By Wayne Pajunen March 27, 2017
Among the latest fronts for progressive justice and human
rights around the world is accession to civil rights equality for the LGBTQ community.
Although Canada the US and
almost 20 other nations have made this journey Taiwan is at the
threshold of leading the way to become the first Asian nation to legally
recognise same sex marriage rights. With polls revealing society narrowly divided president Tsai Ing-wen is attempting to broaden consensus with further discussion among conflicting interests.
There are three
fronts to this battle. Taiwanese religious groups and social conservatives
protest with familiar claims of “harm to family values.” While Tsai’s own
ruling party supportive of same sex unions can’t agree on whether to compromise
with legislation or amend the civil code ensuring same sex marriage to be on equal footing to traditional marriage in all aspects of the
law.
Taiwanese Buddhist, Daoist, Christian and other religious
groups are sharing the altar with the anti-gay marriage National Religious
Alliance pontificating absurdities such as: “We
oppose homosexual marriage being amended into the Civil Code because the family
system comprised of marriage between one man and one woman is the foundation of
society, and if you damage it, that will lead to marriage, family and the
structure of society being completely wiped out.”
Lobbying for ruling
Democratic People’s Party unity Tsai Shang-wen,
Taiwan LGBTQ Family Rights Advocacy executive director stated:
“that amending the Civil Code was the most straightforward method to achieve
marriage equality and the group would not accept discriminatory special
legislation for same-sex marriage.”
With public opinion stalled on this issue in Taiwan and
around the world I hope the following may provide clarity for those with
misunderstanding or are undecided perched on society’s inhospitable fence of segregation.
Whether we are created by a God, as told in Holy books, or a
product of evolution and what many call Mother Nature we can unanimously agree
that humanity sustains at the will of our, or if you prefer - His given unto us
- DNA.
With diversity a key to the sustained development and
existence of humankind the DNA building blocks of life guarantees we are each
created with variance.
The countless shades of every human physical trait that
occurs naturally at DNA’s behest are obvious. From black to white, small to
large, “deformity” to perceived perfection and everything in between, it’s
undeniable that DNA‘s infinite multiplicity of form ensures all reproductive
outcomes are possible.
Hence, appropriately by its nature DNA will not be
restricted to producing only heterosexual XX females and XY chromosome males. Every divergence
under the rainbow is a valid and justified natural reality.
From the BBC article Male or female?
Babies born on the sliding sex scale is Katie who “has androgen
insensitivity syndrome, which was only discovered when she had a hernia
operation when she was six.”
Katie appears as a female to but instead of having XX
chromosomes she has male oriented XY chromosomes.
"The tyranny of being
forced to circle M or F (male or female) on every form I fill out, I'd like to
see that change, I'd like to have a lot more options.” Katie lamented she
usually circles MorF.
The Intersex Society of North America explains: ““Intersex” is a general term used for a
variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual
anatomy that doesn’t seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male… a
person might be born appearing to be female on the outside, but having mostly
male-typical anatomy on the inside… Or a person may be born with mosaic
genetics, so that some of her cells have XX chromosomes and some of them have XY.” DNA is unable to categorize sexuality into two tidy boxes of male and
female, rather human sexuality is better equated to the visibly infinite mosaic
of humanity and nature itself.
For these people their non-“traditional”
sexual orientation created for them by DNA is certainly not a nefarious
“choice,” as claimed by some. The only immorality here lies in those judging
these people who’s DNA defies simplistic binary gender classification. Whether
and whom to marry should be their choice, their civil right.
Taiwan’s questioners of rights and choice
on the path to same sex couple recognition range from, farcical with protesters
recently “depicting
pro-homosexual marriage politicians as scorpions, snakes, tarantulas and toads” (Taipei Times 19/03/2017) on the right, to genuine concerns
for how and what to teach young pupils by uninformed teachers on the left. The
Taipei School Education Union Teachers of elementary students claimed “Teaching the idea
of a ‘gender spectrum’ just serves to confuse elementary students before their
natural gender identities solidify.”
Contrarily though this approach only serves to deny children
understanding and possibly accepting classmates they witness playing and
socializing with the apparent opposite gender. I was aware of these classmates
by grade four in my Canadian school just as my son and daughter are currently
witnessing “different” children in their Taiwanese elementary school. Ignoring
the reality only pacifies the discomfort experienced by unprepared teachers.
Should civil acceptance of LGBTQ unions inspire
same sex couples to be more visibly prevalent than they have already become in
Taiwan over this millennium children may have more questions during the
societal transition. For this period of time, until what is normal is more
widely perceived that way, general classroom discussion could be added to
elucidate how the many human varieties mimic natures’ diversity. This approach
could serve as a starting point for the sexuality issue broadening children’s
understanding of the big wide world they strive to comprehend.
Regardless of belief’s it is undeniable that, by virtue of
the most divine creation that is DNA, infinite human varieties are generated
and to deny this reality is to reject the existence of God and the
legitimacy of science.
With DNA as our building blocks creating
each and every one of us, our LGBTQ
brothers, sisters and intersex
undoubtedly qualify as us and are surely deserved of sharing our civil
rights.
God is DNA, and gay, vive toutes les différences.
Wayne
Pajunen
Wayne is a political affairs columnist, consultant and former employee of Canada’s House of Commons and the Liberal Party of Canada. His work also appears in The Hill Times, The News Lens, Taipei Times and AMCHAM Business Topics magazine.
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