Introduction of Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights

About Us

The Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights ("TAPCPR") was founded in 2009, and registered with the Ministry of the Interior in August 2012. We drafted three bills of diversified family formation in 2012, which laid the foundation for future legislation. In 2017, we represented Chi Chia-Wei and won the same-sex marriage case (“Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748”), making Taiwan the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. 

Main Tasks

Lobbying and Social Initiatives

We endeavor to gain support from all political parties, legislators and politicians for diversified family formation bills, and we seek support and recognition from society through strategies such as communications through the media, political rallies, collection of signatures, participation in elections, lobbying, and panel discussions, in order to help pass the bill(s). 

Major campaigns or rallies that the TAPCPR has organized:

Million-Signature Petition for Diversified Family Formation (2012)

Wedding Banquet on Ketagalan Boulevard (2013)

Rainbow Rally by the Legislative Yuan (2014)

Parade for Marriage Equality (2015)

Connecting Pro-Marriage Equality Legislators (2015)

Rainbow Island Tour  (2016)

Marriage Equality Forums (2017)

We are all Stakeholders -- Say No to Anti-LGBT Referendums (2018)

Gender Recognition Forum (2018)

Wedding Banquet on Ketagalan Boulevard (2019)

Litigation

Free legal counselling for LGBTIQ people.

Pro bono assistance for LGBTI+ people in litigations related to marriage/family rights and other human rights violations.

Monitoring Gender Policies

The TAPCPR actively monitors the central and local governmnentsin Taiwan for their implementation of gender-friendly policies, such as allowing same-sex couples to participate in Mass Weddings held by local governments, allowing partnership registry in household registrations, installing all-gender restrooms, increasing public servants’ awareness of gender equality, and implementing gender equity education at all educational levels in Taiwan.

Volunteers and Local Cooperation

The TAPCPR trains volunteers to become activists, as well as connects organizations and friendly stores in Taiwan to have in-depth corporations locally. 

Public Speaking on Gender/Sexuality Rights

We organize nearly a hundred public speeches every year in places such as schools, public forums, local communities, and LGBTI+ organizations, in order to inform people from all corners of Taiwan about diversified family formation and gender/sexuality rights.

Cultural Events

In addition to legal means, we connect people in the arts and cultural fields, as well as publish books and hold forums and exhibitions, to promote gender/sexuality rights and diversified family formation through literature and social engagement.

Introduction to the Draft Bill

Three draft bills for Diversified Family Formation

"Diversified family formation" refers to three sets of draft bills, with an aim to allow same-sex couples to have the equal right to get married, and to offer reasonable legal    protections for families not in the form of marriage.

Marriage Equality

The initial purpose is to amend the Civil Code to allow two adults regardless of gender, sexual orientation or gender identity to register themselves as legally married, and to give same-sex couples the equal right and opportunity to adopt children.

Current Progress

The same-sex marriage bill passed the first reading in the Legislative Yuan in October 2013, but ended up without any concrete conclusion with objections from anti-LGBT forces. On 24 May 2017, the TAPCPR attorney group represented Chi Chia-Wei and won the marriage equality case in Taiwan’s Constitutional Court (J.Y. Interpretation No. 748). The Grand Justices ruled that the Civil Code, which did not safeguard same-sex marriage, violated the Constitution, and gave the Legislative Yuan two years for amendments or enactments. However, the anti-LGBT referendums held in November 2018 resulted in the prohibition against amending Marriage Law under the Civil Code. Finally, on 17 May 2019, the Legislative Yuan passed Act for Implementation of J.Y. Interpretation No. 748, which legalizes same-sex marriage with a specific lawthat is separate from the Civil Code.

Civil Partnership System

Unlike the marriage system, the civil partnership system is to allow two adults of any gender and sexual orientation to negotiate and enter into agreements with respect to their share of assets, inheritance, domiciles, among other things, and to apply with the government to register themselves as civil partners. The purpose of this system is to protect lovers or close friends that live together. The families from both sides of the civil partners do not have the relationship of in-laws. The civil partnership system also allows "no fault termination"-either party can terminate the partnership, so that the relationship may end in more amicable manner.

Current Progress

We are still working on informing and exchanging ideas with the public. This proposal has not obtained enough signatures from the legislators for it to become a bill in the Legislative Yuan.

Multiple-person Family System

In Taiwan, many people do not live with their family due to a variety of reasons, but rather live with friends who share similar goals in life or interests, or common needs. These may be people with the same religious faith, people with diversified gender identifications that have left their family of origin, people with similar diseases and disabilities, women that have been divorced or widowed, or people that have come to live under the same roof due to wars, natural disasters or immigration. They take care of each other and treat each other like family. This multiple-person family system is designed to protect these people, allowing them to register and thus have their relationship protected.

Current Progress

We are still working on informing and exchanging ideas with the public. This proposal has not obtained enough signatures from the legislators for it to become a bill in the Legislative Yuan.

Issues Concerned

Rights to Equal Family Formation

Full adoption rights, assisted reproduction, transnational same-sex marriage, and household registration regardless of sex

Although Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in May 2019, there is still a legal gap in true equality. Therefore, we continue to promote follow-up amendments regarding assisted reproduction and full adoption rights (currently same-sex couples are only allowed to adopt the biological children of their spouses), marriage rights for transnational couples (when one partner is from a country where same-sex marriage has not yet been legalized), and household registration regardless of gender, among others.

Gender Recognition and Gender Change

The transgender community in Taiwan has long sought to abolish the requirement of surgery in order to change their legal gender. We continue to hold policy forums to build consensus. Moreover, we have tried to foster more understanding and friendliness towards transgender people at schools and public places through policy monitoring, as well as educating and communicating with Taiwanese society through public lectures. We promote trans rights through litigation and lobbying.

Anti-Discrimination

Legal counselling, pro bono assistance and social advocacy

Since 2015, the TAPCPR has provided free legal counselling for LGBTI+  people, and we continue to receive complaints regarding discrimination in education, employment and daily life. After each counselling session, we evaluate whether the case needs further litigation. We also strive to eliminate stigma and discrimination against LGBTI+ through human rights treaties monitoring mechanisms, gender equality mechanisms at all levels of government, and other forms of advocacy.

Contact Us   DONATE NOW  

Tel: +886-2932-1292  (hours: 13:00 – 17:30 Tuesday to Friday)

Webpage: tapcpr.org

Facebook page: www.facebook.com/tapcpr  【社團法人台灣伴侶權益推動聯盟】

Email: [email protected]

Address: No.188, Jingfu St., Wenshan Dist., Taipei City 116, Taiwan