Taiwan Pride
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Taiwan Pride () is the annual LGBTQ pride
parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...
in
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...
. The parade was first held in 2003. Although joined by groups from all over the country, the primary location has always been the capital city of
Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
. The parade held in October 2019 attracted more than 200,000 participants, making it the largest gay pride event in East Asia.Asia's biggest pride takes place
Pink News, 31 October 2015

, Straits Times, 31 October 2009
As of 2019, it is the largest in Asia ahead of
Tel Aviv Pride Tel Aviv Pride (Hebrew: מצעד הגאווה בתל אביב, Arabic: فخر تل أبيب) is a week-long series of events in Tel Aviv which takes place on the second week of June, as part of the international observance of Gay Pride Month. T ...
in
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, which is the largest in the
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
. Taiwan LGBT Pride Community, the organizer of Taiwan LGBTQ Pride Parade, holds the parade on the last Saturday of October.


Comparison with other pride parades

Taiwan Pride differs in many ways from gay pride parades held in the US and Europe. The parade foundation is one example. Western parades often show a divergence between
social movement A social movement is a loosely organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or political one. This may be to carry out a social change, or to resist or undo one. It is a type of group action and may ...
s and "
commercialization Commercialization or commercialisation is the process of introducing a new product or production method into commerce—making it available on the market. The term often connotes especially entry into the mass market (as opposed to entry into ear ...
". Some pride parades are financed by corporations targeting gay customers, and sometimes the parade even becomes an advertising venue for the corporations. In some communities the conflict is so great that one parade even separates into two. 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 A sidewalk (North American English), pavement (British English), footpath in Australia, India, New Zealand and Ireland, or footway, is a path along the side of a street, street, highway, terminals. Usually constructed of concrete, pavers, brick ...
. 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


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 Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
against the practice of forbidding gays from military police service.


Taipei Pride


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 Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
, 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 Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (TTHA; ) is an organization that provides the LGBT community with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center. It is the first LGBT non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in Ta ...
. As part of the government-sponsored Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights Movement, the parade received from the city government. Mayor (later President)
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, 馬英九, born 13 July 1950) is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese politician who served as president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. Previously, he served as justice minister from 1993 to 1996 and mayor of Taipei from ...
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 Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music i ...
contest. After the parade, city councillor 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 The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surrou ...
, marched along
Ketagalan Boulevard Ketagalan Boulevard () is an arterial road in Zhongzheng District in Taipei, Taiwan, between the Presidential Office Building and the . It is long and has a total of ten lanes in each direction with no median. History The former name of this ...
, 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, transgender people, the BDSM Company representing BDSM enthusiasts, and the Collective Of Sex Workers And Supporters ( :zh:日日春關懷互助協會) representing sex workers. Harmony Home Association also participated. The parade date was close to the legislative election, and many candidates showed up to get publicity.


2005: Be together!

The third Taiwan Pride parade, in 2005, featured the union of homosexuals, sex workers,
pornographic Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,
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 Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with ''a priori''.) Com ...
organization and the
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (TTHA; ) is an organization that provides the LGBT community with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center. It is the first LGBT non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in Ta ...
. BDSM Company also took many works. There were forecasts of a possible
typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
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 Dunhua South Road, marched along Zhongxiao East 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 Fridae (in Chinese 匯樂) is a diversified media and services company that caters to the gay and lesbian community of Asia. Its strategy covers the Internet, Broadcasting, Publishing and Events. The name "Fridae" is inspired by "Man Friday" fro ...
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 ten 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.
A-mei Kulilay Amit (, born 9 August 1972), better known by her stage name A-Mei, is a Taiwanese Puyuma singer and record producer. In 1996, she made her singing debut and released her album, ''Sisters''. Her albums ''Truth'' (2001), ''Amit'' (2009), ...
, referred as Queen of Chinese Pop, became the first ever spokesperson for Taiwan Pride.


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 legalize 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.Gay Pride Parade Draws Record Numbers
Taiwan Today, 1 November 2010
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.


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 the
Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
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 The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall () is a national monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei. The monument, surrou ...
, which is a large cultural and educational area in Taiwan. The Rainbow Ambassadors of 2011 include
Deserts Chang Deserts Chang (; born 30 May 1981) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. Early life Deserts Chang was born as Chiao An-p'u () on 30 May 1981 to a high socio-economic status family. Her father, Chiao Jen-ho (), is a former secretary-general of t ...
, who sang on the night party after parade and kissed a female fan on stage.


2012: I do! Do I? Equal rights to marriage, diversity in partnership

The 10th parade was held on October 27, 2012. Around 65,000 people participated.


2013: Make LGBT visible 2.0, the voice of sexual sufferer

The 11th parade was held on October 26, 2013.


2014: Walk in queers’ shoes

The 12th parade was held on October 25, 2014.


2015: Act who you are, not your age

The 13th parade was held on October 31, 2015.


2016: Honor diversity, like you mean it

The 14th parade was held on October 29, 2016.


2017: Make love, not war— sex-ed is the way to go

The 15th parade was held on October 28, 2017.


