Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association

Workers of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association during the Taiwan Pride 2005 march, dressed in shiny skirts.

Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (TTHA, 台灣同志諮詢熱線協會) is an organization providing people (especially LGBT) with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center.

It is a joint effort of 4 LGBT and gender issue-concerning groups, established in 1980.

Services and Activities

TTHA's tasks focus on counseling, cultural events, and the protection of LGBT rights.

• Counseling on gender identity
• Counseling on LGBT relationship
• Counseling on Gay rights issues
• Providing LGBT-related information
• Hosting counseling and supporting groups for parents of LGBT
• Organizing and training volunteer workers
• Educating on Safe sex and prevention of AIDS
• Hosting "Understanding LGBT" workshop for teachers since 2000.
• Hosting 2005 Taiwan Pride
• In 2004, Hotline joined forces with other local NGO to promote Gender Equity Education Act.

As part of its work, TTHA has been supporting the promotion of gender equality education in Taiwan, notably through the inclusion of gay rights and sexual orientation topics in new curriculum for elementary and junior high school.^[1] By teaching youths about diversity in sexual orientation, TTHA and other like-minded organizations hope to enhance understanding and respect.^[2] TTHA also ties this to efforts to stem bullying in schools, which is often based on prejudices and stereotypes towards gender or sexual orientation. However, inclusion of sexual orientation-related topics in school curriculum has met with opposition, and TTHA and other gender and gay rights advocacy groups recently have had to file a slander suit against a group stating that gender equality curriculum would promote "sexual openness" and same-sex marriage.^[3]

References

External links

• Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association