Some of the world’s largest companies on Wednesday said that plans to grant equal marriage to LGBT couples in Taiwan would boost the country’s economy.
The Legislative Yuan is expected to vote on bills concerning same-sex marriage by May 24, a deadline set by the Council of Grand Justices when it ruled in 2017 that same-sex couples could legally wed.
Google, Airbnb, Deutsche Bank, Ernst & Young, Mastercard and Microsoft have joined forces with nine other companies, including Taiwan-based O-Bank, to laud the benefits of same-sex weddings.
Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times
“We value diversity, inclusivity, respect, equality and non-discrimination, as well as seek to protect these values within our company and while working with our business partners,” Microsoft Taiwan enterprise public lead Patrick Pan (潘先國) said.
“We do so not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it can make our company and society stronger and more successful,” Pan said.
Economists have said that the benefits of same-sex marriage include increased productivity, greater labor mobility and less stress in the workplace over perceived discrimination.
According to 2016 research from Swiss bank Credit Suisse, the performance of a basket of 270 companies that supported LGBT policies was on average 3 percent higher than that of the MSCI All Country World Index, which measures global stock movements.
Taiwan is set to become the first country in Asia to allow same-sex marriage following a 2017 ruling by the council that the prohibition of same-sex marriage in the Civil Code was unconstitutional.
However, a referendum on whether to support the legalization of same-sex marriage through amendments to the Civil Code was defeated in November last year.
Under the council’s terms, lawmakers have until May 24 to pass legislation that would allow same-sex couples to wed.
If the Legislative Yuan fails to act, same-sex marriage would automatically become legal.
“Leveraging different perspectives fuels innovation, fosters collaboration and strengthens relationships,” said Andrew Fuh (傅文芳), managing partner for Ernst & Young, Taiwan. “This is why we believe that each of us has a role to play in advancing diversity and inclusion.”
The Legislative Yuan is considering two bills offering couples differing rights ahead of the May 24 deadline.
Passing marriage equality would send a message to the world that “Taiwan is open for business,” Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan chief coordinator Jennifer Lu (呂欣潔) said.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Taiwan's Gold Apollo Co (金阿波羅通信) said today that the pagers used in detonations in Lebanon the day before were not made by it, but by a company called BAC which has a license to use its brand. At least nine people were killed and nearly 3,000 wounded when pagers used by Hezbollah members detonated simultaneously across Lebanon yesterday. Images of destroyed pagers analyzed by Reuters showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo. A senior Lebanese security source told Reuters that Hezbollah had ordered 5,000 pagers from Taiwan-based Gold Apollo. "The product was not
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai