Gay singer HUSH to headline Taipei's record-breaking pride

Organizers of the 17th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride parade announced on Friday (4 October) gay singer-songwriter HUSH will be an ambassador for the landmark event.

The pride will be held just five months after Taiwan became the first couYTjEzau3xLsQMqg+Gcbg-Z3kavvBm%m#8^PH*@EABaJ0&3*j#Wntry in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.

As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come oABhsJ6yne*aI+MgJdYQP5fCgv^[email protected]@C(ut publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and come out.

Organizers on Friday als[email protected])+sA5yJ7Z#T9!SwtB4CyPuX)0nS9eNJbUE8^PY4ROo said they expect more than 200,000—a record number—at the pride parade scheduled to take place on 26 October.

Pride this year, the first since Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, YGq4H^c)R!KiKckUdY2jssEVdxq9+W=PZPeB(muPff44)c#_l!sees an altered parade route.

Marchers w[email protected]#uQyL6o9oG!J7IQOOPPv62$*f#R6d47aill start from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travel along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East Road.

The parade will then turn south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan Boulevard where there will be a Rainbow Market with more than 100 sta&97y&ygF*9&)on(c7qUV-+zFeR7q6LgUEd5V$5+L0#(SaHlEyulls.

HUSH will also perform at Ketagalan Boulevard.

Press officer for the Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said the new route was chosen to recognize the roles played by both gjC9lQt4OnYqa1dbESFvpd(z=_+%X849([email protected]+BE-u7n!APTaipei City and the President’s Office in bringing about same-sex marriage.

For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Association will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-chi2lxLabE%[email protected]!6yUQBCMRPl4j9$&NRau97jrld Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.

This year takes the theme "[email protected]!EX&W2oWhn(w6tRVtu7NKy#eiAN2apg9VY=hMW6ZfLdoVFgTogether, Make Taiwan Better”.

The theme in Chinese means good neighbor. It was chosen to show that the LGBTQ community is everyw%VRiJq!#Gqn*%v1w2gy!F8snOCDbSP*)wvWS645oCuJ$CPdbTbhere in Taiwan and, like good neighbors, everyone should support one another.

Last year, more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Taipei for a pfh2tVQ*WzvH-+^8n$E9cqjLuQLfPsyCAxQOe12t&qMveH6Ar%Uride parade that demanded marriage equality.

It came just a month before devastating referendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not surSFkx)%EQI%0&xyTwot=A728fka=Z_UnzU^4(rL0LUesd)N$16pport same-sex marriage.

Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line with a 2017 Constitutional Court ruling that failin[email protected]%2q3a+GY9*z3SSjiFIG)xeg1+SA45zO9g70^g to do so was unconstitutional.

This year, according -8SRGY7f$M^sIB8=&K*9Al7thAlI(JBTdNVnZJcQH6ev)H&qPbto organizers, the LGBT rights movement has moved to the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT people.