Gay-rights advocates yesterday denounced prosecutors for bringing charges against a bookstore owner for selling erotic magazines.
With the matter proceeding to a second hearing today, they called on the court to respect the gay community's right to freedom of speech.
"Government censors approved director Tsai Ming-liang's (
"The government recognized the film's artistry. Our magazines, which contain photos of naked men, however, are seen as obscene," Lai said yesterday during a press conference.
Keelung Customs officers confiscated more than 200 magazines imported by Gin Gin's in 2003.
Later the same year, the Keelung District prosecutors went to the bookstore and took away more than 500 magazines.
The confiscated magazines included some that are legally published in Hong Kong as well as His, a local publication.
Josephine Ho (
"Reviews of the magazines by the Publication Appraisal Foundation suggested that those nude photos may cause normal people to conduct improper sexual behavior, and that erect penises shown in the magazine are unnatural, which is ridiculous," Ho said.
Ho blasted what she called discrimination against the gay community through the exclusion of homosexuals from "normal people."
"Besides, I have no idea why an erect penis, which is a normal sexual response, is considered unnatural," Ho said.
Wu Ming-hsuan (
It was discriminatory to call gay publications indecent, Wu said.
"The definition of indecency may vary from person to person. The confiscation of the so-called `indecent' gay magazines violates gays and lesbians' right to read what they choose," Wu added.
Lai said the bookstore wrapped and marked with clear warning signs any books or magazines containing such adult material. It also prohibited people under 18 years of age from purchasing these publications, he said.
"I don't think those confiscated magazines are indecent, and I will keep fighting for gay readers' freedom to read," he said.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
RSS