A large crowd, many waving rainbow flags, yesterday marched through Taipei in a riotous celebration of LGBTQ+ equality and diversity in East Asia’s largest Pride march.
This year’s parade, 2023 Taiwan LGBT+ Pride, was aimed at “recognizing the diversity of every person, and respecting and accepting different gender identities,” said the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Association, the event’s organizer.
It was a theme that resonated with the participants, including a number from parts of Asia where diversity is not well understood and their communities are not able to express themselves freely.
Photo: CNA
The association estimated that 176,000 people joined the march, while police said the attendance was higher than at the last parade, which drew a crowd of 120,000.
Regardless of the number of participants, they packed the streets of central Taipei, with some coming from outside of Asia, including Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of human rights, who is openly gay.
Among the groups and organizations in attendance were the Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church and American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan, as well as a delegation headed by American Institute in Taiwan Director Sandra Oudkirk.
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, AFP
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was led by Vice President William Lai (賴清德).
Lai thanked those who had worked to support equality and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019 as scantily clad male dancers passed behind him on the back of a truck.
“Equal marriage is not the end — it’s the starting point for diversity. I will stand steadfast on this,” said Lai, who is also the DPP’s presidential candidate in January’s election.
Photo: Chiang Ying-ying, AP
Wu Yi-hsuan (吳怡萱), campaign spokesperson for Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), said that while Ko was not able to attend due to scheduling conflicts, other TPP officials, including herself and TPP Deputy Secretary-General Osmar Hsu (許甫), were on site to show the party’s support.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, did not attend the event, but the KMT’s youth wing did, with its members shouting that their party also supported equality as they passed by Lai.
Several other activities were held in conjunction with the march, including a Rainbow Market with 120 booths, the most in Taiwan Pride history, drag performances and a “Color Diversity” coloring station where people could express what diversity meant to them.
Photo: CNA
The association said the annual event has a broader role beyond diversity, expressing a more expansive vision for the future of the LGBT+ community.
“With gender issues still in need of continuous attention and advocacy,” Taiwan LGBT+ Pride strives to “be an avenue to celebrate a life that is true and free, a life without discrimination, stigmas and violence,” the association said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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