Social Democratic Party member Miao Po-ya (苗博雅) yesterday called on people to join a signature drive for a proposed referendum on marriage equality to be included in the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24, saying it needs about 130,000 signatures to pass the second-stage threshold.
The group collected the signatures it has in a month without any help from political parties, Miao told a news conference in Taipei.
The group is to establish 50 stations nationwide over the weekend in a final push to gather signatures, Miao said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The Legislative Yuan is still debating whether homosexual marriages should be included in an amendment to the Civil Code, or if special legislation is required, Miao said, adding that special legislation poses a great threat to the movement.
A referendum for gender equality education also might not pass, Miao said, adding that “it would take us back 30 years to education material that is discriminatory against the LGBT community.”
Internet celebrity Liu Yu (劉宇) said no one wanted to protest.
“Let us conclude this matter this year. Let us marry in peace, and we will stay at home and off the streets,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) called for people to sign and support the movement if they support the idea that people should be able to form a family with whoever they love.
Veteran gay rights advocate Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) also called on the public to sign and support both referendums, adding that he believes gender equality should be taught in kindergarten.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Defense experts have warned that the ‘Shandong,’ China’s second largest aircraft carrier, poses a serious threat to eastern Taiwan’s defenses The drills conducted by the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong in the Western Pacific last week were more aimed at showcasing China’s military capabilities to the US rather than toward Taiwan, a Taiwanese defense expert said yesterday. Lin Yin-yu (林穎佑), an assistant professor at Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the drills which involved dozens of warplanes sought to test China’s anti-access and area denial capabilities should the US and its allies attempt to interfere in a cross-strait conflict. Lin said that the latest Chinese drills coincided with a joint maritime exercise conducted by the US, South Korea
Thousands of bottles of Sriracha have been returned or destroyed after the discovery of excessive sulfur dioxide, a bleaching agent, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday. About 12,600 bottles totaling 9,991.8kg of the hot sauce imported from the US by Emporium Corp (河洛企業) were flagged at the border for containing illegal levels of sulfur dioxide, the FDA said in its regular border inspection announcement. Inspectors discovered 0.5g per kilogram of the common bleaching agent and preservative, higher than the 0.03g permitted, it said. As it is the first time within six months the product has been flagged, Sriracha products from
Two people were killed and another nine injured yesterday after being stung by hornets while hiking in New Taipei City’s Rueifang District (瑞芳), with officials warning against wearing perfume or straying from trails during the autumn to avoid the potentially deadly creatures. Seven of the hikers only sustained minor injuries after being stung along the Bafenliao Hiking Trail (八分寮) and made their way down the mountain with a guide, the New Taipei City Fire Department said. Four of them — all male — sustained more serious injuries and were assisted when leaving the mountain, the department said. Two of them, a man surnamed
CHANGES: While NCCU opened the nation’s first co-ed dorm in Mucha, a recent survey showed that Taiwanese are in favor of abolishing gender segregation at high schools National Chengchi University (NCCU) has opened a co-ed dormitory, a first in Taiwan among state-funded Taiwan universities. The 22 duplexes are at the renovated “Huanan New Village,” in Taipei City’s Mucha (木柵) area, near the NCCU campus, a school official said yesterday. Twenty-two out of 37 group applications were selected in a lottery draw to select who would be chosen to live in the units, which can either be shared by up to eight students if the unit has four bedrooms, or up to 10 students if it is a five-bedroom unit, officials said. Completed in 1964 for campus staff housing,
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