On October 26th, Taipei hosted the annual Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade. Taipei Teen Tribune writers were on site to interview participants, observe the event, and report on their experience.
Theresa's interview
Why Pride matters
Theresa Liao
Taiwan is the first Asian country to legalize gay marriage. For many LGBTQ people, they feel like they finally are respected. The gay marriage law passed on May 24, 2019, and that day built up many people’s hope again. The pride parade was a very big activity, and many people and reporters for other countries flew to Taiwan just for this event.
Estella Tong
When I asked parade participants what this parade meant for them, most of them had similar answers. For people in the parade, it was a symbol of love. Most importantly, it was a vehicle for the LGBT community to gather and let their voices be heard.
Taiwan is often seen as a very liberal country. It is also the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage. Yet still, many Taiwanese disagree with the idea of being a gay person. One of the girls whom I interviewed wasn’t even supported by her parents. Another guy was beaten up at 228 Memorial Park, a place where he heard was “a place where most gay people support each other.”
The interviews
Ryan Yu
I interviewed Anny and Jim, a straight couple marching in support of the LGBT community. They consider LGBT people to be the same as and equal to straight people. Relationship questions aside, Anny thinks the main problem is one of self-esteem, as LGBT people receive criticism from their families. She also thinks the government should include LGBT topics in education to inform the next generation.
Henry Lin
One person I interviewed told us that legal protection is the main reason why countries should allow gay marriage. “Many families couldn’t accept their children to be gays,” he said, “and this is why the government should use laws to protect these people.” With the help of legal protection, people who aren’t accepted by the majority of people can be protected by the government.
Another person I interviewed said he had known he was gay since he was a child, but since gay rights weren’t supported in Taiwan yet, his parents almost beat him to death. Now Taiwan has laws to protect LGBTQ people so they can finally call for help when they have no support or are in danger.
Chloe Hsu
During my second interview, when I asked him how he dealt with problems after coming out, he told me that many people started treating him differently and some even decided to stop speaking to him. This needs to change. We shouldn’t judge other people just because they are different from us. More and more people are willing to admit that they are LGBT, and even though more and more people are supporting them, this still isn’t enough. LGBT people are not different from any of us. We should make them feel like we’re the same – what we shouldn’t do is support them but still consider them different from us. After all, we really are all the same.
What we learned
Stephanie Wang
People were wearing costumes and were allowed to do things freely without being looked down on by others. It was such a great experience and I felt proud of Taiwan. Loads of people from different countries showed up so it was a great way to connect the world together.
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