Taiwan Pride

Taiwan Pride 2005 on Zhongxiao East Road in Taipei. The sign reads: "Central Queer Celebration" (a group).

Workers of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association participating in Taiwan Pride in Taipei in 2005.

Taiwan Pride is the annual gay pride parade in Taiwan. The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the city of Taipei. The most recent parade, held in October 2010, attracted more than 30,000 participants, making it one of the largest gay pride events in Asia.

Comparison with other pride parades

Women Coalition of HKSAR showing their support in the Taiwan Pride parade in Taipei in 2005.

Water Boys

Taiwan Pride differs in many ways from gay pride parades held in the USA and Europe. The parade foundation is one example. Western parades often show a divergence between social movements and "commercialization". Some pride parades are financed by corporations targeting gay customers, and sometimes the parade even becomes an advertising venue for the corporations.^{[citation needed]} In some communities the conflict is so great that one parade even separates into two.^{[citation needed]} Taiwan Pride is still primarily a social movement, with little advertisement — there are even complaints that local gay-targeting corporations give too little support to the parade.

Taiwan Pride also differs in the type of parade. A majority of the parades around the world usually take control of the main road, blocking bystanders on the sidewalk. Taiwan Pride share the road with cars, bikes and bystanders, and is subject to regular traffic control. While it is inconvenient and sometimes dangerous for participants, sharing the road without clear separation also blurs the distinction between participants and bystanders, providing a gray zone of participation.

History

HKSAR gives banner to Taiwan Pride.

Before 2003

There were several small pride parades before the first formal Taiwan Pride parade in 2003. For example, 300 gays identified themselves in the 1996 parade of The National Women's Coalition. In 2002, some gays publicly protested at the Ministry of National Defence against the practice of forbidding gays from military police service.

2003

The first Taiwan Pride parade was held on November 1, 2003. It was the first one in the Chinese community, and encouraged the gay community in Hong Kong to hold its own parade. Many people in Taiwan didn't notice the parade at all, but almost all electronic and paper media reported the parade.

The parade was held in Taipei, starting from 228 Memorial Park, a long-time gathering place for gay men in Taipei, and going along Hengyang Road to Red Playhouse in Ximending. The parade was joined by more than 20,000 people from dozens of groups, including Waterboys, NCU Center for the Study of Sexualities, Gin Gin's, and the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association. As part of the government-sponsored Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights Movement, the parade received 70,000 TWD from the city government. Mayor (later President) Ma Ying-jeou gave a speech at the end of the parade, saying that Taipei as an international city should respect individuals of different groups and cultures. He also said that major cities in the world all have large gay communities. The existence and respect of such communities is important to the diversity of a city. After the speech, there was a LGBT karaoke contest.

After the parade, city council member Wang Shih-cheng criticized city government for "encouraging homosexuality" and "obscenity". Many gay groups were upset by the comments and refused funding from the government the next year.

2004: Awaken Citizen Conscious

The second Taiwan Pride parade was held on November 6, 2004, again in Taipei. This parade started at 1 p.m. at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, marched along Ketagalan Boulevard, through 228 Memorial Park, Chungshan Hall, and ended at the Red Playhouse in Ximending.

The parade used "Awaken Citizen Conscious" as its primary slogan, along with "Citizen with Exceptions‧City with Colors‧Society with Varieties‧Politics with Participation". Featuring participants other than homosexuals, such as bisexuals, transgendered people, the BDSM Company representing BDSMers, and Collective Of Sex Workers And Supporters representing sex workers. Harmony Home Association also participated.

The parade date was close to the legislator election, and many candidates showed up to get publicity.

2005: Be Together!

AIDS quilt in front of City Hall.

BDSM Company, part of the 2005 parade, sharing the road with cars.

The third Taiwan Pride parade, in 2005, featured the union of homosexuals, sex workers, pornographic content authors and alternative sex practitioners; against "waves of repression" such as the "Law on Classification for Published Materials and Video Programs". The parade used "Be Together!" as its primary slogan. The parade was hosted by an ad hoc organization and the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association. BDSM Company also took lots of works.

