At the gay pride parade on Saturday, a small group of marchers will rally behind a banner titled Positive Alliance (帕斯堤聯盟). Later, they will perform onstage, also in the name of the alliance.
It’s a small part to play, but for them it is unprecedented. Some of the marchers, who call themselves the Positives (帕斯堤), have attended LGBT Taiwan Pride in the past but took care to avoid identifying themselves. Instead, they mixed in with social workers of the Taiwan Lourdes Association (露德協會), which supports HIV/AIDS patients.
“When people know that you are infected with HIV, there are a lot of negative associations that they might make. Maybe they believe you’re promiscuous. Perhaps a drug addict,” said Ah Chuan (阿權), 39, who tested positive five years ago.
Photo: Lo Pei-te, Taipei Times
Some of his friends know and some do not, he said. Even in a community that remains marginalized, it’s not always easy to find acceptance.
“Sometimes, the mainstream gay community is worried there will be an equal sign between gay and HIV, so Positives can feel a bit silenced or left out,” he said.
The theme of last year’s LGBT Pride — “Seeing Homosexuality 2.0 (看見同性戀2.0)” — had sparked controversy in the community for being exclusive. This time around, organizers at the LGBT Pride Parade Alliance (遊盟) have a fresh theme: Walk in Queers’ Shoes (擁抱性/別・認同差異). They say they are making a more concerted effort to welcome difference.
“The goal is to get more of an acknowledgment of internal diversity,” said LGBT Pride Parade Alliance leader Albert Yang, who did not want his Chinese name used as he hasn’t come out at work.
SEEN AND HEARD
This year, organizers are courting more participation from lesser-seen members of the LGBT community, including sex workers, the impoverished, migrant workers, drug users, transgender and intersex persons, the asexual and those with physical disabilities or HIV/AIDS.
Until Saturday, they are also collecting online submissions for a photo album of faces in the LGBT community.
But this year’s program is not only about allowing different communities to be seen — it’s also about sparking a conversation, Yang said.
“The thing is that since 2012, the gay community has been building up solidarity in support of gay marriage. While we’ve been working hard to emphasize our similarities, the discussion about our differences has been extinguished,” he said.
Organizers have programmed pre-parade film screenings and seminars featuring LGBT minorities, including a handicapped homosexual and a gay couple, one of whom is HIV positive.
For the first time, the Collective Of Sex Workers And Supporters (日日春) and a support group for impoverished LGBT persons have their own truck, an ad-hoc speech platform that will move along with the procession. Later that day, Taiwan International Workers Association is expected to speak about the impact of class on sexual and gender freedom, and the Positive Alliance has agreed to prepare a dance performance, a move that Yang knows comes with risk.
“They do face a lot of stigma. Standing on a stage like that is very difficult for them,” Yang said.
Ah Chuan hopes the move can boost acceptance, both from the LGBT community and the wider Taiwan public.
“We will be able to let people know that in the queer community, there’s a great deal of diversity, a minority in the minority,” he said.
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