Gender/Sexuality

Restrictions on Transnational Gay Marriages Lifted, Following Four Years of Advocacy

Brian Hioe
In one of the last outgoing acts of Premier Su Tseng-chang’s cabinet, the Ministry of the Interior announced that restrictions on transnational gay marriages would be lifted last night. This took place through the Ministry of the Interior issuing a letter to the Department of Household registration asking it to amend relevant procedures. It is expected that the changes will be implemented after the Lunar New Year...
EnglishFeaturedGender/SexualityJanuary 2023Social Movements6 min read

Fourth Annual Trans March Brings Visibility as Taiwan’s Trans Rights Movement Gains Momentum and Draws Opposition

Daniel Yo-Ling
Over 3,000 people gathered in Ximending this evening to participate in the fourth annual Taiwan Trans March organized by the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association. This year’s march is the first in-person Trans March since the historic gains in Taiwan’s trans rights movement last fall. At the same time, trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) have also mobilized, almost exclusively online, against the trans rights movement in Taiwan. As trans issues continue to enter into public discourse and legal reform proceeds at its own pace, visibility and support for Taiwan’s trans community has never been more crucial...
EnglishGender/SexualityOctober 2022Social Movements10 min read

Will There Continue to be Stalling on Adoption Rights For Gay Couples?

Brian Hioe
Changes to Article 20 of the Act for the Judicial Yuan’s Implementation of Constitutional Interpretation No. 748 cleared review by the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee of the Legislative Yuan late last month. The proposed amendment would allow for joint adoption of the adopted child of one member of the couple. Current laws only allow for an individual to adopt the biological child of their partner...
EnglishGender/SexualityJune 2022Social Movements5 min read

Ruling on Gay Adoption Case Sets Precedent, But Does Not Change Overall Laws

Brian Hioe
The Kaohsiung Juvenile and Family Court made a historic ruling last month, allowing a gay couple to adopt a child that neither of the two is biologically related to. At the same time, the ruling is case-specific, only applies to that couple, and does not overturn current laws in Taiwan, which only allow gay couples to jointly adopt if the child is the biological child of one of the couple...
December 2021EnglishGender/SexualitySocial Movements6 min read

Laws for Transnational Gay Marriages to be Amended for Chinese Spouses

Brian Hioe
The Mainland Affairs Council stated earlier this month that it intends to amend current laws regulating transnational gay marriages in such a manner that international marriages are recognized, including for Chinese spouses. Nevertheless, one notes that the Mainland Affairs Council already stated that it was exploring options for Chinese spouses in January 2021, meaning that the issue has dragged on for almost a year...
December 2021EnglishGender/SexualitySocial Movements5 min read

The Struggle for Transgender Rights Continues With Taiwan’s First Legal Gender Change Without Providing Proof of Surgery

Daniel Yo-Ling
A variety of events happened this past week with regards to the ongoing struggle for transgender rights in Taiwan, including Taiwan’s first successful legal gender change without submitting proof of surgery, Lisbeth Wu’s second preliminary proceedings, and the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights' second Transgender Film Festival. These gains for transgender rights have not gone unchallenged though, as the past two months have also included increasing opposition...
EnglishGender/SexualityNovember 2021Social Movements10 min read