The 18th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride parade took place in the streets of Taipei yesterday afternoon, showcasing the diversity of Taiwanese society and urging the public to understand, accept and respect people with different identities and sexual desires.
As the parade “reached adulthood” and turned 18 this year, the theme was “to support and help others fulfill their cherished dreams (成人之美),” a Chinese proverb which can also be understood as “adulthood beauty.”
The Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association, which organized the event, said it hopes that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning and asexual communities would not only become more visible in society, but would be understood and respected by more people.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Before the parade officially started at Taipei City Hall Plaza at 2pm, thousands of people began flocking to the square since the morning. A Rainbow Market, consisting of almost 100 LGBT-friendly businesses and organizations that sold rainbow-themed merchandise and provided information on LGBT topics, was opened at 11:30am.
At 1pm, the square was packed with participants in a festive atmosphere, with rainbow-themed flags, banners, fans and outfits. Many participants wore masks in rainbow colors.
The organizers estimated that more than 130,000 people participated in the event.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Association chairperson Shao Li-yi (邵立宜), who is also the parade’s spokesperson, said that the theme was chosen to highlight that there are many forms of beauty and that it does not matter if a person is tall, short, overweight or slender, or has feminine or masculine personality traits, and that society should allow them to feel confident in their beauty and be respected by the society.
“The Taiwan LGBT Pride parade is not only a carnival. Although same-sex marriage was legalized in 2018, there are still many issues concerning equal rights of LGBT communities that need to be addressed,” parade convener Hsiao Ching (小鯨) said.
“If Taiwan prides itself on accepting diversity, nobody should feel sorry for being the person they are, and people should have the right to be comfortable in their own skin, no matter if they are at home or at work,” she said.
Photo: CNA
Marriage Equality Platform convener Jennifer Lu (呂欣潔) said that even after same-sex marriage was legalized, there are still many issues that need to be pushed, such as transnational same-sex marriage, as well as adoption by same-sex couples, elderly or adolescent LGBT issues.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taipei’s Pride parade might be the largest of its kind in the world this year, which is a collective achievement on the part of the public, she said, expressing hope that the parade’s message would be heard worldwide and raise global awareness about Taiwan’s achievements with regard to LGBT rights.
Members of many of the nation’s political parties attended the event, including members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League, the Democratic Progressive Party, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party, the Green Party Taiwan and the Taiwan People’s Party.
Photo: Reuters
Twenty foreign representative offices in Taiwan, including those of several EU countries, the US and Canada, sent representatives to the event, Lu said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
RSS