The Road to Marriage Equality and the Democratization of Intimacy in Taiwan
The LSE Taiwan Research Programme is pleased to announce a seminar for Monday 13 June, from 6–8pm. Taiwan is one of the countries in Asia that is leading the way in debates over marriage equality laws and about giving same-sex partnerships the same legal rights and status as heterosexual married couples. It is our pleasure to have Ms Victoria Hsu, Co-founder and CEO of Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, to speak about this campaign and struggle. This will be a detailed and intensive discussion among a group of experts, and all are welcome to attend. With your contribution, we can make it a supportive and inspiring event.
Seminar: The Road to Marriage Equality and the Democratization of Intimacy in Taiwan
Speaker: Victoria Hsu (Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights)
Time: Monday June 13 from 6–8pm
Venue: Seligman Library, 6th Floor, Old Building, LSE
Chair: Dr Fang-long Shih (LSE Taiwan Research Programme)
Discussants: Dr Chieh Wang (LSE Law); Dr Timothy Hildebrandt (LSE Social Policy)
Abstract
Currently, no country in Asia has passed marriage equality laws that give legal recognition to same-sex marriage or provide same-sex partnerships with the same legal rights and status as heterosexual married couples. Most countries in the world that have struggled for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) family rights have placed particular emphasis on "marriage". In this respect, Taiwan’s "Diverse Families Movement" (which focuses on three different types of family and aims to democratize intimacy) can be a source of inspiration. This seminar will analyse the challenges that the movement is facing and discuss possible strategies to engage in a more extensive dialogue with society, to promote the democratization of intimate relationships, and to ensure that different forms of families are all given equal and appropriate protection under the law.
This seminar will introduce the three bills relating to Diverse Families proposed by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR): (1) The Marriage Equality Bill: This legislative proposal states that two individuals, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, should have the right to marry. The Diverse Families Movement insists that "separate is not equal" and rejects the creation of "Special Partnership Law for Same-Sex Couples"; (2) The Civil Partnership Bill: In traditional Taiwanese culture and current marriage law, marriage reflects the union of two families. But the partnership system proposed by TAPCPR enables a "pure relationship" between two independent, equal, and highly reflective individuals (regardless of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity); (3) The Multiple-Person Household Bill: The creation of a family should not be limited to blood relationship or “one-on-one romantic love”; rather, “chosen families” without any romantic affiliation should also receive appropriate legal protection. This system allows two or more individuals who live together and support each other to register as a household with equal rights.
About the Speaker
Victoria Hsu is Co-founder and CEO of Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR), which is one of the most important LGBT organisations in Taiwan. Victoria is an Attorney-at-Law (admitted in Taiwan in 1999) and PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law at Université Paris X (France). She has two Master of Law degrees, from the Université Strasbourg III (France) and from National Taipei University (Taiwan). She was also an openly lesbian candidate in Taiwan’s 2016 legislative election.
http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/units/TaiwanProgramme/Events/Seminars/ComparativePerspectives/summer20163.aspx
