Joanna Lei
Chien Joanna Lei is a Taiwanese politician and communicologist who served as a member of the Legislative Yuan from 2005 to 2008.
Lei was born in Taipei on November 28, 1958. Her father is, a Republic of China Navy vice admiral who played a prominent role in the La Fayette-class frigate scandal.
After graduating from Taipei First Girls' High School, Lei studied foreign languages and literature as an undergraduate at National Taiwan University and graduated with a bachelor's degree. She then completed doctoral studies in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a Master of Arts and her Ph.D. in 1996, both in mass communications from the Annenberg School for Communication. Her doctoral dissertation, completed under sociologist Charles R. Wright, was titled, "Political orientations and the influences of cohort membership and time: Patterns of change in tolerance, confidence, and the strength of party affiliation".
Political career
Lei, a member of the New Party, was co-nominated by the Kuomintang in the 2004 legislative elections, and won. As a legislator, Lei took an interest in domestic labor and migrant workers. She lost an October 2007 Kuomintang primary, and formally left the party in November. Lei was named a New Party candidate, and lost reelection.
Later career
After stepping down from the Legislative Yuan, Lei became the chair of Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor. She launched an unsuccessful independent bid for the legislature in 2012. In 2015, Lei co-founded the Faith And Hope League, and declared opposition to same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Lei has organized petitions to consider the issue of "family protection" via referendum, while opposing the use of referendums to determine support for same-sex marriage. She stated in 2017 that same-sex marriage would "destroy marriage as we know it. Some places are waiting for Taiwan to set the example. If Taiwan falls, then the rest of Asia will fall." In December 2017, Lei succeeded as chair of the National Women's League.