Josephine Ho


Josephine Chuen-juei Ho is a Taiwanese educator and academic. She is the chair of the English department of the National Central University, Taiwan, and coordinator of its Center For the Study of Sexualities. She is one of the most prominent feminist scholars in Taiwan.

Education

Ho earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from National Chengchi University, a Master of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Georgia. She then earned a second doctorate, her Ph.D., from Indiana University Bloomington.

Activism

As an activist, Ho has been drawing attention to women's rights in Taiwan since the 1990s. Though there were no laws criminalizing sexual harassment at the time, sexual assaults on women were increasingly reported in the news after the first legal case on sexual harassment was heard in 1989. In May 1994, Ho led Taiwan's first demonstration against sexual harassment, and devised its slogan, "We don't want sexual harassment, we want orgasms. If you keep sexually harassing us, we'll cut it off with a pair of scissors!"

Zoophilia webpage incident

In April 2003, an article appeared in the China Times claiming that Ho's website had several pages that covered the topic of zoophilia and actively promoted the practice, with images. 13 conservative groups collectively filed a complaint accusing Ho of making obscenities available to children. This sensationalism led to thirteen Christian and conservative organizations collectively filing a complaint with the Taipei District Court. The process lasted for over one year, with a not guilty ruling returned on 15 September 2004, because the zoophilia pages were only one part of the website's essays and reports. Thus the incorporation of some pictures did not constitute an obscenity.
The incident has been seen as an example of sensationalist media and received international attention as a perceived confrontation between conservative aspects of Taiwanese society and sexual and [reproductive health and rights|sexual freedom].

Selected publications

Honors and awards