The New Power Party (NPP) yesterday urged the public to vote “yes” in two pro-LGBT referendums on Saturday next week and show their support by joining a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei on Sunday.
At a news conference at Liberty Square in Taipei, NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) and five NPP Taipei city councilor candidates — Lin Ying-meng (林穎孟), Hsiao Hsin-cheng (蕭新晟), Huang Yu-fen (黃郁芬), Wu Cheng (吳崢), Lin Liang-chun (林亮君) — urged voters to approve the referendums to legalize same-sex marriage under the Civil Code and require gender equality education — covering homosexuality, sex and relationships — to be included in compulsory education.
They called on voters to reject three referendums that advocate the opposite stance on the issues.
The Council of Grand Justices on May 24 last year found a provision in the Civil Code, which defines marriage as a union between a woman and a man, to be unconstitutional. It asked the legislature to legalize same-sex marriage within two years, but did not specify which law should be amended.
Conservative groups have proposed a referendum to keep the current definition of marriage in the Civil Code and another referendum to require the rights of same-sex couples living together to be protected by special legislation.
They also proposed a referendum to ban education about same-sex relationships at elementary and junior-high schools.
“The Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 in May last year was a landmark for Taiwan’s democracy. It established that difference in treatment based on one’s sex, gender and sexual orientation contravenes the right to equality guaranteed by the Constitution. It was the fruit of three decades of efforts by human rights advocates since LGBT movements began 30 years ago,” Lin Ying-meng said.
“We are now just one step away from realizing marriage equality. We just need to pass a law that embodies the value. We must not turn back to the old path that has been proven wrong by other countries,” she said, adding that many countries have legalized same-sex marriage, including the Netherlands in 2001, the US in 2015 and Germany and Australia last year.
In the past several weeks, anti-LGBT groups have been spreading misinformation about homosexuality in an attempt to “brainwash and intimidate” people, and Sunday’s rally would offer facts and correct information to help people make the right decision in the referendum, Lim said, urging people to attend and help promote the event.
The rally, jointly organized by pro-LGBT groups, is to begin at 1pm and feature performances by Lim’s metal band Chthonic, as well as singers Amber An (安心亞), Tai Ai-ling (戴愛玲), Kuo Heng-chi (郭蘅祈) and Hong Kong singer Takki Wong (王若琪).
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