Speech | 2025 Taiwan LGBT Pride

Good afternoon, everyone! It is a great honor to be here today to speak up for human rights and diverse values with all of you.

We all know that the path toward gender equality has never been smooth. Every step forward requires challenging long-entrenched systems and social structures. The Judicial Reform Foundation has long focused on human rights and gender-related judicial reform because we believe that a trustworthy judiciary must be built from the bottom up and embrace diverse values.

First, I would like to share an issue with you: "the dilemmas faced by #MeToo victims," namely, the "judicial retaliation" that victims may face after they finally find the courage to speak out.

You may still remember that in 2023, a female assistant surnamed Wu to former legislator Chiu Chen-yuan accused Chiu of sexual harassment. Wu publicly stated on social media that Chiu had sexually harassed her during an event in 2020. Chiu not only denied the allegations, but also filed a civil lawsuit against Wu, seeking NT$600,000 in damages.

This is a form of "judicial retaliation" that we frequently see in the #MeToo movement, commonly described as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP). In other words, the alleged perpetrator uses litigation to impose extremely high legal costs and psychological pressure on the person who speaks out, attempting to silence the victim and deter them from speaking again.

Although the Taipei District Court ruled against Chiu in March of this year, finding that Wu's statements constituted fair comment, Chiu appealed after losing the case. Earlier this month, in October, Wu issued a statement saying that the parties had reached a settlement and agreed that her previous allegations against Chiu were "truly a misunderstanding." She also agreed to delete the post and continue publishing the settlement statement through the end of 2027.

Seeing this incident ultimately end with the victim settling with Chiu on the basis of a "misunderstanding" highlights the dilemmas endured by victims in #MeToo cases. For many survivors, simply dealing with prolonged litigation is enough to exhaust their energy. When allegations exposing sexual harassment are distorted into "defamation" against the alleged perpetrator, rather than delivering justice, the law becomes a weapon of power and suppression. This is precisely why we believe we must continue to resist such "retaliatory lawsuits."

This systemic conflict and sense of powerlessness are also profoundly reflected in the current controversy over "gender marker changes without surgery."

The #MeToo movement has worked hard to help us build a social consensus: "If you feel uncomfortable during an interaction, do not second-guess whether it is your fault—that is sexual harassment." This feeling of "discomfort" needs to be recognized by society.

When discussing whether public spaces are being intruded upon in the debate over gender marker changes without surgery, both cisgender women and transgender people are in fact confronting the systemic harms of gender-based violence. We may all be victims under gendered social structures.

The core of cisgender women's anxiety regarding gender marker changes without surgery actually lies in women's broader sense of insecurity in society.

I believe we can go further and discuss how to create safer spaces for everyone—not only women, but transgender people as well. Today, I saw a wonderful slogan: "Cis women love trans women; we see the systemic gaps." Whether people take to the streets for same-sex marriage, gender equality, or transgender rights, the goal we pursue is the same: to build a diverse, inclusive, and trustworthy judicial system for everyone.

We should transform this pursuit of safety into momentum for institutional reform and improvement, safeguard diverse values, support everyone who bravely speaks out, and ensure that everyone can participate in public life free from fear. This is the goal we will continue striving toward. Thank you, everyone!