● Gay groups prepare for their big day
By Caroline Hong
STAFF REPORTER 〔Taipei Times〕
Sunday, May 02, 2004,Page 2
Director Zero Chou, front left, and leading actors of her new movie,
Splendid Float, yesterday attend a press conference to promote gay
rights. The event was held by 13 college clubs for gays in northern
Taiwan at Taipei's National Taiwan University to celebrate the 9th
annual Gay and Lesbian Awakening Day.
PHOTO: LO PEI-TE, TAIPEI TIMES
Gay and lesbian college groups announced plans for activities
celebrating Gay and Lesbian Awakening Day (GLAD) during a press
conference yesterday at Taipei's National Taiwan University (NTU).
This is the ninth year of GLAD, which was begun in 1994 by NTU gay
and lesbian social groups Lambda and GayChat. Although GLAD began as
a day of recognition held on June 1, it has evolved into a series of
social awareness and recognition events held over the course of each
May and June at various universities throughout northern Taiwan,
GayChat representatives said.
This year's GLAD is sponsored by thirteen homosexual social and
educational college groups.
"We used the acronym GLAD because the meaning of `glad' reflects our
attitude in planning this event. Through these events, we hope to
provoke others to consider their definitions of identity," said Chang
Hsiao-hung (張小虹), a professor at NTU's department of foreign
languages and literature. Chang is also the founding adviser of
Lambda, a NTU lesbian social and educational group.
"In places like the United States and northern Europe, gays and
lesbians are able to be much more open than in Taiwan." Kao Yi-chao,
a graduate student at NTU's sociology department Gay and lesbian
acceptance in Taiwan is limited, students said.
"In places like the United States and northern Europe, gays and
lesbians are able to be much more open than in Taiwan," said Kao
Yi-chao, a graduate student at NTU's sociology department.
"2003 and 2004 has been a period of time when many events have hurt
the gay and lesbian community," Kao said, referring to instances such
as this January's police raid on a homosexual party in Taipei and the
confiscation of gay magazines from the bookshop Gin Gin's (晶晶書庫)
last year.
"We want to let the public know about our rights as homosexuals and
increase discussion," he said.
The students also called on the government to push through the
protection of human rights basic law (人權保障基本法), saying that if
the Democratic Progressive Party gains a majority in the year-end
legislative elections there can be no more excuses.
The act allows gays and lesbians to organize families and adopt
children. It is still under discussion in the Legislative Yuan.
This year's GLAD events include a mini-film festival featuring the
2003 Hong Kong film Let's Love, the German movie The Einstein of Sex,
2001's Corner's, new movie Splendid Float by local director Zero Chou
(周美玲), and Canadian movie Better than Chocolate.
Other events include a discussion forum, literary and artistic
expression competition and a dance.
To learn more about GLAD, see its Chinese Web site at
http://home.kimo.com.tw/glad9th or e-mail ewgun@pchome.com.tw.
This story has been viewed 379 times.
圖片：
Director Zero Chou, front left, and leading actors of her new movie,
Splendid Float, yesterday attend a press conference to promote gay
rights. The event was held by 13 college clubs for gays in northern
Taiwan at Taipei's National Taiwan University to celebrate the 9th
annual Gay and Lesbian Awakening Day.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/05/02/2003153805
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 140.112.156.49