Taiwan Pride
Encyclopedia
Gay pride parade
Pride parades for the LGBT community are events celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture. The events also at times serve as demonstrations for legal rights such as same-sex marriage...
in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. 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
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
. 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
Social movement
Social movements are a type of group action. They are large informal groupings of individuals or organizations focused on specific political or social issues, in other words, on carrying out, resisting or undoing a social change....
s and "commercialization
Commercialization
Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product or production method into the market. The actual launch of a new product is the final stage of new product development, and the one where the most money will have to be spent for advertising, sales promotion, and other marketing...
". 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
Sidewalk
A sidewalk, or pavement, footpath, footway, and sometimes platform, is a path along the side of a road. A sidewalk may accommodate moderate changes in grade and is normally separated from the vehicular section by a curb...
. 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 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
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, 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
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association is an organization providing people with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center....
. 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
Ma Ying-jeou
Ma Ying-jeou is the 12th term and current President of the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, and the Chairman of the Kuomintang Party, also known as the Chinese Nationalist Party. He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman...
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
is a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
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 HallChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attractions erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China ....
, marched along Ketagalan Boulevard
Ketagalan Boulevard
Ketagalan Boulevard is located in Zhongzheng District in Taipei, Taiwan, between the Presidential Building and the East Gate . The length is 400 m. There are ten lanes for two-way traffic, and no traffic islands.-History:...
, 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!
The parade used "Be Together!" as its primary slogan. The parade was hosted by an ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
organization and the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association is an organization providing people with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center....
. BDSM Company also took lots of works.
There were forecasts of a possible typhoon landfall
Landfall (meteorology)
Landfall is the event of a tropical cyclone or a waterspout coming onto land after being over water. When a waterspout makes landfall it is reclassified as a tornado, which can then cause damage inland...
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
Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan
Gender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan also known by the acronym G/STRAT was established in May 1999 in Taiwan. It aims to promote rights of sexual minorities in the aspects of family, education system, politics, economy and law....
. 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 powerRainbow flag (LGBT movement)
The rainbow flag, sometimes pride flag, LGBT pride flag or gay pride flag, is a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender pride and LGBT social movements in use since the 1970s. The colours reflect the diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay pride in...
". 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
AussieBum
AussieBum is an Australian men's swimwear manufacturer. In recent years aussieBum has also increased its product line to other clothing include underwear, leisurewear, sportswear and loungewear....
, 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 KaohsiungKaohsiung
Kaohsiung is a city located in southwestern Taiwan, facing the Taiwan Strait on the west. Kaohsiung, officially named Kaohsiung City, is divided into thirty-eight districts. The city is one of five special municipalities of the Republic of China...
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
Kaohsiung City Government
The Kaohsiung City Government is the top-tier local government administrative body of R.O.C. from December 2010. It consists of a directly elected executive Mayor of Kaohsiung .It replaced the earlier Kaohsiung County Government and Kaohsiung City Government which had covered a much bigger area...
, 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 EducationMinistry of Education (Republic of China)
The Ministry of Education of the Republic of China is responsible for incorporating educational policies and managing public schools throughout the Free Area of the Republic of China. The ministry is a cabinet level governmental body of the Executive Yuan...
proposed lessons of gender equity based on the gender equity education
Gender Equity Education Act (Taiwan)
Gender Equity Education Act of Republic of China was announced on 2004 June. The General Provisions states the purposes of the act: "to promote substantive gender equality, eliminate gender discrimination, uphold human dignity, and improve and establish education resources and environment of...
, 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
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attractions erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Taipei, Republic of China ....
, which is a large cultural and educational area in Taiwan.
The Rainbow Ambassadors of 2011 include Deserts Chang
Deserts Chang
Deserts Chang , also known as Zhang Xuan or Chang Xuan, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. She is considered to be one of the leading alternative musicians in the Chinese music industry.- Early life :...
, 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
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
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 TaiwanLGBT rights in TaiwanThe Republic of China is one of Asia's most progressive countries as far as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender rights are concerned, not only since the government introduced same-sex marriage in 2003 , the first country in Asia to do so...
- Gender/Sexuality Rights Association TaiwanGender/Sexuality Rights Association TaiwanGender/Sexuality Rights Association Taiwan also known by the acronym G/STRAT was established in May 1999 in Taiwan. It aims to promote rights of sexual minorities in the aspects of family, education system, politics, economy and law....
- Tong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian ChurchTong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian ChurchTong-Kwang Light House Presbyterian Church is the first Christian Church for Homosexuals in Chinese society. It is located in Taipei, and does not believe homosexuality to be a sin...
- Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline AssociationTaiwan Tongzhi Hotline AssociationTaiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association is an organization providing people with peer counseling, support networks, and a community resource center....
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)