More than 200,000 throng Taipei's streets for the largest-ever pride

More than 200,000 members o!CXGzL+Ckm%#@W+H8qduJ27GnpKMENx5*nM++IVj_rufRm0swtf the LGBT community and their supporters marched, paraded, and danced across downtown Taipei on Saturday.

Organizers said ARmXmPWhwDQRW(J6Wz#ytcZ_(7AcZALUAa9KOz-VS28!asS8o#the parade, which was the first since Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, was the largest-ever in Asia.

Local entrepreneur and LGBT activist Jay Lin said the experience was “vSWn#pcLXePifOfjWBmlwZgIq3tPyOa@0zbU+P5YJjmzv_bk@E0ery memorable”.

He said walking downE=lX8ul3#-uMH9UdERp1wV$wb#!5ZMYl^P5bU5Z3U39wWY!I@n Zhongxiao East Road was amazing and compared it to his experience of walking down Fifth Avenue for WorldPride in New York earlier this year.

"These two streets represents the Tv2L0I!lRHUXqdNgo-&h10-vY9WO^D0Rlo4VZHxJMykuvkQ2P4main arteries of the city, and to be given the clearance to march is the strongest statement the cities can make to give the LGBTQ community the stamp of legitimacy."

Taiwan's 17th annual Taiwan Pride kicked off witfmk+%anx1Cu!xN5&Mzr^m$%ONMATHgXEB=$H(V*Uaf@29rv#dvh a Rainbow Market of more than 100 LGBT-friendly businesses and organizations at Taipei City Hall Plaza.

It ended 5.6km across the city outside the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard where performers—including gay singer Hush—p%qZEef7k)_Sb&)%@_BF2I7ImvTMpQn3sprJ#mmhmk)t+hb4E_Qerformed. 

Some 180 different groups and 24 floiRR&#)6La$v)=()UJNeM8h=T0Id$0qBSg1byl4M-!VHw^ywYFAats took part in the march, according to organizers.

The parade was the landmark event in a month of LGBT across Taipei. Hundreds attended screenings, exhibitions, and workshops throughout the month, including the country's first transb@ygvs3O@PQWs1fxU-eslV%IBDjbZY2vOWQW%1#4=vayUl8-pU pride parade on Friday evening.

GagaOOLala’s float this year hosted the director and actors of web series, Handsome Stewardess. The romantic-comedy featuring a good-looking tomboy lesbian who starts a new life as a flight attendant.

Award-winning actress Xiao Man, who plays the stewardess, renowned director Zero Chou, and Kenny J. Kuo, who plays a gay best friend, all donned rainbow attire and grelXp*Q4MT8UH0VRSyJIOI2M8^&Q%2OLTU!12Q^yU3sUImu$BMSJeted other marchers.

Pride

Gay singer-songwriter HUSH, performed at a concert to mk63p(PalR#KUz1ZAy6u10XWBqM920bda%-*cNG)MI8g&aGQ8Ltark the end of the long parade across town.

As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Cheng2yz6s3AE^QReWjZeHQHKhktIUN)e!YXmeHX!wR3X2Xy%!36Uj Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and come out.

Pride this year, the first since Taiwan became the fgnwS0$r9eB&61NmBJw&izlQ%sXh-9A2m8vz(Fe1btb-Hadu^L#irst country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, saw an altered parade route.

Marchers started from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travelled along Yixian Pyk+NVI7DsIKOFp=Pq1f@(*QukwmfnHjwdflqy=7NWfknITV9ERoad to Zhongxia East Road.

The parade then turned south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan BoulevardwD@gCoF__t$j^2TQG%6SFgmLbDoZavT7+6%qnm6+cFhB%&qWGp where there will be a Rainbow Market with more than 100 stalls.

Press officer for Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said the new route was chosen to recogniz1Fnrxj*aRIPiYOJu$KF%w8=H7*v&m&WCgBo$wd2kRyb519EmYRe the roles played by both Taipei City and the President’s Office in bringing about same-sex marriage.

For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Associat#IFxJy2ulZ&jKAhrlosBmi-HZyhEn1UZNmrbFandeB^*X9bfOsion will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.

This year takes the theme "Together,KK8&WA_fBixZP_yk%_Gr^-1=6ZmUMLoLA_dcmIaok4V0w0)l^1 Make Taiwan Better”.

The theme in Chinese means good neighbor. It was chosen to show that the LGBTQ md%xR1tOSiXG!Ase85$#TCmho3tmR9y^Vc)q%_!l&1!r1%rF&ccommunity is everywhere 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 pride parade that demanded marriage Ruh!v6Iq5X2nrSdYzhz&0%7$IBxjS5fi-CJx*6jYXJ2S9u0C%9equality.

It came jOdrMSHR4C$(iWiJLNiKkYQllTiRAnhXKQ9MjQ+PfU^S_A(_U^rust a month before devastating referendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not support same-sex marriage.

Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line wij)Urc5@ZrcrrZgpu@FWxMW!3cEuA&19Wt7r+#Ya)OfpUqHhNJqth a 2017 Constitutional Court ruling that failing to do so was unconstitutional.

This year, according to organizers, the LGBT rights movement has moveFhKOg&Gf5+Gm2lQmqr*qlNgh=HB7JiKcT_wsVnh63yM2sopoVAd to the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT people.