Taipei, April 20 (CNA) The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) paid tribute Sunday to “rose boy” Yeh Yung-chih (葉永鋕), whose death in 2000 prompted Taiwan’s designation of April 20 as Gender Equality Education Day.
In a Facebook post, the DPP said Yeh’s death 25 years ago spurred the enactment of the Gender Equity Education Act in Taiwan as well as the April 20 designation.
The death of the junior high school student in Pingtung County resulted in the act’s promulgation in 2004, and the Ministry of Education announced the day’s designation in 2022.
The DPP cited several pieces of legislation, such as the Stalking and Harassment Prevention Act in 2021 and the amended Sexual Harassment Prevention Act, Gender Equality in Education Act and Gender Equality in Employment Act, which took effect in 2024, that it said reflected its efforts to push for gender equality.
Very small things can make significant contributions to gender equality, the DPP said, including avoiding verbal attacks on anyone for one’s gender expression, regardless of the individual’s political stance.
The DPP also urged condemnation of gender-based speech or violence, which the party said is everyone’s responsibility.
In a separate post titled “Have you heard the story of ‘rose boy’ Yeh Yung-chih,” Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said Yeh had been bullied for his “unique gender expression.”
He had taken to using the bathroom during class time instead of at recess due to constant bullying, and on April 20, 2000, he was found lying on the floor of the school bathroom, wrote Pan, who at the time was a Pingtung County councilor.
Yeh was found in a pool of blood, and died in hospital on the next day. In 2006, the Taiwan High Court concluded that Yeh died after slipping on a wet floor and fatally hitting his head on the ground while hurrying back to class.
According to the Ministry of Education, “rose boy,” a Chinese translation of the title of 1997 film “Ma vie en rose,” was used by rights advocates to describe Yeh in Taiwan.
