More than 200,000 throng Taipei's streets for the largest-ever pride

More than 200,000 members of the LGBT community and their supporters marched, paraded, and danced across MX5J$!AGTb&&j7O_Dcg7(!^!nvJW8gg0klu^I=$*2qaB^uSqfCdowntown Taipei on Saturday.

Organizers said the parade, which was the first since Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage, way#yo$X=H_co*jY+SqWzr7JCb+$TkACY$*B=eHIN&O&wrVys8))s the largest-ever in Asia.

Local entrepreneur and LGBT activist Jay Lin said the ex5#*D^@S2aXVdDmhHoWjQit!Nw6PSH#UcSK(Y-vq!+%*M#H#f8&perience was “very memorable”.

He sw)^-dZ4$yjKt7B5KTHt*97j-C^!jrdHZHeS(kQY3##zJ4_v0*said walking down 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 stVIG^IT+xJVbskO+e2pGnB1qN64tr8WEX*@e+Ik_yFJe=YJqj*greets represents the main arteries of the city, and to be given the clearance to march is the 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 1009w$V([email protected])fR-gioEGGqlQQ3AKQ5SPp6Fsb8m4Rsdto#pzw LGBT-friendly businesses and organizations at Taipei City Hall Plaza.

It ended 5.6km across the city [email protected]=Ym_3P8Tth*OY=aEJMSfu!o1biF9nyx4M&f!mBpdTnCGWoutside the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard where performers—including gay singer Hush—performed. 

Some 180 l+BaSr0%[email protected][email protected][email protected]@$hAdifferent groups and 24 floats took part in the march, 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 FridsF6#9bWyOFac*[email protected]#Nkr&)[email protected]ay 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 Xiao Man, who plays the stewardess, renowned director Zero Chou, and Kenny 6dYBPjl-)=vISpjXTu#03lrL)AQSI+K3yPC_dZVKr+KH(B51EQJ. 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 en(zVEI0WEbrr%)dZl7dPGk6jeJd1_-=TWzwja0HKRtQRS5NgO6(d of the long parade across town.

As one of only a handful of Taiwan celebrities to come out publicly, HUSH, whose real name is Chen Jia-Wei, on Friday urged LGBT Taiwa_!GfHiP9tMpAXs$XP0nu=baauH7w=ye!y1(*[email protected]nese to be brave and come out.

Pride this year, the first since Taiwan became the first countryIVEQdV[email protected]*1p!nG*k!pXlizj%-E4ZU!1*O1d%x(DEgUWrsBc in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, saw an altered parade route.

Marchers started from TaixVMJ3e2Lf!1dvhO8A8Iy1fh*=bs3lW$JHg%[email protected]pei City Hall Plaza and travelled along Yixian Road to Zhongxia East Road.

The parade then turned south to Renai Road before ending near the Presidential Palace at Ketagalan Boulevard where there will be a RainbowsMuG)k5kiz9neTfd=I^&vbCwBuezL6&R)[email protected]@b^ Market with more than 100 stalls.

Press officer for Pride 2019, Benson Lee, said the new route was chW+eocQ^4BfQWYOo%Cs#Y=m6L&SytxR7&VP#l#Mw2=d(ys6MjG5osen 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 Rainbowv7nHyp$AK7EH^[email protected]+ksFhoC8k=lKOx^_K Parent-child Carnival and Rainbow Baby Mini Parade.

This yea-gT2kg%WmdY86BO*a#Chuhh&2Av*yKAV%Vxg9ERLMi#IHPuQ4Qr takes the theme "Together, Make Taiwan Better”.

The theme in Chinese means good neighbor. It was chosen to show that thpw3I)Eo$OxL_z3WP(YU5qF5wPcTSr-+Y^Es#jsl(B-exMonY%Ie LGBTQ community is everywhere in Taiwan and, like good neighbors, everyone should support one another.

Last year, more bJEnV!3cU-**[email protected]&P1NGowv4o_2!sue2=5$than 100,000 people 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 ofuYNTfEwLiSb-UE)JnIZs#*&9+fQLRLLVV*GXfgkoE*cv9Nhf!) Taiwan voters did not support same-sex marriage.

Despite the referendum result, parliament in May finally legalized same-sex marriage in line with8_0O+ro#Z5V2+gcF-=$sh^[email protected]!CSRTVtHre1pY a 2017 Constitutional 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 prejud[email protected]=oEI28yM_kQNmbY_=05ADTg#XSSO98H$hgc0t!TBsBice and stereotyping of LGBT people.