TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan gender equality groups and university student organizations are calling for universities to better meet the requirements for gender equality as required under Taiwan law.

The advocates released a report on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (May 17) that said Taiwan’s Gender Equality Education Act is one of the most progressive in the world. However, despite the 19-year-old law clearly requiring schools to provide equal and non-discriminatory environments, rights groups still have concerns, particularly about the safety of transgender students.

“Over the many years of interactions with transgender students, we’ve found that unfriendly treatment is not only related to the campus atmosphere but is largely because the schools don’t pay attention to the needs of transgender students,” the report said. It said cisgender perspectives are systemically ingrained in schools, making it difficult for transgender students to survive on campus.

The report found that campuses seriously lacked sufficient toilet facilities for gender-diverse and trans students. Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association director Tsai Ying-chih (蔡瑩芝) said that transgender people often worry about the humiliation of gender checks or being attacked when using the toilet, so many simply avoid using the bathroom when on campus.

The report also found that of the seven campuses surveyed, none had gender-diverse-friendly toilets in every building, or in every major administrative or joint-use space, such as libraries or gymnasiums. Tsai said this was an issue because trans students visiting other campus areas may not be familiar with the students in that area, leading to further anxiety about safety.

No matter your gender identity, you should at least be able to use the toilet safely, Tsai said.

Han Yi-chen holds a sign that reads "groupings should be made based on ability, not gender." (TAPCPR photo)

Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association (TGEEA) Secretary General Han Yi-chen (韓宜臻) said that gender norms imposed on students are particularly evident in physical education. There are issues as simple as girls being expected to only play racquet sports, which are lighter, such as tennis, and boys to play heavier sports with bats and balls, such as baseball, which impose expectations based on gender.

The report also called for improvements to the way universities record and display students’ gender information. Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights (TAPCPR) policy director Fang Chi (方綺) said that universities should review and remove any unessential displays of student’s gender information, and students should be given the option of displaying their preferred gender identity if displaying one is absolutely necessary.

Of the seven universities surveyed, none allowed students to register under a gender different from their legal gender, though none required students to display their gender on their student ID cards. Five of the universities made some information about students’ registered gender information publicly available, leading to a situation where some students may feel forced to “come out,” the report said.

Li Yen-jung (李晏蓉) of Soochow University called on all of Taiwan’s educational institutions to complete the gender equality assessment to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for all students.

The seven universities surveyed in the report were National Cheng Kung University, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Taiwan University, Soochow University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Sun Yat-sen University. The report was a joint project of the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights, Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association, the Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association, and the Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy.

The report assessed the accessibility of gender-neutral toilets, the protection of students’ data, curriculum planning, the state of dormitories, campus atmosphere, and support systems for gender-diverse students.