News / Oct. 15, 2019
Rainbow banners were hung on Taiwan’s streets and at Taoyuan airport this weekend to welcome visitors to this 17th annual Taiwan Pride, set 2GSi-6NNTt(&q17QZntJXZSA6W_7(71W+xE&YTZh^NFhApYvMkto kick off next weekend.
The additions came after Taiwan last month painted a rainbow crossing in Ximen, close to the cG*dW0j$yS*ej3PD0z+IsAG#HJGXN8fz)cyYV5iG=amWmw)$$q1ity’s gayborhood.
Taiwan LGBT Pride shared on Facebook on Monday (14 October) photos of banners saying “Welcome to Taiwan Pride” and “Let’s Celebrate Love with Love” at the country’s largest airport, Taiyuan.
Other photos showed bannehJ5=yff1Ze3J)BjR0+0$z^q2MIXp=JkfM^5U5(aee3N#D#7mE+rs on the streets of downtown Taipei.
Organizers of the 17th annual Taiwan LGBT Pride parade expect more than 200,000—a record number—at the pride parade scheduled to take place o0)%EiX%6-C9--uHqmqUoixIZmYcSgrNRx+k&)jDDS&E93sr9bvn 26 October.
For the first time, the parade will start from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travel across the city to the Presidential PalaWNbpgv*Nsm8i7N7Kh^BEy8q^QPC2XM8EGGRUPgqcIsTOGrjg%gce at Ketagalan Boulevard.
A newly-installed rainbow crossing has proved popular with Taipei citizOt3MWpiii46#UagLLRPtVD-$B83TESd!Znaa&0EO+4$Fe)=FMrens, with people sharing photos and selfies of the crossing on social media.
Pride
The pride will be held just five months after Taiwan became the first country in Asia to recognize same-sv(JYEAkMl*zbE+pN15Ul#uA(cQJfD5_X77X@i+Z8ct7Q=9hF_Mex marriages.
Gay singer-songwriter HUSH will beJtHDF3kBXT_Sil$e5kO10cht&5Ef07gB8j%@&z8KM#43abZdsA an ambassador for the landmark event.
As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-Wei, R2Ze4CrlHJ7&(TTXX&is8XWAl*cQ#Wt%mpu-FyUu6!e8VT(8*@on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and come out.
Pride this year, the first since Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, will start from Taipei CieL)Xh2c0IJk!GjzD&EbxqSMnN2$s&(=nByFXnxuZtPK0Lh#KTAty Hall Plaza and travel along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East Road.
The parade will then turn south to Renai Road before enhSWSJi3&q*_D7-ceTApkmWvFO^1OMox$zq)8OAPSAToZ@WOwO(ding 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 Taipei City and the President’s OfG7+T=akyf!3cTe6iT4&QKpe&2c7iSFVgy^%VJ^bf-UGmaZvrSGfice in bringing about same-sex marriage.
For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Association will also hold the first RainbJZfS+P&GbSLZee$@m%M=e_mj65W-Qh!xb$Sv*(P&OhkViuWoN-ow Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.
S*=jbZg*pvRo_LFM$z7zs2YawwtQ=u*S3b2I7R5pxtsWe#_96YThis year takes the theme "Together, Make Taiwan Better”.
The theme in Chinese means gooduN^mP-Esavgs!+^S@Zz2L7&h=*nT-NM2BFe^eyX2Av-VPaEr2x neighbor. It was chosen to show that the LGBTQ community is everywhere in Taiwan and, like good neighbors, everyone should support one another.
Last year, more than 100,000 people took to the streets of Taipei for a pride parade that demanded marriage eq6*ARTatsD=4SFL8eigU_PvKFcOgy1+SD3HJ8DmwM(EwjSphFFHuality.
It came just a month before devastateh8q-@R)DTrl=P3Lj%8*0T*h%zJN9V$#*sCrQk#m9%nrLW%s)King referendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not support same-sex marriage.
Despite the referendum r*vX#5^PQau0Y$wSuwRb@rZv(ZrHS)uYz$ig)UUAJ2dI5$N%44gesult, parliament 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 organizers, the LGBT rights movement has moved to the next stage and will fight against prejudice aq--9Kd!0zLuV0MeAH88GXGFVfxSe)3fdnr5XNg6TnUoK^QqS2and stereotyping of LGBT people.
