Norm Localization and Democratic Backlash: Taiwan Marriage-Equality Debates in 2017–2019

Taiwan’s achievement in passing a marriage-equality law in 2019 and the democratic backlash against LGBTQ+ rights deserve scholarly attention in Asia and beyond. Specifically, Taiwan’s road to marriage equality led to these empirical puzzles: What explains the conservative shift in Taiwan’s public perceptions toward LGBTQ+ rights? How would the backlash against LGBTQ+ rights impact Taiwan’s democracy? What does Taiwan’s experience inform us about norm localization and LGBTQ+ politics in Asia and beyond? The strategic framing of the Christian right—that is, the symbolic use of family and its localization of conservative values using Confucian norms—enabled them to couch their religious beliefs and facilitate collective action among different groups. This study offers a culture-based explanation of how the Christian right successfully established a single-issue coalition against LGBTQ+ rights. The article is organized as follows. First, it engages current literature on discourse analysis, norms contestation, and contentious politics. Second, the study proposes a two-part framework for understanding how the Christian right effectively constructs their conservative claims to gain public support. A comparative analysis of the discourse from the conservative and progressive sides sheds light on how their narratives shaped the marriage-equality debate. Third, it addresses how this countermovement impacts Taiwan’s democracy and human rights.

本文聚焦于台湾同性婚姻合法化过程中保守势力的反对运动及其对台湾民主的影响，探讨了保守派如何通过文化语境下的框架策略推动其反LGBTQ+议程。研究提出了一个分析基督教保守派框架策略的两步过程：首先，他们构建以“家庭”为核心的普遍性论述以联合不同宗教群体；其次，他们将不自由的观念与儒家价值相结合，以争取台湾公众支持。文章旨在弥补现有文献对保守势力在规范争夺中的理论不足，揭示反LGBTQ+群体如何通过话语竞争塑造政策议程，并分析这一保守反弹对台湾民主和人权的深远影响。

本篇文章的方法论通过话语分析和规范争夺的视角，探讨了基督教保守派如何通过框架策略塑造台湾同性婚姻辩论。文章提出了一个两步分析框架：首先，保守派通过构建以“家庭”为核心的普遍性论述，联合不同宗教群体；其次，他们将不自由的观念与儒家价值结合，试图获得台湾公众的支持。通过对保守派和进步派论述的比较分析，本文揭示了两方如何通过不同的话语策略争夺社会对同性婚姻的看法，进而影响台湾社会的婚姻平等讨论。此方法论有助于理解保守派如何在台湾民主中通过文化适应的框架挑战LGBTQ+权利的全球性规范，以及这一过程对台湾民主与人权的影响。

本文的研究发现，台湾早期在婚姻平等的斗争中取得的司法成功，引发了反对者意识到需要参与关于异性恋规范和平等话语的斗争，从而催生了2018年反LGBTQ+的反运动。基督教右翼通过将保守主张本地化，首先通过强调异性恋家庭的普遍吸引力来缓和其宗教立场，其次则将竞选语言世俗化，借用了台湾社会广泛认同的儒家价值观。尽管台湾社会普遍同情LGBTQ+群体，但对婚姻平等的支持依然存在争议，且选民对这些问题普遍漠不关心。2018年公投的挫折显示了LGBTQ+权利仍面临巨大挑战，且对民主质量的影响值得进一步研究。本文还强调，台湾的经验对亚洲其他国家的LGBTQ+运动具有重要的政策影响，尤其是在规范本地化和翻译的过程中，可能为亚洲及其他地区的活动家提供指导。