GRSJ224/LGBTQ in Taiwan

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Taiwan Pride Parade 2011[1]

Taiwan, also known as the Republic of China (ROC), has been regarded as one of the most progressive Asian countries in the world. The LGBTQ community in Taiwan, also known as "Tongzhi" in the Mandarin language, is one of Asia's most vibrant and largest LGBTQ communities, as sexual relationships between people of the same gender is not viewed in the same taboo manner as many Westerners view it as. Since the 1990s, the movement for LGBTQ rights in Taiwan has steadily been gaining traction, paving the way for the Executive Yuan (the executive branch of government in Taiwan) to first propose the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2003.[2] While the proposition initially faced vehement opposition from conservatives, by 2017, the Supreme Court ruled that laws against same-sex marriage were unconstitutional. With the Supreme Court ruling passed, it was initially expected that same-sex marriage will be legalized in Taiwan by 2019,[3] however, the November 2018 referendum vote put a damper on what had been immense progress to legalize same-sex marriage. Voters rejected same-sex marriage on the referendum questionnaire, and while the vote was non-binding, it did create legal confusion as to whether or not the government will ultimately go forward with the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019, with the government intending to go forward with legalizing it.[4] Despite these setbacks, Taiwan is still seen as the pinnacle of liberalism in Asian countries and has a highly progressive view of the LGBTQ community.[5]

History

In Taiwan, same-sex sexual activity has been legal since the early 1900s as long as both parties are over the age of consent of 16.[5]

  • In 2003, the Executive Yuan proposed a bill that would grant same-sex couples the right to marry and adopt, but was met with backlash by members both dominant political parties (Kuomintang and Democratic Progressive Party) and was thus not voted on.[6] In the same year, Taiwan Pride, the annual gay pride parade of Taiwan was held - which became a driving force in raising LGBTQ awareness.[7]
  • In 2015, the Ministry of Justice's online poll showed that 71% of Taiwanese people supported same-sex marriage, but the government did not budge despite these results.[8]
  • In 2016, a major push by the Democratic Progressive Party to legalize same-sex marriage was started. President Tsai Ing-Wen publicly voiced her support for the LGBTQ community and the Legislative Yuan began to draft bills to legalize same-sex marriage.[9]
  • In 2017, the Constitutional Court of Taiwan found that laws against same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, and stipulated that the Legislative Yuan must legalized same-sex marriage by 2019.
  • On November 24, 2018, the voters' referendum questionnaire contained 5 questions related to the LGBTQ community: such as whether or not the country should ban same-sex marriage and whether or not to ban LGBTQ sex education in public schools. The questions were submitted by anti-LGBTQ conservative groups aiming to stall the process of the legalization of same-sex marriage. The results showed that 70% of voters still rejected the idea of same-sex marriage, but since the vote was non-binding, the government has stated that it still intended to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019 regardless of the results.[10]

LGBTQ Rights

Taiwanese LGBTQ rights are seen to be very liberal compared to other countries across the globe.

Gender Identity

Though Taiwan has pledged to allow gender change without surgery since 2014, but it has not been fully legalized yet due to internal conflicts within the government.[11] However, in 2018, the Taiwanese government announced that national ID cards will include a third gender option of transgender. This change reflects Taiwan's commitment to improving LGBTQ rights, as only British Columbia, Canada and Pakistan offer a transgender option on national ID cards.[12]

Donating Blood

In 2018, the Taiwanese Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it will be easing the ban on blood donations of men who have had sexual encounters with other men. Since the easing of the ban, LGBT people that have not had same-sex sexual relations in the last 5 years are legally allowed to donate blood.[13]

Service in Taiwanese Military

4-months of service in the Taiwanese military is mandatory for all male citizens, and all LGBTQ people have been able to serve in the military openly since 2002.[14]

Conversion Therapy

Conversion therapy is the use of psychological or spiritual interventions to convert an LGBTQ person to heterosexuality. It has been known to have a huge negative impact on the lives of LGBTQ people, leading to depression and suicide. In 2016, the Ministry of Health and Welfare drafted an amendment that would impose a large fine of $100,000-$500,000 NTD fine to any doctors that practiced conversion therapy. In 2018, the Ministry of Health and Welfare proceeded to effectively ban conversion therapy and stated that any individual performing it will be liable to persecution under the criminal code.[15] The ban of conversion therapy furthers Taiwan's LGBTQ-inclusive policies, as conversion therapy is only banned in a small handful of countries worldwide.[15]

Mainstream Representation of LGBTQ Culture in Taiwan

Zero Chou's Spider Lilies[16]

