The 17th Taiwan LGBT Pride in Taipei on Oct. 26 will be the first edition of the flagship parade since same-sex marriage was legalized in May. The parade sets off from Taipei City Hall Plaza at 12pm and ends at Ketagalan Boulevard.
In the lead up to this historic edition of Pride, with a theme of “Together, Make Taiwan Better,” organizers have put together a Pride Month’s worth of activities for supporters. All events are conducted in Mandarin.
Pride Month’s advocacy work kicks off in EZspace tomorrow at 7pm, with a seminar on bisexuality and pansexuality that is co-organized by Bi the Way and Taiwan Asexual Group. Admission is free through registration at: forms.gle/iyT1QRUB9ovWDFGf8.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan LGBT Pride
On Oct. 19 at 7pm, both groups will also hold a seminar on asexuality at the same location, with registration at: forms.gle/psVpMz2GTkL5VLww8.
On Oct. 20 at 2pm, the Gender Equity Education Coalition and Taiwan LGBT Family Rights Advocacy are co-organizing a dialogue for parents and teachers to discuss their views on LGBT-related gender equity education. Admission is free through registration at: reurl.cc/Na65on.
With churches being among the most vocal in opposing same-sex marriage, the antagonism between the nation’s Christian and LGBT communities has received a lot of attention. Two seminars will turn that dynamic on its head by exploring how Christians have contributed to Taiwan’s LGBT rights movement.
On Sunday at 2pm, the LGBT-affirming True Light Gospel Church (真光福音教會) will host a discussion on Christian participation in the marriage equality campaign, featuring head pastor Chang Mao-chen (張懋禛) and National Taipei University law professor Kuan Hsiao-wei (官曉薇). Admission is free through registration at: bit.ly/2k9RSkA.
On Oct. 18 at 7:30pm, the LGBT-affirming Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church (同光同志長老教會) will host a sharing session by Christian pastors, who will talk about their interactions with the LGBT community, their thoughts on sexual diversity and their faith. Admission is free.
Cultural salons are another way to promote community engagement. On Oct. 9, Oct. 18 and Oct. 19, feminist bookstore Fembooks and the Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan (婚姻平權大平台) will co-host an LGBT book club. The session at 7pm on Oct. 18 will focus on a classic of American LGBT literature, Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg. Admission is free.
On Oct. 12, a retrospective screening of two documentaries by the late director Mickey Chen (陳俊志) will take place at the Taipei Public Library Qiming Branch (台北市啟明圖書館). The War of Roses (玫瑰的戰爭) tells the stories of four women who have suffered sexual harassment, while Boys for Beauty (美麗少年) follows three gay teenagers growing up in Taiwan at the end of the 1990s.
Both documentaries will screen at 10am and 1:30pm respectively, followed by post-show discussion. Admission is free through registration at: forms.gle/PBkbXScqRz4t92NM8. Visitors can also view an exhibition on Chen’s life and work which is now showing at the library until Dec. 31.
Another exhibition on Stories of People with HIV will show from Oct. 15 to Oct. 29 at Nishi Honganji Temple (西本願寺). Opening hours are from Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 5pm. Admission is free.
On Oct. 19, the tour company Walk in Taiwan (島內散步) will lead two walking tours to explore the history of LGBT culture and activism in Taipei’s public spaces; while on Oct. 20 at 2pm, author Chu Hsin-i (瞿欣怡) will talk about her experiences as a gay woman in Taiwan.
Drag artists have always been a highlight of Pride. On the morning of the parade on Oct. 26, Walk in Taiwan will bring together six drag queens to share the personal journeys and beliefs behind their performances, and help participants get into drag to participate in the parade.
Tickets for Walk in Taiwan’s tours range from NT$400 to NT$1,100, with more details available at: walkin.tw/page/192.
The night before the parade, at 7pm on Oct. 25, will see the first Taiwan Trans March highlighting the needs and visibility of the nation’s trans community. The march is organized by the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, also the main organizer of this year’s Pride parade. (Details of the march route were not available at press time.)
On the day of the parade itself, another first will be the Rainbow Family Festival (彩虹親子嘉年華), which starts at 12:30pm on Oct. 26 at Taipei City Hall Plaza. Hundreds of stalls by LGBT or ally-owned businesses will provide family-friendly entertainment.
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