Died 2016, Taipei, Taiwan | Movies The Assassin, The Hole | |
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Similar Hou Hsiao‑Hsien, Tsai Ming‑liang, Yu Mei‑nu | ||
Jacques Camille Picoux (9 November 1948 – 16 October 2016) was a lecturer on French language and literature at National Taiwan University, who committed suicide on 16 October 2016. He held a solo artist's exhibition in 2012, and was also known for playing the character Kong Kong, in the 2015 film The Assassin, directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien.
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Impact on Taiwanese society
A prominent member of the LGBT community, who had lived there since 1979, Picoux was 68 years old. His suicide has generated much public sympathy, and led to calls for the introduction of marriage equality in Taiwan. According to his friends, he killed himself after he realised he had no right to make medical decisions on behalf of his cancer-stricken partner, Tseng Ching-chao, or any legal rights to the home they had shared for nearly 40 years. Tseng was the global agent of notable Chinese actress Gong Li.
Picoux's death has led to criticisms of the new administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, which had campaigned on promises to legalise same-sex marriage. Recent polls have shown that nearly three-quarters of the Taiwanese people favor marriage equality.
Drafting of new legislation
Gay rights campaigners have said that there may now be a breakthrough in legislation, with an increase of support for marriage equality among members of the Legislative Yuan. A Taiwanese Pride Watch activist, Cindy Su, says that “We actually can see that there are about 66 legislators who will probably vote yes on marriage equality”, making it a majority of 58.4%.
Former Grand Justice Hsu Tzong-li has said that if it can be proved that homosexuals are a natural minority that have been misunderstood as abnormal, then it follows that the laws stating marriage is only between a man and a woman could be considered unconstitutional. Justice Hsu will become the nation's next Judicial Yuan President, after lawmakers approved his nomination in October 2016.
Yu Mei-nu, a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, has drafted a new law to be presented to legislators, and it may be passed as early as next year. If it does pass, Taiwan would be the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage. Homosexuality is considered taboo in many East Asian countries, and is illegal across much of South Asia.
President Tsai is an open supporter of marriage equality, and has said she would support any decision made by the parliament. However, writing in Taiwan's New Bloom magazine, California lawyer Bob Kao suggests that many obstacles remain, and that a breakthrough is unlikely in the immediate future.
LGBT rights in Taiwan
Taiwan is considered a very progressive society regarding gay rights, in a region where citizens of some countries can still be jailed for being gay. In December 2016, Taiwan's highest health authority announced plans to ban Conversion Therapy, which aims to change a person's sexual orientation. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that the ban would take effect from March 2017.
However, Taiwanese author Chu Hsin-yi (瞿欣怡), has criticized Taiwan for "calling itself gay-friendly... while being unwilling to let loose, even a bit, regulations affecting gay rights."