More than 50,000 people yesterday took to the streets in Taipei to show their support for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, calling on the government to respect diversity in families and legalize same-sex marriage.
Holding up giant rainbow banners over their heads, tens of thousands of people — many of whom began to assemble on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office well ahead of the scheduled departure time of 2pm — shouted in excitement as the host of the rally announced the beginning of this year’s gay pride parade.
Prior to the departure of the parade, Hong Kong pop star Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and singer Anthony Wong (黃天耀) — who earlier confirmed he is gay — showed up to express their support for LGBT rights.
Photo: AFP / Mandy Cheng
“Love is gender-blind, everyone is entitled to the right to enjoy happiness,” Leung said. “I can feel the joy of marriage after I got married last year, and I hope that everyone can enjoy the same degree of happiness as I do, regardless of their sexual orientation.”
Wong sang the theme song of the 1997 Hong Kong film Happy Together (春光乍洩), which recounts the story of gay couple, and joined the parade.
“Things are better now than 20 years ago, but discrimination [against LGBT people] still exists,” Wong said. “After taking part in the parade in Taiwan, I hope to take the experience back to Hong Kong to fight against discrimination.”
Taiwanese actress Chu Hui-chen (朱慧珍) — who became active in LGBT rights campaigns after her lesbian daughter committed suicide in May — also appeared.
She called on all parents of LGBT people to take part in the parade and in the campaign for LGBT rights.
Many participants in the parade were creative in their outfits, with some men dressed in bridal gowns, as female marching band members or wearing only shorts, while many women dressed up in men’s formal suits.
The atmosphere of the parade was festive, but the appeal was serious.
“We would like to call on the government, and mainstream society to seriously consider the idea that everyone has the right to get married, and to form a family — be they heterosexual or a member of the LGBT community,” said Albert, head of the Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade Alliance, the group that organizes the annual LGBT pride parade.
“Legally recognized marriage is important, not only because it’s about love and commitment between a couple, but also because it would enable a couple to enjoy rights and share responsibilities,” he said.
While Taiwanese society may seem more accepting of LGBT communities, Albert said that he still was not too optimistic about the prospects for the legalization of same-sex marriage.
“Quite often, the public holds an attitude of ‘distant friendliness’ or ‘packaged discrimination’ toward members of LGBT communities,” Albert said. “Many people may seem friendly to LGBT groups because they think these groups have nothing to do with them, but once they feel that some LGBT issues would affect them, they show some hostility.”
Splitting into two groups with different routes after departing, marchers returned to Ketagalan Boulevard at about 4:30pm, where they had a tribute to three late advocates of LGBT rights — entertainer Da Bing (大炳), activist Chiang Chia-wen (江嘉雯) and stage actor Liu Ching-hung (劉敬弘).
The parade’s organizers said the tribute was to recognize the contribution of the three to the LGBT rights movement.
The Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade Alliance estimated that more than 3,000 foreigners also took part in the parade yesterday, representing more than 20 countries.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS