is checking related laws, regulations and forms and would convene a cross-agency meeting to discuss specifics as soon as possible.
The policy involves several agencies and the committee predicts that multiple discussions would need to be held, it said.
In September last year, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Wan-I (林萬億) convened a meeting and instructed agencies to check laws, regulations and forms, the committee said.
Minister without Portfolio Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) is now responsible for supervising the preparatory work, it said.
After the examination, Lo is to convene a cross-agency meeting to discuss specifics and the short, medium and long-term goals of the policy, it added.
Further discussions are needed to decide on a timetable for the policy, the committee said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS