Over 40% of Taiwanese have gay relatives or friends: Poll

Taipei, May 12 (CNA) More than 40 percent of Taiwanese have reported having gay relatives or friends, according to a recent survey released Monday by the Taiwan Equality Campaign.

The survey found that 43.2 percent of the 1,083 respondents said they were aware of having gay family members or friends, a 5 percentage point increase from 2024, the advocacy group said at a press conference in Taipei.

"People who recognize the identity of their relatives and friends tend to show more support for related issues," said Wong Yu-cin (翁鈺清), the group's advocacy and civic engagement project manager.

Since Taiwan's legalization of same-sex marriage on May 24, 2019, the Taiwan Equality Campaign has released an annual survey around that date to track the public's evolving views on LGBTQ+ issues.

Wong noted that this year's results showed a slight decline in support for several issues. Backing for same-sex marriage fell to 54.3 percent, down 2.2 percentage points from last year's record high.

Support also dipped for related issues, including the belief that people should have equal rights to same-sex marriage regardless of nationality, which fell by 1.4 percentage points to 62.9 percent.

Backing for the right of same-sex couples to adopt children dropped slightly by 0.4 points to 65.7 percent.

The declines suggest that although more gay people are coming out, the government still has work to do in raising public understanding and support, Wong said.

One focus of this year's survey was public attitudes toward same-sex couples' reproductive rights, which the Taiwan Equality Campaign referred to as "unfinished missions."

According to the poll, 57.7 percent of respondents supported allowing lesbian couples to have children through assisted reproduction, marking a decrease of 3.7 percentage points from the previous year.

Concurrently, 43.1 percent supported the right for gay male couples to use a surrogate to have a child, 2.9 percentage points lower than 2024.

Wong urged the government to pass a revised draft of the Assisted Reproduction Act, proposed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in late 2024. This would allow lesbian couples and single women to access assisted reproduction.

According to the Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy, as of mid-March, the Cabinet had received the Health Ministry's draft, which excludes provisions for surrogacy due to potential controversy and a lack of social consensus.

The bill is still pending review by a committee of Ministers without Portfolio. Once approved, it will be submitted to the Legislature along with alternative drafts proposed by lawmakers.

No date has been set for the committee meeting.

The survey also found that 77.2 percent of respondents said they would be accepting of gay classmates or colleagues, and 71.5 percent said they would be accepting of gay teachers or supervisors.

Meanwhile, 68.8 percent expressed support for gay political representatives.

Support dipped slightly when asked about accepting children who are gay, with 58.8 percent of respondents saying they would.

Taipei City Councilor Miao Po-ya (苗博雅), who is openly lesbian and attended the event, said the results reflect "steady progress" in public awareness. Most declines fell within the survey's 2.98 percent margin of error, she added.

Joyce Teng (鄧筑媛), the campaign's executive officer, called on the government to invest more in LGBTQ+ education and policy.

"Gay and lesbian people are more likely to come out when the government commits more resources to these issues," she said.

The survey was conducted from April 7 to 9 among adults aged 18 and over.