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Ma Chao
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30,000 join Taiwan's gay pride parade
TAIPEI - About 30,000 people participated in Taiwan's annual gay pride parade in Taipei Saturday afternoon and called on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people to show their political power to demand more LGBT-friendly policies from governments. They shouted slogans -- "We are proud to be gay," "We want to get married," and "Vote for LGBT policies" -- along the way.
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A man dressed in drag parades on a float during the Taiwan Gay Pride Parade in Taipei Oct 30, 2010. Around 10,000 Taiwan residents gathered with people from Malaysia, Korea and Japan on Saturday for the annual gay pride parade which is in its eighth year, according to organisers. [Photo/Agencies]
Some onlookers bought rainbow flags for 50 New Taiwan dollars ($1.63) each from volunteers, who said the money will be used to stage next year's parade. The parade started at Kaidagelan Boulevard in west Taipei.
Apart from local people from various parts of the island, Saturday's parade, with the theme "Out & Vote," also drew supporters from Hong Kong, Japan, the Chinese mainland and Southeast Asian countries, according to the parade's organizer, the Taiwan LGBT Pride Community, a coalition of LGBT and other civil society organizations. The event also attracted a record 126 social groups and shops hawking LGBT-themed goods, the organizers said.
After marching for about 4.6 kilometers along a route taking in many homosexual landmarks -- gay bars and a park where gays used to congregate -- the marchers returned to their starting point for a concert. First held in 2003 with about 500 participants, the event has grown quickly. In 2009, 25,000 people participated, making it the largest gay-pride parade of the Chinese community across the world.
A gay's mother, who did not give her name, called on the local authorities to make laws to allow gay marriage as soon as possible. "Like other parents, I'd also like my son to find a good partner and have a grand wedding ceremony where the two can receive their friends' and relatives' blessings and best wishes. In Taiwan, gays don't have the right to get married yet."
Taiwan pop singer A-Mei, the "rainbow ambassador" for this year's parade, performed at the concert. Lai Jeng-jer, who opened Taiwan's first gay and lesbian bookstore, Gin Gin's, in 1999, was one of the two master of ceremonies at the gay-pride performances at Kaidagelan Boulevard. "The parade allows gay people to get together and have their voice heard.
It shows society there are many LGBT people who are willing to come out and demand LGBT rights," said the 44-year-old, who himself is gay. "We chose to stage the parade at Kaidagelan Boulevard because this is an area that has witnessed the history of homosexuality in Taipei and homosexuals' fight against discrimination, with the 228 Memorial Park where homosexuals used to get together at night also nearby," Lai said.
Qingdao University Professor Zhang Beichuan, a mainland expert on HIV/AIDS prevention and homosexuality, told Xinhua, "Such activities give psychological support to those who dare not come out and those who are still reluctant to admit their homosexuality." "The parade attracts the public's attention, forcing respect and ensuring the rights of LGBT groups," he said.
