A series of metal wall decorations depicting roses and trees have been installed at Gao Shu Junior High School in Pingtung County in commemoration of a late student who had been bullied over his allegedly “effeminate” demeanor.
Yeh Yung-chih (葉永鋕), who was a senior at the school, died in hospital on April 21, 2000, after he was the day before found lying in a pool of blood on the floor of a school bathroom.
Authorities at the time ruled out foul play, saying that there were no intentionally inflicted injuries.
Photo courtesy of Gao shu Junior High School via CNA
Yeh had fainted and fallen due to pre-existing conditions, they said.
To avert bullying by his classmates over his perceived “effeminate” demeanor, Yeh often went to the bathroom during class time instead of during recess, and on that fateful day, he asked to be excused a few minutes before the fourth period ended.
His death spurred lawmakers to pass the Gender Equity Education Act (性別平等教育法) and inspired an award-winning pop song by Jolin Tsai (蔡依林), Womxnly (玫瑰少年, meaning Rose Boy)
On the 21st anniversary of his death on Tuesday, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chou Chun-mi (周春米) wrote on Facebook that the student only daring to use the bathroom during class was a major factor in his death.
Some of the school’s bathrooms have since been remodeled, and rose-shaped wall hangings were recently installed at the entrance to male bathrooms, while tree-shaped hangings were installed outside the female washrooms, she said.
They symbolize that regardless of gender, “a person can be as beautiful and gentle as a rose, and as strong and steadfast as a tree,” she said.
School principal Chen Liang-ku (陳亮谷) said that the building where Yeh was found had been torn down years ago because it was old.
The hangings were installed after discussions among teachers so that “students would remember Yeh’s story,” he said.
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
Quarantine awareness posters at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport have gone viral for their use of wordplay. Issued by the airport branch of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, the posters feature sniffer dogs making a range of facial expressions, paired with advisory messages built around homophones. “We update the messages for holidays and campaign needs, periodically refreshing materials to attract people’s attention,” quarantine officials said. “The aim is to use the dogs’ appeal to draw focus to quarantine regulations.” A Japanese traveler visiting Taiwan has posted a photo on X of a poster showing a quarantine dog with a
Taiwan’s coffee community has launched a “one-person-one-e-mail” campaign, calling for people to send a protest-e-mail to the World Coffee Championships (WCC) urging it to redesignate Taiwanese competitors as from “Taiwan,” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” The call followed sudden action last week after the WCC changed all references to Taiwanese competitors from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei,” including recent World Latte Art champion Bala (林紹興), who won the World Latte Art Championship in San Diego earlier this month. When Bala received the trophy, he was referred to as representing Taiwan, as well as in the announcement on the WCC’s Web site, until it
RSS