Same-sex marriage is “a trend of the future” that the nation would definitely go toward, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said yesterday.
At a question-and-answer session at the legislature, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Jason Hsu (許毓仁) asked Lin about the Cabinet’s stance on same-sex marriage legislation — whether it leans toward amending the Civil Code or legislating a separate partnership law — as “the Democratic Progressive Party failed to place the related bills on the top of its legislative agenda this plenary session.”
Lin said the Cabinet has not motioned any bills about the matter, but would respect the legislature’s decision, adding that as there are opposing views about the issue, “it is appropriate to allow more time for different groups to communicate and avoid major political conflicts.”
When asked by Hsu whether he personally supports same-sex marriage, Lin did not answer the question directly, but said he believes it is “a trend of the future and a direction that [the nation] would definitely go toward.”
In related news, groups opposed to marriage equality, led by the Alliance of Crying for Hope, are to stage a demonstration on the Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei today.
Organizers yesterday said that they will perform a skit and burn a papier-mache boat loaded with their complaints to “send off plagues.”
Burning papier-mache boats is a Taoist ritual for warding off diseases.
The groups said the “diseases” are what they call the “five vices”: DPP legislators Yu Mei-nu (尤美女) and Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), New Power Party Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), Jason Hsu and Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), who are vocal supporters of same-sex marriage.
A signature drive will be held during the demonstration, the organizers said, adding that they would call for the central government to “pay more attention to the prevalent economic problems rather than controversial bills.”
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