"And they lived happily ever after..." Normally, that's the end of a standard fairy tale. But what if "they" here doesn't mean the prince and princess? The Ministry of Education has recommended a selection of 100 books for first graders and one of them is "King and King." As the title may have suggested, it's about gender identity and sexual orientation. But not surprisingly, the choice has sparked mixed reactions.


"King and King" was one of 100 books selected by the Ministry of Education for a reading program for students. This choice sparked controversy.

Is this a type of confusion, or is this a type of starting point for self-reflection? Only diversified and speculative education can cultivate individuals who are really capable of taking on responsibilities.

The basic value of human rights conventions is supporting equality and eliminating discrimination.
Civic groups said children should be given space to explore gender identity and sexual orientation. They also asked students to give their views.

In the end, gay people are no different than us. We're all humans.

Children won't necessarily learn (the content of a book) just because they read it.

Family groups urged the government to comply with the results of a referendum in 2018, in which voters voted against the teaching of LGBT topics in junior high and elementary schools.

Meanwhile, parents' groups said they aren't against the book and are not pro- or anti-LGBT. Instead, they just want the books to be age- and gender-appropriate.

(The prince in the book) doesn't like girls, but he shouldn't ridicule (the other princesses). This isn't appropriate for first graders, because they're at a stage where they learn by imitating others. A little more prudence is needed.

First graders aren't able to distinguish at this age when they're learning. They won't know how to until fifth or sixth grade, when they can explain their own behavior. This is when it's age-appropriate.

The groups said they don't wish to create societal divisions, and "education" needs to respect genders in addition to skills and talents. These are all issues that parents are concerned about.



王子和愛人共度幸福人生，看似常見的故事內容，出現在教育部閱讀推廣計畫中的繪本「國王與國王」中，引發軒然大波。

小民參政歐巴桑聯盟黨召集人 張淑惠表示：「這個是一種混淆？還是，是一種不斷對自己提問的思考起點？多元的教育、思辨的教育，才可以培養出真正能夠承擔的個體。」

台灣人權促進會秘書長 施逸翔表示：「（各個)核心人權公約的基本的價值，就是支持平等，就是要消除歧視。」

民間單位呼籲，要正視孩子，有性別認同和性傾向的探索空間，還邀請國小學生分享閱讀看法。

小四學生 簡同學表示：「反正同性戀，就只是…又不是跟我們不一樣，反正大家也是人啊。」

小二學生 羅同學表示：「不一定會因為小孩看了一本書，就馬上學會(內容)。」

除了支持的聲音之外，有護家團體在日前召開記者會，呼籲教育部遵守公投，反對同志教育進入國中小學階段。還有家長團體說明，重點不是反對繪本，或是挺同、反同，而是希望這些讀本，要能夠適性、適齡。

小一新生家長 陳小姐表示：「（繪本王子)他在不喜歡女生的時候，也不可以嘲諷(其他公主)，這樣也不適合。小一，他還是一個模仿的階段，（教育方面)要稍微小心處理一下。」

全國家長會長聯盟理事長 潘品睿表示：「他(小一)在這個東西(階段)，在學習的時候，他根本不知道如何分辨。到五、六(年級)，他已經自己知道，他會對他自己行為，會做一點解釋。那…那個時候，年齡的一個平衡(適性適齡)。」

全長聯強調，不希望製造社會對立，而「教育」除了尊重性別之外，還有技能、才藝等各層面的多元化，都是家長關心的內容。