Hundreds of thousands of people march the streets of Taipei on Saturday to celebrate the city’s 24th annual Pride parade... one of the largest such events in Asia.
This year's theme... "Our Voices, Our Journey"... conveys unity amid growing threats to the rights of LGBTQ+ people in the world.
PARADE PARTICIPANT:
"I think about amplifying all queer voices and you know that pride is about acceptance for everyone. Everyone should be celebrated and I think it’s such a special special theme this year."
PARADE PARTICIPANT:
"I feel like I really enjoy that in Taiwan it’s still very much like a protest or like a demonstration, so even though we do have a lot more corporate sponsorship since legalization, like you still see a lot of student groups, nonprofit organizations, government NGO participating."
Taiwan remains one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly Asian countries...
In 2019, it became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, while neighboring countries like China and South Korea continue to place restrictions on dating apps and public expressions of LGBTQ+ culture.
But earlier this month, police officers raided a gay bar in the Ximending district of Taipei... taking more than 50 patrons into custody on suspicion of public decency offenses.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who has taken part in Pride events in the past, later apologized for the way police officers behaved during the raid and a number of officers were disciplined.
Still, the incident sent a shockwave across the LGBTQ+ community in the country... and some taking part in this year’s Pride felt the incident has cast a shadow over the progress that has been made toward inclusion and fighting intolerance.
TAIPEI STUDENT:
"I think this is still affecting people including at today's Pride parade. People might be talking about this issue or feeling quite angry about it precisely because of this. In Taiwan, after fighting for equal rights for so long we finally managed to build a more friendly LGBTQ+ space. Actions like that, however, end up smashing the sense of safety within this space."
HANA BOOBOO, DRAG QUEEN:
"We are a democratic country. How we vote, make choices and make our voices heard including taking part in today's Pride parade all should let this city’s public servants who are supposed to work for us know what kind of life we want to live."
While the main candidates for Taipei mayor were busy with an election debate on the same day... Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao joined the procession to reassure the government’s support for LGBTQ+ rights.
As the country gears up for November's local elections... Those taking part in the parade in Taipei will be weighing up who they trust to better protect their community and restore their sense of safety.
But most people here are not letting politics get in the way of celebrating the day with friends and allies from all over. And with the parade coinciding with Halloween this year... the festival atmosphere is expected to continue long into the night.
02:59
03:19
03:28
00:40
01:32
02:34
03:55
03:32
03:15
05:04
01:27
04:21
05:32
02:07
02:06
03:25