Thousands of people yesterday took to Taipei’s streets to support the 14th annual Taiwan lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade.
Braving rainy weather, the crowd congregated on Ketagalan Boulevard before standard bearers joined the crowd with a large rainbow banner to lead the parade.
Participants in ordinary clothing brushed shoulders with those dressed up in outlandish costumes and radiant colors. Some portrayed anime characters while others dressed up as princesses.
Photo: CNA
Promenaders ambled along Renai and Xinyi roads, covering the areas between Zhongshan S and Xinsheng S roads, before heading in opposite directions on Xinsheng S Road and returning to the stage.
The themes of this year’s parade were “Fun together” and “Honor diversity, like you mean it,” meaning that the goal is to break through “fake friendliness,” or gestures that are actually discriminatory toward people of differing sexual orientations, including lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people, intersexuals, queers and asexuals.
Event organizers called on legislators across party lines to pass a proposed amendment to the Civil Code to legalize same-sex marriage and urged participants to assist by making telephone calls to legislators in their constituencies who have not signed petitions to endorse the proposed amendment.
Photo: CNA
An American who identified himself as Prent said he came from Taichung to support the event.
Prent said he heard about Taiwan’s reputation as a gay-friendly nation while working in China and decided to move to Taiwan.
“It would be amazing if the legislature passes the amendment to become the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage, as it would likely inspire other Asian nations to follow suit and put Taiwan on par with Western democracies that have already done so,” he said.
Photo: EPA
Shu Kuge and Jared Braiterman, a gay couple living in Tokyo, said they came to Taipei just for the parade.
A number of Japanese attended yesterday’s parade, Kuge said, adding the Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade is the biggest event of its kind in Asia and is well-known in Japan.
Kuge said the Taiwanese government seems more supportive of same-sex marriage than the Japanese government, so it would be “exciting” if bills regarding same-sex marriage are passed, as it would likely set an example for Japan.
Photo: CNA
While foreigners praised the nation’s friendliness toward homosexual people, a number of Taiwanese who attended the parade declined to be interviewed or reveal their first names.
A Taiwanese surnamed Wu (吳) said he had not made public that he is gay, because he believed Asians, especially older people, tend to be more conservative and unwelcoming to homosexuality.
A promenader who identified himself as Da Mao (大毛) said he would like to be married to his partner someday, but that he is worried that his parents and older relatives might not approve.
He said that society has come a long way in terms of friendliness toward homosexual people and he has not had to deal with discriminatory labels that were attached to him when he was younger.
However, some people still do not accept gay people, particularly those involved in intimate relationships, which means there is still room for improvement before society can truly bring down the barriers between people of different sexual orientations, he said.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
BACK TO WORK? Prosecutors said they are considering filing an appeal, while the Hsinchu City Government said it has applied for Ann Kao’s reinstatement as mayor The High Court yesterday found suspended Hsinchu mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) not guilty of embezzling assistant fees, reducing her sentence to six months in prison commutable to a fine from seven years and four months. The verdict acquitted Kao of the corruption charge, but found her guilty of causing a public official to commit document forgery. The High Prosecutors’ Office said it is reviewing the ruling and considering whether to file an appeal. The Taipei District Court in July last year sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, along with a four-year deprivation of civil rights, for contravening the Anti-Corruption
NO CONFIDENCE MOTION? The premier said that being toppled by the legislature for defending the Constitution would be a democratic badge of honor for him Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday announced that the Cabinet would not countersign the amendments to the local revenue-sharing law passed by the Legislative Yuan last month. Cho said the decision not to countersign the amendments to the Act Governing the Allocation of Government Revenues and Expenditures (財政收支劃分法) was made in accordance with the Constitution. “The decision aims to safeguard our Constitution,” he said. The Constitution stipulates the president shall, in accordance with law, promulgate laws and issue mandates with the countersignature of the head of the Executive Yuan, or with the countersignatures of both the head of the Executive Yuan and ministers or
RSS