2018: Tell Your Story, Vote for Equality

The 16th parade was held on October 27, 2018.


2019: Together, Make Taiwan Better

The 17th parade was held October 26, 2019; around 200,000 people participated in the procession.


2020: Taiwan Pride March for the World

The 18th parade acknowledged the cancellation of pride marches worldwide, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It was held on 28 June 2020, marking the 51st anniversary of the
Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous protests by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that began in the early morning hours of Ju ...
. Around 1,200 people marched in the procession.


2021

The 19th parade was planned as a virtual event as the
COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan The COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of 18 December 2022, 28,928,047 tests had been conducted in Taiwan, of which 8,578 ...
grew in severity. Although the pandemic subsided as the scheduled date, 30 October 2021, drew closer, the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association committed to hosting the event as planned, without any further changes to its format.


2022: An Unlimited Future

Taiwan Pride returned as an in-person event in 2022, with over 120,000 people in attendance. The event was the 20th since it began and the theme was "An Unlimited Future."


Pride Parade in Kaohsiung, South Taiwan


Kaohsiung Pride

Kaohsiung was designated as the host of
WorldPride WorldPride, licensed by InterPride and organized by one of its member organizations, is an event that promotes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer ( LGBTQ pride) issues on an international level through parades, festivals and othe ...
in 2025. It'll be the first time the event is set to take place in an
East Asian East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea a ...
country.


=2010: Coming out

= The first
Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...
LGBT Pride Parade on south Taiwan was held in 2010. The organizer of Kaohsiung parade was the South Office of Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (also known as "Hotline 968"), supported by the Civil Affairs Bureau of
Kaohsiung City Government The Kaohsiung City Government is the municipal government of Kaohsiung. It was formed after the merger of Kaohsiung County and Kaohsiung City in December 2010. Its chief administrator is the directly elected Mayor of Kaohsiung. History In ...
, held on 18 September. There were around 2,000 participants.


=2011: Out & out

= The 2nd Kaohsiung LGBT Pride Parade was held on September 24, 2011 under the theme "OUT & out" with over 3,000 participants. The parade was organized by a new organization, Kaohsiung LGBT Pride Community.


=2012: I am Gay and your Companion

= The Third Annual LGBT Pride Parade in Kaohsiung was held on 22 September 2012 under the theme " I am gay and your companion" with over 3,000 participants.


=2013: Sharing the Same Space in Harmony

= The Fourth Annual LGBT Pride Parade in Kaohsiung was held on 29 June 2013 under the theme "Sharing the same space in harmony" with around 4,000 participants. It was the first time the Kaohsiung Pride Parade had provided English language service from its official website. It was also the first time LGBT Pride Parade in Kaohsiung had got a lesbian convener-in-chief. The worldwide media publicity both in English and Chinese languages was a milestone for Kaohsiung. Especially, the full page, under the headline "Kaohsiung goes gay", reported by Taipei Times was the first seen in the history of Taiwan's pride parades. There were at least two foreigners' groups attended the march.


=2020: We! Around You

= The theme of the eleventh Kaohsiung Pride parade, attended by 60,000 people, was "We! Around You." The event, and a "pink dollar", was featured in that year's tourism campaigns.


=2022: Love Beyond the Physical

= The thirteenth Kaohsiung Pride parade was held in November 2022, with approximately 30,000 people in attendance. Its theme was "love beyond the physical."


Pride Parade in Taichung, Central Taiwan


Taichung Pride

The first Central Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade in
Taichung Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Taiw ...
was held on December 17, 2011 under the theme "Stand for Love, perfectly natural," and calls on the
Taichung City Government The Taichung City Government () is the municipal government of Taichung, Taiwan. History Taichū City Government was established by the Governor-General of Taiwan and the Japanese colonial authorities on 1 October 1920. Following the hand ...
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". A month and a half before the Taichung Parade, the Central Taiwan LGBT Health and Culture Center (also known as "Taichung Rainbow Paradise") was forced to move due to pressure from a landlord.


Criticism

Conservative groups criticized the theme in 2017 "Make love, not war— sex-ed is the way to go" is a subliminal message for sexual liberation, demanding ban from the police if violations founded.


See also

*
LGBT rights in Taiwan Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Taiwan are regarded as the most progressive of those in Asia. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity are legal, and same-sex marriage was legalized on 24 May 2019, following a Constitution ...
* Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan * Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church *
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association (TTHA; ) is an organization that provides the LGBT community with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center. It is the first LGBT non-governmental organization (NGO) registered in Ta ...
*
List of largest LGBT events This list presents the largest LGBT events (pride parades and festivals) worldwide by attendance. Statistics are announced both by the organizers and authorities (police). In this table, the largest single event by city as well as notable inter ...


Notes


External links


Official siteEnglishLGBT Taiwan Official Website

2007 Rainbowpower parade album2009 Taipei Pride Parade Photos
{{Portal bar, LGBT, Taiwan LGBT events in Taiwan Pride parades Recurring events established in 2003 2003 establishments in Taiwan Parades in Taiwan Autumn events in Taiwan LGBT festivals in Asia