The Taiwan LGBT Pride parade took place Oct. 28 in Taipei City, attracting more than 120,000 participants and highlighting the nation’s increasingly progressive approach to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender demographic.
Organized by nonprofit Taiwan LGBT Pride Community under the theme Make Love, Not War—Sex-ed is the Way To Go, the 15th edition of the annual event, the largest of its kind in Asia, kicked off at around 2:30 p.m. on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Office of the President. Participants marched through the downtown area via three routes before reconverging at the starting point.
The same day, President Tsai Ing-wen took to her Facebook page to express her best wishes for the success of this year’s parade. She cited the Constitutional Court’s ruling of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748 that struck down legislation barring same-sex marriages, saying it is the responsibility of the government to draw up laws in accordance with the judges’ determination while also safeguarding the unity of Taiwan society.
Premier Lai Ching-te echoed the president’s remarks on his personal Facebook page, writing that he supports the notion that those who love each other should have the right to be together. He added that the Executive Yuan will actively work toward drawing up a bill in accordance with the Constitutional Court ruling to send to the Legislative Yuan before the end of the current legislative session.
The Constitutional Court ruled in May that provisions of the Civil Code forbidding same-sex marriages violate the people’s freedom of marriage and right to equality as guaranteed by the Republic of China (Taiwan) Constitution. The court instructed the Legislature to amend or enact relevant laws in accordance with the ruling within two years.
In a joint statement released Oct. 27, the representative offices of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the U.K. and the EU officially announced their participation in the event, which they called an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of LGBT issues. “Taiwan has demonstrated again this year that it is at the forefront in Asia and even the world on LGBTI rights,” the statement said, adding that the participating offices hope the nation will continue to be a leader in promoting respect and tolerance over bigotry and discrimination. (KWS-E)
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