The China Post news staff
Three women's associations held a joint press conference in Taipei, where Chuang was taken to task for calling Kuomintang standard bearer Ma Ying-jeou "effeminate" and Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin "gay."
"Authorities concerned should launch an investigation and discipline Chuang," said Tseng Chao-yuan, secretary-general of the Awakening Foundation. They should find out if Chuang is fit to serve in his current capacity, Tseng said. She threatened to launch a letter-writing campaign against the MOE official.
"We'll start a one-person-one-letter campaign to protest against Chuang," Tseng said. She did not say when the campaign will be kicked off. All letters would be addressed to Tu Cheng-sheng, minister of education.
"Gender equality has been sacrificed for politics," said Lai Yu-mei, secretary-general of the Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association.
She said schoolteachers have complained about Chuang. "We've been receiving a lot of protest phone calls every day," she continued, "and most of the teachers were disgusted and didn't know how they could teach children with Chuang setting such a bad example."
Ms. Keh Fei, president of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, told reporters Chuang "gave us a slap in the face." Tongzhi literally means "comrade," but is the term used to describe a homosexual in Taiwan.
Chuang also came under fire elsewhere. All female department chiefs of the Taipei City Government said he "gave the Ministry of Education a heavy slap in the face."
In particular, Shuai Yu-ling, who heads the municipal department of social affairs said Chuang shouldn't call Hau a homosexual simply because the last character of his name is an ideogram, combining "wen" or civilian and "wu" or warrior. Chuang is said to believe "a hybrid of a civilian and a warrior" is a homosexual.
Another organization, the Taiwan Youth Gender Equity Education Association, issued a declaration: "Embrace Leslie Cheung. Say Goodbye to Chuang Kuo-yung."
The Cantonese movie star who committed suicide last year had the Chinese name of Chang Kuo-yung, the only difference from that of the MOE official's being their surnames.
Cheung was a gay.
"We oppose Chuang Kuo-yung for his sexual harassment of those who he believes are not macho enough." the declaration said. The MOE official defended himself.
"I didn't say anything wrong," Chuang pointed out. "What I said was distorted," he claimed.
He explained he described Ma as "effeminate" because he still adheres to Chiang Kai-shek and has no guts. "Ma is too obedient," he added.
"It's a simile, a comparison," Chuang said of his description of Hau as a homosexual. "All I wanted to say is that Hau still embraces Chiang Kai-shek the dictator," he added.