LGBTQ representation in Taiwanese arts plays a crucial role in promoting awareness of the LGBTQ community in Taiwan. In 2005, Taiwanese film director Ang Lee directed the critically acclaimed Brokeback Mountain, a gay Western film, paving the way to exposure of LGBTQ cinematography in Taiwan. This led to Zero Chou's 2007 film Spider Lilies, which quickly became known as an acclaimed lesbian film starring notable Taiwanese actress and singer Rainie Yang.[17] The music industry of Taiwan, with its huge sphere of influence on Taiwanese citizens, also has collectively released many songs intending to promote the LGBTQ culture of Taiwan. In 2017, numerous Taiwanese Pop stars teamed up to create the song "We are One", spreading the message of LGBTQ awareness. Individual Pop stars have also followed suit with songs such as "Cai-Hong (Rainbow)" by A-Mei, which is known as the anthem of the LGBTQ people of Taiwan.[18] In the aftermath of the November 2018 referendum vote, Pop singer A-Lin released "Rainbow After the Rain", inspiring her LGBTQ fans to keep fighting for the legalization of same-sex marriage despite the unfortunate outcome of the referendum.[18]

Notable LGBTQ Activities

Love is King Concert Poster[19]

Taiwan Pride

Taiwan Pride is the annual gay pride parade held around October and November in Taiwan. The parade was first held on November 1, 2003 in Taiwan's capital city Taipei, and has been held in Taipei ever since the inaugural parade. In 2015, more than 78,000 participants participated in the parade, breaking the record for the largest gay pride event in East Asia.[7] The number of participants has since been increasing rapidly, reaching a record 137,000 marchers in the 2018 parade.[20]

Love is King Concert

On August 1, 2016, Taiwanese Pop music stars held a benefit concert titled "Love is King. It Makes Us All Equal" to raise awareness for the LGBTQ community and support the upcoming draft bill for same-sex marriage. The concert was organized by Chang Hui-Mei (A-mei), one of Taiwan's greatest Pop divas, and produced by Isaac Chen, considered one of the greatest concert producers of Taiwan.[19] The resulting concert was a massive success and the star-studded lineup drew a huge crowd and many favorable responses. All proceeds of the concert was donated to the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, which played a big role in pushing for the eventual passage of the same-sex marriage bill in 2018.[21]

References

  1. ↑ Kao, Shih-Shiuan (October 29, 2011). "TW Pride 2011".
  2. ↑ "Taiwan's Same Sex Marriage Law Languishes in Political Purgatory". NBC News. October 29, 2014.
  3. ↑ Haas, Benjamin (May 24, 2017). "Taiwan's top court rules in favour of same-sex marriage". The Guardian.
  4. ↑ Humayun, Hira and Culliane, Susannah (November 25, 2018). "Taiwan voters reject same-sex marriage". CNN.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Spencer, David (July 29, 2018). "7 Reasons why Taiwan is the best LGBT destination in Asia". Taiwan News.
  6. ↑ Hogg, Chris (October 28, 2003). "Taiwan move to allow gay unions". BBC.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 McCormick, Joseph (October 31, 2015). "Asia's biggest Pride takes place as tens of thousands march in Taipei". Pink News.
  8. ↑ Wee, Darren (November 30, 2015). "Poll: 71% of Taiwan supports marriage equality". Gaystar News.
  9. ↑ Gerber, Adam (October 25, 2016). "DPP and NPP start push for same-sex marriages". Taipei Times.
  10. ↑ "Taiwan voters reject same-sex marriage in referendums". BBC. November 25, 2018.
  11. ↑ Yiu, Derek (December 25, 2014). "Taiwan to allow gender change without surgery in a month". Gaystar News.
  12. ↑ Power, Shannon (November 22, 2018). "New national ID card will recognize trans as a third gender in Taiwan". Gaystar News.
  13. ↑ Lee, I-Chia (January 23, 2018). "Ban on blood donation by gay men to be eased". Taipei Times.
  14. ↑ Ottoson, Daniel (2006). "LGBT World Legal Wrap Up Survey" (PDF).
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Shanghaiist (February 24, 2018). "Taiwan finalizes conversion therapy ban". Medium.
  16. ↑ "Spider Lilies". IMDb. 2007.
  17. ↑ Kolesnikov-Jessop, Sonia (June 7, 2007). "In Taiwan, 'Spider Lilies' fuels a small gay renaissance". NY Times.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Taylor, Matt (February 14, 2019). "SONGS OF DEFIANCE: LGBT POP MUSIC IN TAIWAN (POST-2018 REFERENDUM)". Taiwan Insight.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Ten singers to join benefit concert in support of equality". Taipei Times. July 30, 2016.
  20. ↑ Horton, Chris (October 27, 2018). "Taiwan's Gay Pride Parade Draws Thousands, as Votes on Same-Sex Marriage Near". NY Times.
  21. ↑ "Celebrities to organize benefit concert in support of gay marriage". Focus Taiwan. May 10, 2016.
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