News / Oct. 04, 2019
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 afte&spy+qf(Nd^s3pazHKrOvVO2$rku9Hp7c1gvZ3eP4u2AjAPBWsr Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sex marriages.
As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-WeiJwUX&G6Fd*KxUSEv77sUi1qzWPkuyMbg5S)Z6IR9KA#LNivYu8, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and come out.
Organizers on Friday also said they expect more than 200,000—a record number—at*uv$f!rgE&2LOHF)^1-WMW6zkCylM)WhNBqVQkBDf!QMe0tMuL 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 ^%PV#kZL8U%_$KI*xs#G3I&z^9Yvw=9(fF7ekg$VUmio!ebx0+same-sex marriage, sees an altered parade route.
Marchers will start from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travel along Yixian Road tou=U*wOxV$nfMlBQ+x+h(uT*$C%#ILq)EHoPjEiTUu-cCwGZl*j Zhongxia East Road.
The parade will then turn south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan BoulevacZn5rrsMf1_yijX7kH6qoWEU2Zyb4aKcL$Lk4*@ZfTwOM_+ES!rd where there will be a Rainbow Market with more than 100 stalls.
HUSH will also perform at Ketagalan Boulevard.
Press officer for the Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said the new route was chosen to recognize the roles playOi3nZs3ZiGJ6stF(3+rDfoYl3Mv*eRVQuu_ox+n&_YPXLngJ%Hed by both Taipei City and the President’s Office in bringing about same-sex marriage.
For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Asson$#wBtT9m_rgcPj4GGx26jL!p$q$Ge6xB#&xR%=SZk7zNx*tAociation will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.
This year takes the theme "To_w%@3K2OglikG*J&+WC0vS3isD7zu)gts#h3aAKtR(POuxP5S9gether, Make Taiwan Better”.
The theme in Chinese means good nei&w8^KUc%7adLQs8)cSKgq(PE=jYPg(k9EOSWob=6pi51d_G_)Mghbor. It was chosen to show that the LGBTQ community is everywhere in Taiwan and, like good neighbors, everyone should support one another.
Last year, more than 100,000 people tooq=7D6N0Pgy6JnOmpGgne*-L(NTC4#ev-Q!lbTo%W5E^1G(*UVZk to the streets of Taipei for a pride parade that demanded marriage equality.
It came just a month before devastating referendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not support same-sex sAZvLXMjm#T&1JNsEinkg6B%vDfZAx9BISMz4NX#!_g9N%4C9Tmarriage.
Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line with a 2017 Constitutional Court ruling that failing to E+M03*_-ubvEibQNIhPi3YYr$$k^+4oUN=M70BtrxcLuaYkOuNdo so was unconstitutional.
This year, according to organizers, the LGBT rights movement has moved toQ5*LZZYRR7ebx(xgOp8+S1Q8w=v!W^IXYfta)JlTmvJ%r2R)6h the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT people.
