擬修正的「多元成家」方案，包含同志婚姻、伴侶制度等，雖有立委鄭麗君等人支持，也引起不少恐慌。 圖／鄭麗君辦公室提供

多元成家議題引發討論，支持者與反對者明天都將上街「拚場」表達訴求。

「捍衛家庭學生聯盟」總召施俊宇（中）日前表示已透過網路號召遊行，表達學生對多元成家的擔憂。 記者陳柏亨／攝影

推動多元成家方案的台灣伴侶權益推動聯盟將在立法院旁辦「婚姻平權公民論壇」，主張同性婚姻是基本權利，不該交付公投訴求；不同意見應交流、對話。

台灣同志家庭權益促進會同一天也要上街，「要護家盟的朋友看見我們」，「我們是一群活生生站在他們面前，在乎家庭價值的同志」。

伴侶盟推動包括婚姻平權、伴侶制度、家屬制度三套修法草案在內的「多元成家方案」，目前僅攸關同性婚姻合法化的婚姻平權法案由立委鄭麗君代表提案，並於立院一讀，引發支持與反對方激烈辯論。

由台灣宗教團體愛護家庭大聯盟、全國媽媽護家護兒聯盟等團體組成的「下一代幸福聯盟」表示，明天將公布參與連署的十多位「幸福立委」名單。在昨天見刊的廣告中，一名小男孩爬向「禁止性解放」的符號，粉紅氣球上寫著「我要有爸爸有媽媽的家」。

伴侶盟理事長許秀雯表示，他們將在立法院群賢樓前召集三百人，以人體排出「婚姻平權」四個大字，並觀迎持不同意見的人，也能上台提出看法，伴侶盟樂見交流、對話，但「拒絕法案被汙名化為性解放法案」。

護家盟表示，同性伴侶權益不必非得透過婚姻才能保障；除同性婚姻之外，也可建立同性伴侶制度或調整法規，護家盟傾向法規微調，呼應同性伴侶的醫療權、財產權等需求。

但許秀雯說，涉及伴侶、配偶權利、義務與福利的配套法案成千上萬，單點改革只是拖延戰術、美化歧視的想法。

立委蕭美琴今舉辦「我是基督徒，我支持婚姻平權」記者會，由同是基督徒的歌手朱約信擔任主持人，帶領多個不同教會牧師表達支持婚姻平權立場。立委簡東明將與大屏東守護幸福家庭行動聯盟共開記者會，反對多元成家法案。

【2013/11/29 聯合報】

Photo credit: Heather NealThe one thing I really wanted when I lived in my post-college two-bedroom apartment was a place to grow vegetables. The thought of being able to walk outside and grab something for dinner was all too appealing for a newly minted dietitian. Much to my husband's chagrin, the first thing I made him do when we moved into our house (after painting) was build two raised-bed vegetable gardens. I immediately packed them with seeds: spinach, romaine, red peppers, green peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli. You name it, I planted it.

And then it all died. Not only do I have the complete opposite of a green thumb, but our backyard also doesn't get the amount of sun required to sustain the growth of such veggies. Our front yard, on the other hand, is drenched in beautiful, bright afternoon sun. It would have been the perfect place to put our vegetable garden, had the thought even crossed our mind. But perhaps it's a good thing we didn't. A Miami Shores couple was recently told by city ordinance officials that they had to dig up their 17-year-old vegetable garden, which supplied 80% of their family's food, or pay $50 a day in fines. Having been rejected in appeals twice, the couple ultimately was forced to destroy their garden in order to avoid paying $1,500 a month to keep it - that's way more than the cost of groceries.

Related: 10 life lessons for kids from the garden

As ridiculous and shocking as this case sounds, especially in Miami where fruit trees and plastic pink flamingos are in abundance, this isn't an isolated case. It took me about two and half seconds to find six other families that had also been fined or ordered to remove a food-supplying vegetable garden. A woman in Michigan faced up to 93 days in jail for not wanting to dig up her front yard raised vegetable beds (that incidentally she planted because the city dug up her front yard for maintenance without reseeding). A teacher who used his garden to teach kids about compost, biodiesel, and solar power was given a citation in Tennessee. A woman in Oklahoma had her garden bulldozed by the city for having plants that were "too tall," even though the ordinance stated you could have plants over a foot tall if they were meant for human consumption. A couple who wanted to grow tomatoes for their neighbors and local food bank in Massachusetts faced a $300 a day fine if they didn't remove the plants. Yet another couple in Florida was threatened with a daily fine of $500 if they didn't remove their vegetable garden because it had an "unfinished appearance." I found it hilarious one of these articles mentioned that particular city's fine for growing marijuana was a one-time fee of $500.

The argument is usually that these vegetable gardens are unsightly or not aesthetically pleasing, but I've seen some gorgeous vegetable gardens, and I've seen some horrendous flower gardens (although I'm aware MY garden would never be called beautiful). But what's more important: a nice-looking neighborhood or well-fed residents? There are a thousand reasons to grow your own food at home, among them the suffering economy, lack of access to organic produce, teaching your kids where food comes from, the desire to eat healthy, and more. Why does a city or homeowner's association have the right to prohibit these things?

I would love the opportunity to teach my son where his food comes from and how plants grow, and I sure as heck hope my city wouldn't try to stop me. He already loves to play in the dirt while I try to make things grow. Of course, for that lesson to happen, I may need to bring in some help for my black thumb, although I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere about not succeeding at everything you try.

What would you do if you were faced with this decision: Dig up the garden or pay the fine?

-By Heather Neal