Fridae

The Kaohsiung Pride Parade took place in Kaohsiung this Saturday, with many attending saying they wanted to see Taiwan’s government amend the country’s Civil Code to legalise same-sex marriage instead of passing a separate law that would realise same-sex unions but not redefine marriage.

A-Ke, one of the parade’s organisers, said “human rights groups from Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung attended the parade and demanded the legalisation of same-sex marriage.”

One LGBT supporter attending the parade told PTS News Network, “I hope my children can have the courage to tell me who they like and bring them home to meet me.”

Taiwan’s Executive Yuan will hold a second public hearing on legalising gay marriage on Nov 28th. Both pro- and anti- protestors are expected to assemble outside the Yuan in Taipei.

LGBT rights activists are worried of ‘watered down’ legislation. They say passing a separate partnership law without changing the legal definition of marriage would perpetuate oppressive labeling of homosexuals as abnormal.

Prominent human rights lawyer Joseph Lin, however, said that “passing a separate law is not necessarily discriminatory, and the reality is that amendments to the Civil Code or a partnership law are both worthy of discussion,” citing the example of special laws aimed at protecting the rights of the elderly and disabled.

Watch some of the action from the weekend’s parade below.