Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/11/14
By Christie Chen and Yu Hsiao-han, CNA staff reporters 

“I am willing to exchange my Presidential Cultural Award for the right of gay people to

Chi Chia-wei (祁家威)

get married,” long-time gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei (祁家威) said last month after it was announced that he had been granted the prestigious award.

Having fought decades in Taiwan for the legalization of same-sex marriage and other gay rights, 59-year-old Chi was named on Oct. 13 as the recipient of the 9th Presidential Cultural Awards in the social reform category.

“He has always firmly promoted equal gay rights, and (was given the award) because he filed a request for a constitutional interpretation that allowed same-sex marriage to be protected at the constitutional level, and allowed Taiwan to become a pioneer in Asia on the issue and a more progressive country,” according to the General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), which hands out the biennial award.    [FULL  STORY]