The Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance yesterday said it had collected nearly 2 million signatures for three referendum proposals on homosexuality, which would run alongside the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections once they complete the registration process at the Central Election Commission, while two referendum proposals to advance gay rights promoted by the opposite camp are still 80,000 signatures short of their goal.
The alliance’s proposals ask: “Do you agree that marriage should be strictly defined as between a man and a woman in the Civil Code?”; “Do you agree that the right of same-sex couples to live together should be protected through ways that do not require amending the Civil Code?”; and “Do you agree that provisions in the Enforcement Rules for Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法施行細則) concerning homosexuality education should not be implemented at the elementary and junior-high school levels?”
According to the alliance, the proposals gathered 678,550, 633,450 and 670,100 signatures respectively, far exceeding the legal threshold of 281,745 signatures.
“This is not a war between conservatives and proponents of new ideas. It is about making a choice about our fundamental values,” alliance president Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) told a news conference.
“Children encounter all kinds of problems in their lives and we always try our best to help them, but we will not allow any attempts to undermine values that are fundamental to families,” Tseng added.
While the group was ready to submit the 1,982,100 signed petition papers they had collected to the commission, officials were still occupied with referendum petitions submitted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Monday.
They were therefore forced to leave the papers on the commission’s porch after the news conference.
Meanwhile, two referendum proposals put forward by a group of LGBT rights advocates led by Social Democratic Party member Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) are also closing in on the referendum thresholds.
Their proposals ask: “Do you agree the rights of same-sex couples to marry each other should be protected in the Civil Code’s chapter on Marriage?” and “Do you agree that the Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) should require gender quality education to cover homosexuality, relationships and sex education and be taught at elementary and junior-high schools?”
The group on Monday estimated that it has collected between 220,000 and 230,000 signatures for each proposal, which means it needs 80,000 more before Aug. 30 to qualify.
Campaigns to promote the two proposals were launched on April 18, a day after the anti-LGBT proposals passed initial reviews by the commission.
However, they did not begin collecting signatures to meet the 281,745 threshold until July 24 due to the commission’s lengthy paperwork process.
For a referendum to pass, at least a quarter of the nation’s eligible voters must cast an affirmative vote, with the “yes” votes outnumbering the “no” votes.
UNDER INVESTIGATION: Huang’s body was found just outside the bathroom and showed no signs of a struggle, and no alcohol or drugs were found Singer and actor Alien Huang (黃鴻升) was found dead at his home in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) yesterday. He was 36. Huang was also known by the nickname Xiao Gui (“little ghost”). His body was found when his father went to check on him after being unable to reach him by telephone, and called emergency services to the house at 11am, the Taipei City Police Department said. Huang’s body, which was discovered just outside the bathroom, showed no signs of a physical struggle, and he appeared to have been dead for some time, police said, adding that no drugs or alcohol were
Scooter riders should regularly clean their helmets, especially in summer, to prevent dirt and sweat from accumulating and causing scalp problems, such as hair loss and permanent baldness, a dermatologist has warned. Poor hygiene practices by helmet wearers often lead to scalp problems, such as bacterial folliculitis, tinea capitis and seborrheic dermatitis, Lu Pei-hsuan (呂佩璇) at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said on Aug 31. The first step to maintain good scalp care is proper hair washing, as shampoo residues can easily cause dandruff and itchy scalps, while improper scratching will cause inflammation, Lu said. The best way to wash your hair is to
CONFIRMED IN PHILIPPINES: The CECC would conduct contact tracing for the migrant workers to determine if they had come into contact with elderly people or children Six Filipinos tested positive for COVID-19 upon returning home from Taiwan, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday as it reported a case of imported COVID-19 infection, bringing the number of confirmed cases in Taiwan to 500. Philippine authorities reported four of the cases through the National IHR Focal Point, while the other two were reported by the company that they had worked for in Taiwan. The six — five women and one man — are aged from their 20s to 40s, and worked as in-home care workers, domestic workers, factory workers and sailors in Taiwan, said Minister of Health and
INTIMIDATION: Chinese military maneuvers have mostly led to heightened support for Taiwan’s defense forces, while China appears poised to continue its campaign China’s incessant military activities in and near the Taiwan Strait over the past several months are “greater in meaning than in substance,” and are aimed at polarizing Taiwanese society, a researcher said in a report published on Friday. China has attempted to intimidate Taiwan through military threats, while at the same time calling on Taiwanese and US officials to practice restraint, which is aimed at causing a rift between those who prefer resistance against China and those who prefer peace, said Lee Kuan-cheng (李冠成), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. “China’s goal is to obscure public awareness
RSS