A series of artistic and cultural events encompassing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender topics in Taiwan is planned for New York later this month and in June by the Ministry of Culture.
This initiative is designed to springboard off the New York City LGBT Pride March taking place June 24, the MOC said. It will help raise awareness of Taiwan’s LGBT topics while highlighting government efforts promoting gender equality and safeguarding freedom of speech, the ministry added.
The first is a salon on late Taiwan author Qiu Miao-jin during World Voices Festival April 21 at renowned alternative performance venue Dixon Place. Celebrated American poet and writer Eileen Myles will lead Ari Larissa Heinrich and Bonnie Huie, translators of Qiu’s novels, in discussing the homegrown talent who rose to prominence as an LGBT literary icon.
Qiu published three novels and a novella before her untimely death aged 26 in 1995. “Last Words from Montmarte” and “Notes of a Crocodile” are considered influential works depicting the emotional pain of betrayal in a relationship and the struggle of living as a lesbian.
The next involves a script reading June 26 at Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, as well as film screenings and post-session discussions June 28-29 at Taiwan Academy in New York.
According to the MOC, the reading features excerpts from “The Possible Memoirs of a Traitor” by Taiwan playwright Chien Li-ying and “Solo Date” by Tsai Pao-chang. The former focuses on a fictional investigation of the closure of a shelter once housing AIDS patients, while the latter centers on the trials and tribulations of a man seeking to converse with a dead lover through an array of means such as artificial intelligence.
The screenings and post-session discussions revolve around “Looking for?” by Chou Tung-yen and “Alifu” by Wang Yu-lin. Chou’s documentary draws the curtain back on gay lives in modern society and is based on over 60 individual interviews. In a similar vein, Wang’s drama examines issues spanning cultural norms, gender and sexuality through the eyes of a tribal chieftain’s son who identifies as a woman and sets about undergoing sex reassignment surgery. (CPY-E)
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