There were forecasts of a possible typhoon landfall on the day of the parade (October 1), but it was a sunny day. The parade started at 1 p.m. at the Eslite bookstore on Tun Hua S. Road, marched along Zhongxiao E. Road Sec. 4, and ended at City Hall at 5 p.m. At the end of the parade, Women Coalition of HKSAR thanked Taiwan Pride for encouraging the Hong Kong parade in 2004, and gave a banner to Taiwan Pride, which was represented by Wang Ping from Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan. The artist Topper also gave cross-dressing performances.

Sponsorship

Many commercial organizations sponsored the parade, including Eslite bookstore, the Fridae gay dating website, and PRI.V"ee.

2006: Get together and organize a family!

Taiwan Pride was held on September 30 in Taipei city. It was said there were more than 10 thousand of people joining Taiwan Pride. The parade used "Get together and organize a family!" as its primary slogan.

2007: Rainbow Power

Taiwan Pride was held 13 October 2007 in Taipei with the parade slogan "Rainbow power". There were estimated 15,000 people in the parade. Many gay and lesbian communities from abroad also participated this time. In the middle of the road, the crowd organized a "Rainbow landscape" which contains the 6 color as a gay pride symbol. Aussiebum, an Australian men's swimwear manufacturer, also sponsored a group called "Waterboy" with their swimwear. This is the first time that Taiwan Pride has a powerful commercial sponsor in its history.

2008: Run the Rainbow Way

The 2008 version of Taiwan Pride was held on 27 September and attracted 18,000 participants, the largest turnout so far.

2009: Love Out Loud

Taiwan Pride 2009 was on 31 October. It attracted 25,000 participants. The key focus of this parade was LGBT rights, particularly anti-discrimination laws and the recognition of same-sex unions. The parade sought to express disappointment with the government, which had not acted on its previous commitments to legalise same-sex marriage.

2010: Out and Vote

Held on 30 October, under the theme "Out and Vote," the Taiwanese LGBT community marched from 228 Memorial Park onwards to Ximen and then on to Taipei Main Station and back, fighting for concrete measures from the government that protect the rights of the LGBT community. To date of the parade, such commitments from the government have yet to yield tangible results. There were over 30,000 participants, making Taiwan Pride the largest Pride Parade in Asia.

Taiwan LGBT Pride Community, the organizer of Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade, decided to hold the parade on a stationary date, the last Saturday of October, since this year.

Parade in South Taiwan

The first Kaohsiung LGBT Pride Parade on south Taiwan had be hold on this year, too. The organizer of Kaohsiung parade is the South Office of Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (also known as "Hotline 968"), supported by the Civil Affairs Bureau of Kaohsiung City Government, held on 18 September.

2011: LGBT Fight Back, Discrimination Get Out!

The 9th parade was held on October 29, 2011. Because of the obstacles from the True Love League while Ministry of Education proposed lessons of gender equity based on the gender equity education, and other sexual events happening this year, the theme of the 9th parade was orientated as "LGBT Fight Back, Discrimination Get Out!"

There were about 50,000 participants. Hence, the routes had to be separated into East line and West line. The West line which is new went through the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which is a large cultural and educational area in Taiwan.

The Rainbow Ambassadors of 2011 include Deserts Chang, who sang on the night party after parade and kissed a female fan onstage.

Parades in Central and South Taiwan

The 2nd Kaohsiung LGBT Pride Parade was held on September 24, 2011 under the theme "OUT & out" with over 5,000 participants. This parade was organize by a new organization, Kaohsiung LGBT Pride Community.

The first Central Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade on Taichung has been scheduled for December 17, 2011 under the theme "Stand for Love, perfectly natural," and calls on the Taichung City Government to attach importance to gender/sexuality rights, and protests against the government's reduction of the gender-friendly environment and closing of many gender-friendly stores in recent years. The organizer is "League of Sex/Gender Groups in Central Taiwan".

Before one and half month of the Taichung parade, the Central Taiwan LGBT Health and Culture Center (also known as "Taichung Rainbow Paradise") be forced to migration after December because of the community it located in that giving the pressure to the landlord.

See also

• LGBT rights in Taiwan
• Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan
• Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church
• Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association

External links

• Official parade site
  • http://twpride.org/
  • http://twpride.org/main/?q=public/en English, see also http://twpride.net/
• 2005 parade album
• 2007 Rainbowpower parade album(Chinese and English. personal album)
• 2009 Taipei Pride Parade Photos Images of the 2009 Taipei pride parade taken by the "Walk with Pride" photography project. (Flash player required)