wfn.org | Taipei's Gay Festival Meets Varied Responses from Christians

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@wfn.org>]

Taiwan Church News 2582 (26th August 2001)
Reported by Wang Hui-shu,  Written by David Alexander

    Accompanying political and social abertura in Taiwan has been the
stepped up visibility of homosexual organizations here.  The "e
generation" are unabashed in their willingness to discuss issues arising
from homosexuality.  A report in the August 8th edition of the mass
circulation China Times newspaper noted that among high school girls
surveyed as many as 12% thought they might be lesbians.  The municipal
government of Taipei subsidized a Gay Pride Festival on August 25th.
Entitled "Sunshine, Activity, Homosexuality", the festival included a
sports meet held on the fields of National Taiwan University.
    Taiwan's Christians have varying responses to homosexuality, mainly
centering around whether they term homosexuality itself to be sinful or
not.  The Rev. Mr. Hwang Er-chi, former director of the Tainan Christian
Family Counseling Center, said, "Many of our homosexual friends are
confused about their sexual orientation.  They often feel as if they are
in a situation with no escape. Christian homosexuals struggle with the
process of sorting out their self identity. They hope that their faith
can be helpful in clearing up their confusion. Like all Christians, they
want to find forgiveness for their sins and acceptance in the church.  I
feel that whether a man loves other men, or a woman loves other women is
something inborn. It is not a lifestyle choice.  We don't know the
origin of sexual orientation and why some people are attracted to the
opposite sex, and others to their own.  Christian homosexuals testify
that before they accepted their orientations they spent a long time in
confusion, asking God for the answer to the question 'why?'  They felt
themselves to be strangers in society and church, but if we stand for
human rights we must act from respect and concern."
    One mother who wrote to an internet site said, "When I first learned
that my daughter was a lesbian I fell to pieces, but later I gave it
more thought and had to ask myself, 'what's so bad about lesbianism?'
She probably won't be having children, but that's also a possibility
with heterosexuals so there's not much difference. Heterosexual
marriages are not guaranteed to be happy anyway.  Whether one is married
or remains single sometimes is only a matter of a piece of paper."
   One Christian homosexual, also posting a note to the internet, said,
"Homosexuality is natural. The insistence that all be heterosexual comes
from the way we've been educated."
    But not everyone is so accepting.  Rev. Lo Yu-bin, who teaches at a
theological college affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan
(PCT), says, "Homosexuality is not in accordance with Christian ethics.
The assumption that homosexual behavior is normal and legal and can be
blessed by God is without a solid theological foundation."
    Elder Kou Shao-jie of the Taipei Christian Family says,
"Homosexuality is a grave sin. If a homosexual person wants to receive
baptism and be accepted into the church he or she must first be cleansed
of all sins."
    The Research and Development Center at the General Assembly of the
PCT was assigned a few years ago to conduct research into homosexuality
and present its findings to the bi-annual Assembly legislative session.
The project is currently in its second stage, and a seminar is planned
for September 3rd, taking advantage of the attention focused on the
issue by the Gay Pride Festival.
For More Information:  PCT Research & Development Center
pekho@mail.pct.org.tw
                                       Hwang Er-chi  FAX +886 6 237 8882
                                       Lo Yu-bin  (Phone) +886 2 2881
2402