About 120,000 people, many carrying rainbow flags, marched through Taiwan's capital Taipei on Saturday to celebrate LGBTQ+ equality in east Asia's largest Pride march.
President Tsai Ing-wen, in a Facebook message of support for the Pride march, said people could scarcely have imagined 20 years ago that Taiwan would have lead the way in legalising same-sex marriage in Asia.The event took place one month before Taiwan's mayoral elections, a key test of support for the DPP and main opposition Kuomintang ahead of presidential and parliamentary polls in early 2024.
Former Vice President Chen Chien-jen headed up the DPP's delegation along with the party's Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung, who oversaw Taiwan's fight against COVID-19 when he was health minister, marching behind a banner reading "democracy supports gays". Taiwan's openness on LGBTQ+ issues stands in marked contrast with its giant neighbour China, which has been ramping up military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the island.
While same sex relations are not illegal in China, same sex marriage is, and the government has been cracking down on depictions of LGBTQ+ people in the media and on the community's use of social media.Our Standards: