Thousands of people participated in a "Rainbow Power" parade in Taipei yesterday to show their support for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual (GLBT) communities.
The parade took a carnival-like mood with marchers waving rainbow flags, colorful balloons and signs. Some were dressed in flamboyant period costumes while others only wore swim trunks despite the cool weather.
Organized by members of Taiwan GLBT communities and supported by dozens of other groups, yesterday's parade was the fifth annual GLBT parade in the country.
PHOTO: AFP
"Showing off the power of the GLBT communities and their supporters is the theme of this year's parade," an event spokesman wished to be known as Goffy (
In addition to participants mobilized by various groups, Goffy estimated a 70 percent volunteer participation, "that's the power -- and with the power, we'd like to demand equal rights for the GLBT communities," he said.
A participant who wished to be known as James said gays still don't have equal rights.
"For example, gay partners cannot become legally married and thus are excluded from all the legal rights of a married couple," he said.
"It's not fair that we've done all the duties required [of citizens] but do not enjoy all the rights," A-wei (
The Cabinet in 2003 drafted a controversial bill to legalize same-sex marriages and recognize the rights of homosexual couples to adopt children, the first country in Asia to do so.
However, the law has yet to be passed and some gay groups have criticized the bill as a ploy to woo gay voters.
A-wei is also a member of the Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church, a church founded 11 years ago by members of the GLBT communities.
"God loves people -- that means all people," whether he or she is gay or straight, he said, explaining the founding principle of the church.
Before the parade departed from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
The parade reached its climax when all the demonstrators, divided into six groups, held up colored papers to compose the six-colored rainbow flag on Zhongxiao E Rd.
Onlookers packed the sidewalks and some waved small rainbow flags at participants as they marched by.
Pop singer A-mei (
The singer, who performed some of her hit songs to the cheering crowd, endeared herself to the gay audience when she released a music video depicting a gay wedding scene several years ago.
Organizers estimated that 15,000 people participated in the parade, while a police source estimated around 10,000.
Additional reporting by AFP
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716