By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
TAIPEI, Taiwan – 20,000 people from Taiwan’s gay and lesbian community took the streets of Taipei Saturday demanding that the government better safeguard gay rights and their lifestyle choices. The marchers, shouting the slogan “Love Out Loud,” specifically asked for equal rights and recognition of same sex marriages.
This was Taiwan’s seventh annual Gay Pride Parade and attracted supporters from neighboring Asian countries like Hong Kong and Japan.
Tung Chu-chu, the chief organizer of the march, said, “We urge the government to better protect gay human rights including same-sex unions so we can have the same legal rights as heterosexual couples.”
Another participant, Nancy Chen, added, “I hope the government will not only legalise same-sex unions but also allow us to adopt children.” Chen said, “Even though Taiwan is becoming more open-minded towards gays, many still think that gay people can have romantic relationships but not something as serious as starting families.”
Gay rights activists in Taipei. Courtesy of MSN.
A Taiwanese professor Ho Chuen-juei said this parade is not only to raise the voices of the gay, lesbian and transgender community, but also to fight prejudice and discrimination.
Taiwan is actually one of the most tolerant Asian countries regarding homosexuality. Taiwan is said to have the most vibrant gay community in Asia, and its parade is the largest among the Chinese-speaking communities.
Furthermore, in 2003, Taipei’s mayor began subsidizing the annual Gay Carnival. However, the funding for the Carnival as decreased over the years, in addition to some recent cases of suppression of homosexuals. Also in 2003, Taiwan became the first Asian country to draft a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, but the bill still has not yet been passed.
Tung criticized the Taiwanese government for not passing the anti-discrimination legislation saying, “We love the people around us, but sometimes the society and the government don’t love us, or even see us…The government made us lots of empty promises, but so far they haven’t come through.”
Despite the government’s inaction, the organizers of the parade remain hopeful and plan to expand the parade to other parts of Taiwan next year.
For more information, please see:
AFP – Thousands march in Taipei for gay marriage – 31 October 2009
GMA News – Taiwan’s gays march for enactment of anti-discrimination measure – 31 October 2009
Taipei Times – Gay pride throngs Taipei streets – 1 November 2009
The Times of India – 20,000 march in Taipei for gay rights – 31 October 2009
