Homosexuality far from accepted

This article was written by Chuang Chi-ting and published by The Taipei Times on June 11, 2001. It records the story of Tuan Chien-fa, a homosexual high school teacher in Taoyuan, who became the first teacher to "come out" in Taiwan. The response he got suggested an increasing tolerance of homosexuals. The Minister of Education said that Tuan's openness about his homosexuality "would help parents and students to learn respect." Tuan's school principal remarked that "Tuan is a diligent teacher. We have accepted his coming out without difficulty." But in reality students and activists say that what occurs behind the scenes at the nation's schools is quite different. "Obviously, the school still regards homosexuality as something to be ashamed of," a close friend of Tuan's said.