Rainbow flags covered downtown Taipei yesterday afternoon as thousands of participants in this year’s Taiwan Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Parade took to the streets, calling on the government to better protect gay rights.
During the parade, songs from romantic and pop genres clashed with heavy metal and trance music. Slogans were shouted by dozens of different organizations. Spectators shouted encouragement. Others just stood, endlessly clicking away on their cameras.
Now in its seventh year, the Taiwan LGBT Pride has grown from a humble gathering of 500 participants in 2003 to become the largest annual LGBT parade in Asia. Organizers estimated that there were more than 25,000 participants this year, 5,000 more than they had originally expected.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
As the revelers snaked their way through the busy streets of Taipei, passing by 228 Peace Park (228和平公園), Ximending (西門町) and Zhongxiao W Road, spectators gathered to watch the parade.
“We support this [event] 120 percent,” spectator Simon Chan said. “I think this event will let the public understand more about gay culture.”
The slogan this year was “Love Out Loud” (同志愛很大) as parade organizers hoped to encourage members of the public to love and not discriminate against their lesbian, gay, transgender, transsexual or transvestite relatives, colleagues and neighbors. They also called on the government to do more to protect their rights and lifestyle choice. They went on to say that both of the nation’s main parties have neglected their demands.
“We want to emphasize that we love this society and its people,” said Ann Tung (童楚楚), convener-in-chief of this year’s parade. “We want to exchange our love for the public’s recognition.”
This was a frank reference to an anti-gay march held last Saturday by several Christian groups. The groups were led by two former Presbyterian Church pastors who emphasized the traditional definition of marriage.
That however, failed to deter the participants, who gathered in 30°C temperatures yesterday. Parade organizers later said that more than 100 organizations showed up to voice their support, including students from National Taiwan University as well as doctors and teachers’ organizations.
Groups from the US, Europe and Japan also joined the parade.
“I think [Taiwan’s] gay scene is amazing,” said a spectator named Maria, who was visiting from the US. “It’s not that different to the one we have in Chicago.”
“Taiwan is very outgoing. Even in Japan it is more conservative,” said Naiyuki Fukai, who is an organizer for next year’s Tokyo Pride event.
The event ended at 7pm following performances by Tony Fish (大炳) and Fish Leong (梁靜茹), who was the parade’s “rainbow ambassador” this year.
Tung later expressed hope that this annual event could spread to Kaohsiung and Taichung next year.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS