Gay pride parades have been held for a long, long time. It’s a way that LGBTQ people show how proud we are of living as who we are, and that we’re brave enough to stand up for ourselves.
I’ve been to gay pride many times, and it always amazes me. You can see how people gather together just for the same goal. You can see how happy people are, celebrating their lifestyles, holding lovers’ hands, and making new friends.
In Taiwan, we have 3 gay parades. These three main parades take place in different cities. The biggest one is well-known; it’s one of the important parades in Asia. Taiwan Pride is held in our capital city, Taipei. It has been on since 2003, and actually, before that, we had small parades. Many people from other countries in Asia, like Japan, China, Hong Kong, come to join us every year at the time of the parade. In 2002, there were even celebrities who support gay rights showing their faces.
Another one is Kaohsiungparade; it is organized by Kaohsiung LGBT Parade Community. The first time this parade was held, it was already the 7th period for the Taiwan Parade. And it was the first time that there was another city holding a gay parade. It was even sponsored by the local government. So it showed that southern Taiwan LGBT people are proud of being a part of the community while the Taipei one is gradually being seen by the world. The other one takes place in Taichung, which is in the middle of Taiwan. It has held several parades since its beginning in 2013.
Those parades that I introduced are all legal; we plan the activities, and then apply them to the government. Not only do we enjoy the parades, straight people, parents, siblings and anyone could jump in the parades and have fun with us. Why do we hold parades? No, we don’t just walk on the street. We show the government what should be legal a long time ago, we tell the world what is love and what should be proud of.
