Abused as ‘dirty’, same-sex newlyweds in Taiwan fear backlash

 | 
06/25/2019

Although Jovi Wu and Mindy Chiu made history last month as one of the first lesbian couples in Asia to marry legally, they are fearful that conservatives may reverse Taiwan’s landmark law. The businesswomen and their six-year-old daughter, Allison, were verbally abused when they demonstrated in support of same-sex marriage last year, ahead of a referendum that came after the top court set a two-year deadline for legalization. One woman took a leaflet from Allison, looked at it, threw it on the ground and then called their family “sickening and dirty”, 36-year-old Chiu said from her home in a suburb of Zhongli district, an hour’s drive from Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. “(I asked her) do you have to say this in front of a child – that we are sickening, we are dirty? What we are trying to say is that we’re just the same, like you,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Hundreds of same-sex couples married on May 24 after President Tsai Ing-wen signed into law a bill endorsing same-sex marriage – a controversial move which has divided the self-ruled island, seen as a beacon of liberalism in Asia.

Regions: ,

Share this:

Latest Global News

Added on: 12/22/2024
12/21/2024
Is it the worst time to be gay in Russia? How unsafe is the LGBTQIA+ community under President Vladimir Putin? How has the political …
Added on: 12/22/2024
12/21/2024
Hello readers. It’s Friday, December 20th, 2024. As a reminder, legislative sessions are different for each state — and you can keep track of …
Added on: 12/22/2024
12/21/2024
Trans rights are becoming increasingly ‘polarised’ in Europe and Central Asia, a map has shown. Campaign group TGEU’s annual Trans Rights Map ranks the …

Explore LGBTQ+ Issues

Other News from ,

Added on: 12/20/2024
Two trans women have made history in Nepal for running in local elections. Despite neither one winning her race, the LGBTQ+ community is still …
Added on: 12/18/2024
Andhra Pradesh high court on Tuesday upheld the freedom of a lesbian couple and directed their parents to not interfere with their lives. Observing …
Added on: 12/17/2024
As a queer Syrian man, Khaled Alesmael remains “cautious” about the rebel leadership who have taken over his home country. Having watched LGBTQ+ people …