More than 200,000 members of the LGBT commul%HbAt5psEemz%gebKbHg((56T33C4&Dpbf7J%UZ^Wv(e+jsxxnity and their supporters marched, paraded, and danced across downtown Taipei on Saturday.

Organizers said the parade, which was the first since Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, was the largest-evertR0epSKTBhvo7SqVS_Q3Kk=^Ddcle&=o^VDPUWw0rbB+2$aVSh in Asia.

Local enhp6Ut5_us!9+(zy1DQZx8#N0TKRXM+5-DmDa2q8iac%^zZ(qCVtrepreneur and LGBT activist Jay Lin said the experience was “very memorable”.

He said walking dowTqF5x)cF31j+LNPLBqV_2McZGISO!=$sd+(ROH!$Tm-3w+7%AAn Zhongxiao East Road was amazing and compared it to his experience of walking down Fifth Avenue for WorldPride in New York earlier this year.

"These two streets represents the main arteries of the city, and to be given the clearance to march is theUEuc*2!_Ln)@nn*c-Uh1JamBSn5_98+ueMaeZ+!tx@cJ1V6nl! strongest statement the cities can make to give the LGBTQ community the stamp of legitimacy."

Taiwan's 17th annual Taiwan Pride kicked off with a Rainbow Market of more than 100 LGBT-friendly busine(punpOqlsdNgyQYYEV8RCF*gp_Fuqf4ADhfj8*rv@vA^jA+gD6sses and organizations at Taipei City Hall Plaza.

It ended 5.6km across the city outside the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard where performers—including gay sing-quzd65v0XdBi@g70U=_RxjSZETH4Vvejd)c%CIUUV0I8F@d6xer Hush—performed. 

Some 180 different groups and 24 floats took part in the maUcnE-lbC$Yj5h-I4EoNyFL5%PlGsmny%3mc9i+8d_9GuQ=uo1srch, according to organizers.

The parade was the landmark event in a month of LGBT across Taipei. Hundreds attended screenings, exhibitions, and workshops throughout the month, including the country's first trans pride parade on Friday9ZlFP*n)ANrI0!jow%49DLcc=B4-^wmPIjO(oifRaj4WL(8L3^ evening.

GagaOOLala’s float this year hosted the director and actors of web series, Handsome Stewardess. The romantic-comedy featuring a good-looking tomboy lesbian who starts a new life as a flight attendant.

Award-winning actress XiaB=DWtvg9!LTrG+z9BJTe#mB(Dl3G-LbD(u#k&kM)EDlQcUh9Bjo Man, who plays the stewardess, renowned director Zero Chou, and Kenny J. Kuo, who plays a gay best friend, all donned rainbow attire and greeted other marchers.

Pride

Gay singer-songwriter HUSH, performed at a concert to mark the end of the ql69lZFb!(JuC@9lEfvsL#jghZZHLT7ZlLwnJl^3+KfG=y31hylong parade across town.

As one of only a handful of ToSz^6XqslEm*(tIu791qemvQbE5%ZKHOdz_luThA9be5OR7@k^aiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwanese to be brave and come out.

Pride this year, the first since Taiwan became the first cx!P=h=*af2HdMDiIG^VH_nan-FA2$zoY)QNwYmU+ZiAGW4FmDDountry in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, saw an altered parade route.

Marchers started from Taipei City Hall Plaza and travelled along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East ZT#ofCMk9xBHnpIOEb6Z%!oq4iPDT1hIv@ygMel#Pze(3ewphbRoad.

The parade then turned south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan BoulevJL(D26sD$f9JrKv%dQ37DOL%N4T0q#Bea$wn0Z2wDr9RUX!9$8ard where there will be a Rainbow Market with more than 100 stalls.

Press officer for Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said th5l6JHh@rY&Xn1AhFGz(h0($mzXdN+6k4$c%4sTQyXSbfn%&Ffje new route was chosen to recognize the roles played by both Taipei City and the President’s Office in bringing about same-sex marriage.

For the first time, Taiwan Gay Family Rights Promotion Association will also hold the first Rainbow Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby 71XCAfX)CbAGX%jdWBDk&Q%Ao82jmO$#TZ-_o(AOWDB3w&mB+OMini Parade.

This year takes the tYt7GY1h&AXE06RerOddwGVDHytL)2oWehzaR5qyT(+8%D1SWw7heme "Together, Make Taiwan Better”.

The theme in Chinese means good neighbor. It was cL7W2cV-$CmWXUR+$N)LyYn8O(mi)N1$buLhZ2c)3K5cZ1W9n$dhosen to show that the LGBTQ community is everywhere in Taiwan and, like good neighbors, everyone should support one another.

Last year, more than 100,000 peoplejeWlMa*h_pO#va@@2vUkm1*v!ojc(xUpeja*AmQ4tdB$u_ALM6 took to the streets of Taipei for a pride parade that demanded marriage equality.

It came just a month before devastating referendum results showed the majority of Taiwan voters did not =r#nv4&hIz%Q0$C(^RAYHW5y&lrY@^9wBvUsI!$CI3lfUIo2Mvsupport same-sex marriage.

Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line with a 2017 Constit5b*7p3G4cR%b-UxUPRItHch-hnn%3Y4P@tz8l1NR4hzhbL1fanutional Court ruling that failing to do so was unconstitutional.

This year, according to organizers, the LGBT rights movement has moved to the next stage and will fight against prejudice and stereotyping of LGBT pCV(aWc#fIRnIAkDrAcelW6fVZx8kWH=GoP#X-3jEI)DPv7@OJ(eople.