Pop singer Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹), also known as A-mei (阿妹), is releasing two “rainbow products” as part of promotions for her concert marathon in Taipei that beings this weekend.
A-mei is known as a staunch supporter of same-sex marriage and gay rights, and the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights said she approached them about collaborating on the products.
One of the products is a rainbow-colored towel with the word “Utopia” printed on it, while the second is a hand sign that can be used as a fan.
The design of the sign is being kept a surprise, but 12,000 of them, priced at NT$100 (US$3.20) apiece, will be on sale at the Taipei Arena, where the “Utopia” concert run opens on Saturday night, record label EMI said.
All profits from sale of the signs will be donated to the alliance, which will also receive NT$10 from every towel sold, EMI said.
The towels are priced at NT$500 each and can be purchased at the Taipei Arena, as well as at Eslite Bookstore’s Wu Chang branch from Saturday to April 15, the last day of A-mei’s 10-concert run.
Alliance secretary Chien Chih-chieh (簡至潔) yesterday said that this is not the first time A-mei has expressed support for gay rights.
In 2012, A-mei was the first Taiwanese celebrity to sign the alliance’s petition in support of a same-sex marriage bill and in 2013, she held a free concert to support the legalization of such unions, covering the estimated NT$3 million cost herself, Chien said.
“We are very, very thankful to her. These actions are what make her an extraordinary celebrity,” Chien said. “If more public figures speak up for equal marriage rights, as A-mei has done, they will encourage more people to speak up and it will influence public opinion.”
The public remains divided on the issue of same-sex marriage. Although a same-sex marriage bill cleared a first reading in the Legislative Yuan in 2013, it has been shelved since then, largely due to opposition from religious groups.
Tickets to A-mei “Utopia” concerts at the arena sold out in just 12 minutes when they went on sale in December last year.
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