The annual Taiwan Gay Pride Parade took place in Taipei yesterday afternoon, with the event centering on the theme of “no age limits,” with event organizers saying that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and their supporters were invited to attend the event and explore ways in which society’s attitudes toward age and gender prevent people from freely expressing themselves.
People who contravene society’s “norms” are often seen as irresponsible and ostracized, the organizers said, adding that teenagers and older people often suffer the worst of this treatment, as society is more rigid in its expectations of these age groups.
Many participants at the parade, now in its 13th year, wore colorful costumes and waved rainbow flags or handmade signs calling for marriage equality.
Photo: AFP
Organizers said nearly 80,000 people attended the event.
However, the organizer’s call for “no age limits” sparked concerns over its interpretaion.
Lee Tsung-hua (李宗華) of the Warm Breeze Caring Association, a Taichung-based group advocating child welfare, said the association has always supported the LGBT community, but it could not disagree more with calls for young people to be liberated of age restrictions placed on their behavior.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Yeh Chun-hsing (葉春幸), a legislative candidate of the Faith and Hope League, also opposed the group’s call for “no age limit,” saying that repeated calls to lower the legal age for sexual consent on the grounds of sexual autonomy would only lead to an increase in social problems such as abortions and sexual assault.
Earlier in the day, Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) posted a video on Facebook, saying she supported marriage equality, and that all are equal before love.
Later, in response to media queries about the issue of regulations recognizing unions between same-sex couples, Tsai said it is an issue that society must confront, adding that as there are supporters and opponents, she hopes everyone can view the matter rationally.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesperson Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) agreed with the broad direction of the LGBT activists’ stance on equal opportunities for marriage rights, but added that there should be more discussion over the issue due to the diverse range of opinions held in society.
A consensus must emerge among the public before matters can proceed toward legal amendments, Lin said.
People First Party Chairperson James Soong (宋楚瑜) said via party spokesperson Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) that the PFP favors respect and acceptance on the issue of gay rights.
Additional reporting by Su Fang-ho and Chen Yen-ting
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
RSS