The rainbow flags were back on the streets of Taipei on Saturday October 29 – for the first LGBT Pride march in two years. With the reopening of the borders, lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transsexuals from all over Asia and beyond had made an appointment in Taiwan.
Sequins and piercings, candy pink mini-skirts, black leather ankle boots… nearly 120,000 participants braved the rain to demonstrate for gay rights in the streets of Taipei, which hosts the largest march each year. pride in Asia. Except, last year, when an increase in Covid-19 cases forced the associations to organize the event online.
The borders are once again open for this 20ᵉ edition, so the atmosphere was festive under the theme “a future without limits”.
The usual rainbow flags had competition this time: among the participants there was also a Ukrainian delegation waving blue and yellow flags. ” Russia is synonymous with homophobia and transphobia “, according to a protester quoted by the local press, “ they want to impose it in Ukraine, but we don’t want it “.
Taiwan has long been at the forefront of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement in Asia. In 2019, the island became the first territory in the region to recognize same-sex unions. Since then, 7,000 homosexual couples have been able to marry.