Gender/Sexuality

Civil Society Groups Criticize Continued Attempts to Remove Transgender Draft Exemptions

Yo-Ling Chen
At 10:15 AM this morning on Transgender Day of Visibility, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights co-hosted a press conference with Amnesty International Taiwan, Student Alliance for Gender Equality, Taiwan Non-binary Queer Sluts, and the Intersex, Transgender and Transsexual People Care Association condemning the Ministry of the Interior for procedural issues regarding changes to Taiwan’s conscription criteria that removes blanket exemptions for transgender people. Press conference attendees rallied around the slogan: “Procedural injustice and unreasonable amendments! Reject inappropriately raising draft exemption thresholds for transgender people!” Overall, the press conference revealed striking details about the Ministry of the Interior's sidelining of civil society and transgender community concerns over the past three and half months of negotiations, putting into question whether there is any hope for changing course...
EnglishGender/SexualityMarch 2026Social Movements11 min read

Taiwan LGBTQ+ Groups Criticize Conscription Criteria Amendment Requiring Alternative Service for Transgender and Intersex People

Yo-Ling Chen
Over the past two weeks, multiple LGBTQ+ groups have issued statements criticizing draft amendments to conscription criteria that would end blanket exemptions for transgender and intersex people, requiring them to instead complete an alternative substitute service. While alternative service involves conscripts being placed in institutions serving public welfare such as government agencies, police and fire departments, schools, hospitals, and even research institutions, it still requires a 26-day basic training camp, which is typically held at the Chengkungling Recruit Training Center (成功嶺新訓中心) in Taichung. In their criticism of the draft amendments, LGBTQ+ groups emphasized the deleterious effects to physical and psychological well-being that transgender and intersex conscripts face, even in alternative service, especially given the mandatory basic training component...
December 2025EnglishGender/SexualitySocial Movements10 min read

2025 Taiwan Pride Controversy Deepens, Further Doubts Raised Over TWRCAA’s Stance on Transgender and Sexual Rights

Yo-Ling Chen
With the 23rd Taiwan LGBT+ Pride parade set to take place in Taipei this Saturday, new developments have cast further doubts as to whether the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association (TWRCAA, 臺灣彩虹公民行動協會), Taiwan Pride’s main organizer, truly supports transgender and sexual rights...
EnglishGender/SexualityOctober 2025Social Movements15 min read

“Turning Point Taiwan” Memorial Turns Violent as Religious Right Gains Momentum in Taiwan

Yo-Ling Chen
Yesterday morning during a memorial event entitled “Love, Faith, Courage: A Memorial for Charlie Kirk in Taiwan” organized by the Formosa Republican Association (FRA, 福和會) and co-organized by the Taiwan Solidarity Party (TSP, 台聯黨), the Taiwan Teachers’ Union (台灣教師聯盟), Taiwan Liberty Society (台灣自由學會), and the Taiwan Human Rights and Cultural Association, student protestors from National Chengchi University, National Taiwan Normal University and Soochow University disrupted the event and were promptly met with physical violence...
EnglishGender/SexualityOctober 2025PoliticsSocial MovementsYouth Movements12 min read

2025 Taiwan Pride Controversy Explained: 
LGBTQ+ Community Speaks Out Against Transphobia and Contempt for Sexual Rights

Yo-Ling Chen
This past week, controversy erupted throughout Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ community after it was discovered that the Administrative and Public Relations Director of this year’s Taiwan Pride march posted on her personal Threads account content that was deemed as transphobic, against sexual rights, and even contemptuous towards the work of previous Taiwan Pride organizers. This discovery sparked widespread outrage amongst Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ community, with multiple individuals and organizations criticizing Pride organizers and speaking up in support of transgender people and sexual rights...
EnglishGender/SexualityOctober 2025Social Movements32 min read