Former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday denied having made a U-turn in his stance on legalizing homosexual marriage, saying that he has always supported it.
Wu, who was elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman on Saturday last week, in March told reporters that same-sex marriage “gives him the creeps.”
“The family values that have been passed on for hundreds of years risk being replaced by LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] families and same-sex marriage. It is messed up,” Wu said at the time.
Wu on Tuesday posted a photograph of a rainbow on Facebook, with the caption: “May those who see this find happiness,” sparking controversy over his apparent U-turn on the issue.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei yesterday, Wu said that his attitude toward same-sex marriage had been consistent — that he “fully supports” the issue.
Wu said he made the remarks in March because he was concerned about developments.
“If there is not enough planning and preparation, it could cause turmoil in society, which is not what the people want,” he said.
The remarks were poorly constructed and could have caused misunderstandings, he said.
“Some compatriots might have gone through different psychological developments. Society should treat them with respect and give them space,” he said.
“From the perspective of human rights, we should be more inclusive of these people. I hope that everyone will be granted the right to pursue happiness,” he said.
Wu said that he made clear in two interviews in January and last month that he was in favor of formulating a special act or adding a special article to the Civil Code to govern same-sex marriage, adding that he believes that these are the ways legislation should be carried out in accordance with Tuesday’s Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 by the Council of Grand Justices.
Asked by reporters whether it still gives him the creeps when he sees people advocating same-sex marriage, Wu said he was referring to LGBT families rather than gay marriage, adding that he lacked a thorough understanding of the issue when he made the comments.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokeswoman Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) said that the DPP was surprised to see the “Chinese white dolphin” take another turn, but commended Wu for having the courage to own up to his mistake and “turn in the right direction.”
“Chinese white dolphin” is a nickname Wu was given when he was premier for saying that the animal has an innate ability to “make turns” to avoid a landfill as part of a response to environmentalists protesting a Guoguang Petrochemical Technology Co project near the dolphins’ habitat near Taichung Harbor.
Additional reporting by Su Fang-ho
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
TO BE APPEALED: The environment ministry said coal reduction goals had to be reached within two months, which was against the principle of legitimate expectation The Taipei High Administrative Court on Thursday ruled in favor of the Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau in its administrative litigation against the Ministry of Environment for the rescission of a NT$18 million fine (US$609,570) imposed by the bureau on the Taichung Power Plant in 2019 for alleged excess coal power generation. The bureau in November 2019 revised what it said was a “slip of the pen” in the text of the operating permit granted to the plant — which is run by Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) — in October 2017. The permit originally read: “reduce coal use by 40 percent from Jan.
‘SPEY’ REACTION: Beijing said its Eastern Theater Command ‘organized troops to monitor and guard the entire process’ of a Taiwan Strait transit China sent 74 warplanes toward Taiwan between late Thursday and early yesterday, 61 of which crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear why so many planes were scrambled, said the Ministry of National Defense, which tabulated the flights. The aircraft were sent in two separate tranches, the ministry said. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday “confirmed and welcomed” a transit by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Spey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel, through the Taiwan Strait a day earlier. The ship’s transit “once again [reaffirmed the Strait’s] status as international waters,” the foreign ministry said. “Such transits by
Taiwan is doing everything it can to prevent a military conflict with China, including building up asymmetric defense capabilities and fortifying public resilience, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said in a recent interview. “Everything we are doing is to prevent a conflict from happening, whether it is 2027 or before that or beyond that,” Hsiao told American podcaster Shawn Ryan of the Shawn Ryan Show. She was referring to a timeline cited by several US military and intelligence officials, who said Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had instructed the Chinese People’s Liberation Army to be ready to take military action against Taiwan