More than 100,000 people thronged the streets of Taipei on Saturday last week for East Asia’s largest Pride parade, months after Taiwan began formally allowing same-sex marriage, the first place in Asia to do so.
Proudly democratic Taiwan is a bastion of liberal values in a part of the world where in many countries homosexuality remains illegal. Since legalization on May 24, more than 2,150 same-sex couples have married in Taiwan, government data shows.
Organizers say more than 200,000 people marched through the streets of Taipei in a parade that ended in the evening on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Chi Chia-wei, a gay rights activist who brought a case to Taiwan’s constitutional court that led to a landmark court ruling on same-sex marriage in 2017, told Reuters that everyone was extremely happy. “We used to be worried and fearful, but we have accomplished it, so we are all joining the Pride parade with joy,” he said while standing on a balcony waving a big rainbow flag to the crowds below.
Same-sex marriage remains illegal in Taiwan’s giant neighbor China, which claims Taiwan as its sacred territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.
A small group shouted their support for anti-government protests in Hong Kong, which have roiled the former British colony for the last four months. “Taiwan’s democracy supports homosexuals. Taiwan’s homosexuals support Hong Kong,” a group of about 50 people chanted.
Photo: REUTERS
照片:路透社
Still, same-sex marriage has not had an easy ride in Taiwan. On Nov. 24 last year, Taiwanese voters opposed same-sex marriage in a series of referendums, defining marriage as being between a man and a woman in civil law.
(Reuters)
超過十萬名民眾上週六湧進台北街頭,參與東亞最大的同志驕傲遊行。數個月前,台灣正式允許同性婚姻,在亞洲首開先例。
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
以民主自豪的台灣,是捍衛自由主義價值的堡壘,屹立在世界上仍有許多國家視同性戀為不合法的這塊區域。根據政府資料顯示,自從同婚法案在五月二十四日生效後,台灣已經有超過兩千一百五十對同性伴侶登記結婚。
主辦單位表示,當天有超過二十萬人走上台北街頭,遊行最後在傍晚抵達總統府前的凱達格蘭大道,畫下圓滿句點。
同志平權運動者祁家威曾向台灣的憲法法庭提出釋憲聲請,進而促成二○一七年極具指標性的同性婚姻釋憲結果。祁家威向路透表示,大家都非常開心。他一面站在陽台上,向底下的遊行群眾揮舞著一面大彩虹旗,一面說:「我們曾經擔心害怕,但我們仍然成功了,所以大家都開心地參加這場驕傲遊行。」
台灣的巨大鄰國──中國──每每聲稱台灣是其神聖不可侵犯的領土,並且從未放棄用武力讓台灣受北京統治,但同性婚姻在當地仍然不合法。
在此同時,有一小群團體在遊行中呼喊口號,聲援香港的反政府抗議。在過去四個月來,反政府示威讓這座前英國殖民地陷入動盪不安。大約五十人組成的團體喊著:「台灣民主撐同志,台灣同志撐香港。」
不過,同婚在台灣並非一帆風順。去年十一月二十四日,台灣選民在公投中對同婚投下反對票,將民法中的婚姻定義為一男一女的結合。
(台北時報章厚明編譯)
Huge stretches of coral reef around the world are turning a ghostly white this year amid record warm ocean temperatures. On April 15, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed the world’s fourth mass global bleaching event is underway — with serious consequences for marine life and for the people and economies that rely on reefs. WHAT ARE CORALS? Corals are invertebrates that live in colonies. Their calcium carbonate secretions form hard and protective scaffolding that serves as a home to many colorful species of single-celled algae. The two organisms have evolved over millennia to work together, with corals providing shelter to algae,
In Taiwan, a quick stop at a local convenience store allows you to grab a hot dog whenever you want. But have you ever wondered how this popular snack got its unique name and became a leading light of American cuisine? First, the name “hot dog” is actually a combination of different ideas. Vendors called the sausages “red hot” to get customers to buy one fresh off their grills. As for the “dog” part, it’s a playful joke to compare the meat of the sausage to that of a dog—specifically , a dachshund. This small, long dog breed was
A: Also, police seized seven pornographic videos featuring minors that entertainer Mickey Huang purchased in his hard disc. B: That’s just outrageous! A: His ex-girlfriend entertainer Little S and some others are calling for a legal amendment to increase the penalty. B: The buyers and sellers should both be punished heavily. A: But the porn sellers’ Web sites are mostly overseas, so they are hard to catch. A: 此外警方也在黃子佼的硬碟裡,查到7部他買的未成年色情片。 B: 真是令人火大! A: 他的前女友小S等人,還呼籲修法,加重相關的罰則。 B: 購買者和販賣者雙方都該重罰。 A: 不過色情網站大多設在海外要抓也不容易吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
A: Entertainer Mickey Huang’s #MeToo scandal has kept snowballing. B: Didn’t Huang just escape prosecution on several sexual misconduct charges due to a lack of evidence? A: He has now been accused of raping a woman identified as "Miss K." B: It’s like one trouble follows another! A: His decent “persona” in the showbiz has totally collapsed. A: 藝人黃子佼的#MeToo事件真是沒完沒了。 B: 他的性騷擾案不是因為證據不足獲得不起訴? A: 但他又被某位「K小姐」指控性侵。 B: 天啊,真是一波未平,一波又起! A: 他在娛樂圈的優質「人設」都崩壞啦。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)