Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) have worn pink masks over the past two days amid reports that boys were refusing to wear them for fear of being ridiculed by their classmates.
The complaints triggered a wave of support for pink.
During a news conference on Monday, Chen told reporters that the Pink Panther had been his favorite cartoon as a youngster, while the Ministry of Education and the Council of Agriculture, among government agencies, as well as businesses and other organizations changed their Facebook logos to pink.
“I hope that people do not limit their options by stereotyping colors. As long as a mask can protect you, it does not matter what color it is,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wrote on Facebook.
While the issue of mask availability has been an unfortunate consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak and become a crucial part of the government’s efforts to contain the virus, it is also a great opportunity to address gender stereotypes that are still prevalent in Taiwan today.
Such stereotypes made headlines last year when a “manskirt week” to challenge gender norms at Banqiao Senior High School blew up and resulted in the school amending its dress code to allow male students to wear skirts.
The government voiced support for the issue back then, and continues to set an example for the inclusive, free society that Taiwan strives to become.
It is encouraging to see the general support, especially with public figures leading by example.
While stressing that there is nothing wrong with wearing pink for health reasons, it also contributes to the fight against more serious gender discrimination.
To mark Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights released a survey showing that 37.3 percent of transgender people have experienced discrimination in the workplace, 55.4 percent are afraid to use a public restroom, and 18.5 percent said they had been attacked or harassed in public.
That the simple issue of wearing pink masks was considered serious enough for the president and other top officials to address directly just shows how deep discrimination runs against those who might be different.
It does not necessarily have to do with sexuality — a heterosexual, cisgender man could just like the color pink, but be forced to suppress his preferences due to the stigma.
Given the dominance given to the COVID-19 pandemic in the news in the past weeks, there have been a few incidents regarding gender and equality that might have flown under the radar.
While Taiwan stayed relatively quiet at the height of the #MeToo movement in 2017, things nevertheless have been moving forward, with former talk show host and entertainer Chin Wei (秦偉) reporting to authorities yesterday to begin an eight-year prison sentence for raping two women.
Several other men in the entertainment industry are still battling their convictions in court.
A tendency to disregard allegations of sexual abuse or rape of males was highlighted a few weeks ago after comedian Brian Tseng (曾博恩) brought up his own experiences during a show, but drew flak for doing so in a joking manner.
The nation’s criminalization of adultery is also under review by the Council of Grand Justices.
These are all signs of progress. People can have differing opinions on these issues — and they might not agree with the results — but only in a healthy civil society are people able to discuss these topics in the open.
Talking about them is the best way to destroy stigma.
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