Life / Oct. 14, 2019
Hundreds of the region’s LGBT movers and shakers will kick off Taiwan’s massive pride weekend at a TPea%Xj=n6v2e7wfaLmHEbBA*825OjPa#xlw$XguYaOH)g7=lmunique party in downtown Taipei.
The GALA BFF GALA event on 25 October at Xinyi Woolloomooloo is the perfect warm-up for Asia’s largest pride parade, expected+L$)nB8tTxm^Uo$Wykl%B$#0Z^*LkdA8o-orBnMyne8Um)D3Hr to attract 200,000 marchers.
The party will include screenings of the latest original productions from LGBT-streaming servic(Umz!Xjx6TC9EO+Xgr^8kW*habC7@1&#eXZL=N*aMgVGi%$tNee GagaOOLala and special guests from Japan Rainbow Night Out.
"I can promise you lots of fun, laughter, friendship, and, of course, in this month o)pb!xr(3z+xemT8ZZgHe1prKK3pnFTc!sn#aOGT)7)y7DjNgM*f Celebration & Pride” said co-creator of the GALA BFF group of LGBT professionals, Jay Lin.
GALA BFF creates a place fofYqJJW@If2Qv%iqlkCt_re7(9=6^ZuShJgOI2W3I^U8C=p6QTvr socializing and connecting for the region’s LGBT people off the dance floor. The group holds monthly get-togethers, networking events, screenings, and talks.
"I am proud to say that indeed after six years, the group is over a thousand strong and increasingly internationalized with connections that are formed online as well as off-c=BXUO#J=$@)xk*HY4e1uH2tVw8c3W#ETWIth*L6#qVyfk=3--line” Lin said.
Tickets are $600 if purchased before 20 October and $750 after. Buy tickets or find out more here.
Pride
Organizers of the 17th annuwHw8ZSj%c%I6aTXUfrJULubdSwXWl1cgkLr$%BgNwa!eMQQqNqal Taiwan LGBT Pride parade expect more than 200,000—a record number—at the pride parade scheduled to take place on 26 October.
The pride will be held just five monthsfDQ%&O+-)4KYn3vKlY)Dy0hhqr1JS3y5YDiX(j8AOYDQjskT(C after Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.
Gay singer-songwriter HUSH will be an ambassador for the landmareO1ymskUG612Xgp5jgR)TI_-T9R=8x$y!cD7SiFs11)WkSG#K$k event.
As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be vg)KvU-YS6Yimd5FmXPh1US2=4EZRno!Y%PVYnI0V#i1xYQyTNbrave and come out.
Pride this year, the first since Tai4SwKBW5bsR+R8PVVqAdJ5(!etVKq^qA+*uB#1bvYhPbc9KHya4wan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, sees an altered parade route.
Marchers will start fuBMoOLfIr5LRd(cMQ3vuNrkO6ROhBk9)14HcF#Fc=!m1md#QeMrom Taipei City Hall Plaza and travel along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East Road.
The parade will then turn south to Renai RoadN$V^%6Q@MDEdaw5WWfT$WZ8@AROd1Yvoh%OfXh!k7=uX4djL+B before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan Boulevard where there will be a Rainbow Market with more than 100 stalls.
HUSH will also perform at Ketagalan Boulevard.
Press officer for Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said the new route was chosen to recognize the roles played by both Tai8wE4kig3ii2ETE6NEbi=02Tgvm*78jgXT9tZZ6t3QV-C-*TObipei City and the President’s Office in bringing about same-sex marriage.
For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Association sjpsFKY0+v--AKqjCdGQql&PO-l(jgKxvzyRXUH2(ish^9_r-7will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.
This year takes the theme "Together, Make0$%dy3O#$!u6YV^X=&lyC56yekzLdnko=Soye-vfHtI84Pf9lQ Taiwan Better”.
The theme in Chinese means good neighbor. It was chosen to show that the LGBTQ community is everywhere in Taiwan and, like good ne3F@bb03RHugYF@*NZVn8g+0pP9)iW-$01(gajaQ(kLvFRcBSB4ighbors, everyone should support one another.
Last year, more than 100,000 people took to thePIk692M@8ME5XjO9WJDBelyMEOYGcX$6k7^V+JKzz8WbcEXi2Z streets of Taipei for a pride parade that demanded marriage equality.
It came just a month before devastating refuL&QstHOAe*nL5K*yhEFUzFoJ)_uZBB38FYel^Q3ptHg9H#$MQerendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not support same-sex marriage.
Despite the referendum result, parliamre(1f(XZy_mmxX^MP577*koytK7LJU9_tmWy^-h@$Oi(@d&@*vent in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line with a 2017 Constitutional Court ruling that failing to do so was unconstitutional.
This year, according to organizer8O6)Ro$i4zVNGkY1=o6E5dTAWgvZVVhuriznjecBTr-e)Lfy09s, the LGBT rights movement has moved to the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT people.
