Taipei, April 18 (CNA) Taiwan's Central Election Commission (CEC) on Tuesday passed a review of two national referendum proposals related to same-sex marriage and one related to same-sex education, sparking a protest from gay rights groups.

The two questions related to same-sex marriage are: "Do you agree with using means other than the marriage regulations in the Civil Code to protect the rights of two people of the same gender to build a permanent life together?" and "Do you agree that the marriage regulations in the Civil Code should define marriage as between a man and a woman?"

The one related to same-sex education is: "Do you agree that during the elementary and junior high school stage, the Ministry of Education and schools at all levels should not implement same-sex education as stipulated in the Gender Equity Education Act's implementation rules?"

The CEC said Tuesday that the three proposals comply with regulations, and it will request household registration offices to complete a check of the list of endorsers according to household registration data within 15 days.

The referendum proposals were initiated by the anti-gay marriage group, the Happiness of the Next Generation Alliance, which opposes revising Taiwan's Civil Code to allow same-sex marriage but supports crafting a separate special law to protect the rights of same-sex couples to "build a permanent life together."

Gay marriage rights groups, however, expressed anger and disappointment over the CEC's decision to pass the review of the proposals, arguing that they violate the Constitution and infringe on human rights.

The Marriage Equality Platform urged the government and lawmakers to quickly amend and enact laws in accordance with the ruling of the Constitutional Court in May last year that paved the way for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan. Read more via Focus Taiwan