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

More than 200,000 members of the LGBT community anzI3R5%KtS*9XxW!yT_5*P)XNgiOocog$x8rsE+y5zVRv3DhAhZd their supporters marched, paraded, and danced across downtown Taipei on Saturday.

Organizers said the parade, which was the first since Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage_(R!aY(F1k@-hFr0IijYd-jQv6-yYf!$V5FA!s+BFzRA5YPE61, was the largest-ever in Asia.

Local entrepreneur and LGBT activist Jay Lin said the 9To1cRB57P$I8yg1aaZtXc@D1Rk)+ED4-ND1DAiQo#m(4Mt&paexperience was “very memorable”.

He said walking down Zhongxiao East Road was amazing and coz#NvBFCI9QhM*F-qG5vn2eAla1^BVJqaXsnK&8PeNNsJ9i#TN5mpared it to his experience of walking down Fifth Avenue for WorldPride in New York earlier this year.

"These two streets represents the main arteries of tVO&JnuU=p+#H+lHo#Ng0DQ7PUr&#Iq&uZtcAuAi@ii%EhQ!ntOhe 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 withMqoYM@cheYr-1@FiI-Uu9A3@d_XbIAeFT0aa0*U!DkJxGDY1-c 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 singenJ=%5_XNzcn4)!ay6-l(1G9fd%r-)YUZNK&RTS*xOdt2^Nme02r Hush—performed. 

Some 180 different groups and 24 floats took part in the march, a_d#q(B9h)pIt7-=L$m9A3#i6&x$qdmHh!KBuGf)#4MQ*$&BE@zccording 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 WmMLy4uuX%Og1wnXfNtl@yhXle&gX1O=9YXLL6koa_8fj)2Vx!first trans 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, rle4Va$pU+)FkLX2#Rm!9E#gWMAKS@8pZx@Zj_$uZhf0CAI16Moenowned director Zero Chou, and Kenny J. Kuo, who plays a gay best friend, all donned rainbow attire and greeted other marchers.

Pride

Gay singer-s$=(bwfWLwX9oljpojAg06oiNg3SMmk##du(b0e382Z5W#gdgFqongwriter HUSH, performed at a concert to mark 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 Chen Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and comOQsFvn2o14klToVaP$YZN5hw!71P_2#(K+Anj_bAENwpSqtcU6e out.

Pride thV#YqA+=ire(=NR^m9buKR-T*%4JxTXdSO9VnSb72WvZ%FYnx1^is year, the first since Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, saw an altered parade route.

Marchers started from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travelled along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East @4R_QzK)(@wXFse^8PVdmh$_2rbv0pwXi*ECkbl0zuvn$FeG$ORoad.

The parade then turned south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalm@@yPaEwSU&3r)X0B2mJCO_O!IpZ1F=H#J^quLsRTiN^v1d7(aan Boulevard 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 recognize the roles played by both Taipei City and the President’s Office in brUpeGT6^+tGUX!gegILJfF@D9lKJqf5v@SfKi0k@N^AUMh@(bR9inging about same-sex marriage.

For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Association will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-child Carni*)BR2IK+YDOCNvx&El4d6xS#42V8CdX)6lVpXSWE08Z)ogIBnVval and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.

This yewLyHSHrPxPSF2OfhF9klxvxbYy+5@idj7D^!eakQw!_JqUn_25ar takes the theme "Together, Make Taiwan Better”.

The theme in ChCV-lhgSmHc5L7rD*4o-JbdP+2uJ##u#9EUuvr^GjT1^^jWZT!winese means good 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 demancEQ1Epf^LH9)sNK9STvTd7$95QipN1p5imZ&M^j&Ggvsn2C&86ded marriage equality.

It came just a month before devastating referRHSSv*jje!w_u!qkq^CCew%O85crv)t!C^fwK&^P7$)uq@Iztjendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not support same-sex marriage.

Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized samEqUjh_SL$il3Y=qdZIsbJv5JnllU!D23M4zYv430k!!CU$%Q36e-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 NFO(Mkyf+Pi-)KifW7oKkkvX=YYL_F+TS!=Ic&q%PUh9T!@R7Qmoved to the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT people.