Sat, Oct 12, 2024 page3

• Taiwan Pride to hold 22nd parade on Oct. 26

  EMBRACE INCLUSION: A gay rights advocacy group urged people to recognize diversity and act to ensure that the voices of different communities are heard

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  The 22nd Taiwan Pride parade — scheduled to take place in Taipei on Oct. 26 — will showcase the theme “Embrace Inclusion,” event organizers said.

  The Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association said it hopes the annual event could inspire everyone to “respect each other’s differences” and help build a more inclusive society.

  The parade is to set off at 2pm in front of Taipei City Hall in Xinyi District (信義) and later on split into a “north route” and “south route” before circling back to the hall, said the group, which advocates for the rights of the LGBT+ community.

  

  People hold placards at a news conference hosted by the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association in Taipei on Tuesday.

  Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times

  The association is calling on everyone to recognize diversity and take concrete action to ensure that the voices of different communities or individuals are valued and included in decisionmaking, chairperson Fletcher Hong (洪浩哲) said.

  “We hope that everyone can respect each other’s differences, allowing everyone to be themselves without fear,” he said. “Only in this way can we establish a society where everyone can coexist.”

  Association spokesperson Simon Tai (戴佑勳) said last year’s parade attracted 170,000 participants and he expects at least 180,000 people to join this year’s event “if the weather is good.”

  Drag queen Chiang Weiii (薔薇) said that unlike in previous years when drag queens would usually host or participate in activities on different floats, many of Taiwan’s top drag queens would gather and perform on a single float this year.

  “We hope that through this opportunity, more people in Taiwan will realize that drag queens do not just play supporting roles within the LGBTQ community,” she added.

  Meanwhile, with the first cross-strait same-sex couple getting their marriage registered in Taiwan on Tuesday, Tai said that advocates promoting same-sex marriage equality between Chinese-Taiwanese couples would also attend the parade to share their experiences.

  The Mainland Affairs Council on Sept. 19 relaxed regulations to allow same-sex couples involving one Taiwanese person and one Chinese person who married in a third country to register their marriage in Taiwan under the same rules that apply to heterosexual couples.

  This marks another step closer to full marriage equality in Taiwan — the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage.

  However, same-sex foreign couples involving one or more partners who are nationals of a country where gay marriage is illegal are still restricted from getting married in Taiwan.

  The association has invited speakers to discuss the issues relating to long-term HIV-related care, as estimates from the Centers for Disease Control project that more than 50 percent of people living with HIV in Taiwan will be over the age of 50 by 2036, Tai said.

  “We believe that long-term care will become an increasingly important need for the HIV community,” Tai said.

  This year’s parade is to feature 35 floats, while the “Rainbow Market” will have 113 booths, including a record more-than-30 charity booths, the association said.
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