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20 Sep 2006

taipei holds rainbow flag raising ceremony to mark start of gay pride

Some 300 people attended a rainbow flag-raising ceremony in front of Taipei City Hall on Sunday to mark the beginning of Taipei Pride Festival. Fridae's new Taipei correspondent Philip Hwang reports.

In a country embroiled in a political struggle between "greens" and "reds," the city of Taipei saw a very different use of the spectrum the morning of September 17, 2006, as the city government and the Gender/ Sexuality Rights Association held a rainbow flag-raising ceremony to mark the beginning of Taipei Pride. The event, which had taken place in front of Taipei City Hall and attended by a 300-strong crowd, is hailed as unprecedented in Asia, and has drawn comparisons to similar events held in such gay-friendly cities as Toronto and San Francisco.

Top pic: Wang Ping (extreme left), secretary-general of the Gender/Sexuality Rights Association in Taiwan with Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou (middle) at the rainbow flag-raising ceremony held in front of Taipei City Hall.
Though originally expected to draw up to 600 people, the event saw only half that many attendees - unsurprising to some of the participants, some of whom confessed to have hesitated attending due to the morning's inclement weather. Armed with colored pom-poms supplied by the organisers, the event began with a choreographed "wave" dance performed to the song, "Dreaming of Rainbow." Participants, through newsletters and word-of-mouth, were encouraged to learn the lyrics to the song before hand, and with organisers demonstrating on stage, to participate in the acrobatic dance.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou, whose participation remained unconfirmed two days before the event, gave an appearance to give his blessings to Taipei Pride. Congratulating both the organisers and participants at large, the mayor declared that "being gay is a natural state that cannot be repressed," and that the event is an important marker of a city's abilities to both tolerate and embrace differences. Indeed, while the openly gay mayor of Berlin proved difficult to meet on an earlier trip, Mayor Ma claimed that it was Taipei's holding of its own gay pride that opened doors.

Following a brief ceremony in which Mayor Ma presented the rainbow flag to be raised, organisers read out loud a letter of congratulations from San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. In it, Mayor Newsom writes that he is "honoured to be forwarding [San Francisco's] greetings and congratulations," and that as a city known for its gay activism, they "commend everyone involved in this event and the important message that it is presenting." As one of Taipei's sister cities, San Francisco is similarly proud to send a rainbow flag "as a symbol of the continued friendship between [the] two cities.

The event culminated in the raising of a rainbow flag amidst much applause, yet despite the upbeat and cheerful atmosphere, opinion on the city's effort to further gay awareness remains mixed at best. While Jason Yeh - Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Civil Affairs - claimed earlier that Gay Pride's mission to have GLBT persons accepted has been "completed," others are less convinced.

"People will say being gay is ok, but when it involves a friend or relative, it's a whole different story," claims event participants Isa Lin and Ann Chen.

As for the government's track record in furthering gay rights? "The politicians are here only to win votes for upcoming elections."

Perhaps a more sympathetic - and upbeat - note can be found voiced by Miles Hsu, whose friends include some of the event's organisers.

"Regardless of how seemingly little has been achieved," he said about the city's progress, "I believe that it can only get better with this current generation."

The ceremony marks the beginning of Taipei Pride, a larger event involving forums, discussions, and a parade to be held on the 30 September. Further information can be found at www.lgbttaipei.net.

Taiwan

Reader's Comments

1. 2006-09-20 19:10  
Your picture of the rainbow flag being waved in front of Taipei's City Hall with Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, in the background is a quintessential encapsulation of the dynamism with which Taiwan is embracing universal human rights and promoting a fair multicultural society.

This cannot help but be translated into socio-economic gains in the long term. The PAP had better jettison its parochialism and homophobia if it doesn't want Singapore to be relegated to backwater status in the future.
2. 2006-09-20 22:04  
i don't know what is politic la. But i certainly glad my idol is not anti gay :P Ma gege jia you :P lol
3. 2006-09-21 18:51  
To a city I call home, CONGRATULATIONS TAIPEI.
The politicians had two choices to make...attend or don't attend. Mayor Ma has a long and consistent track record supporting gays and advocating gay rights....he chose to attend, and I find his consistency and his sincerity very commendable. Yes, he wants votes in the upcoming election!! Getting votes and winning the next election is how he can continue to advocate for us and lead us to a discrimination-free society on Taiwan. Let's put our cynicism and doubt aside and enjoy eacch little baby-step that will abolish homophobia forever....cheers to Taipei. Thank you Mayor Ma for your strong leadership and your overt support.
4. 2006-09-22 00:21  
Congratulations Taiwan for this great event!
Congratulations fridae.com for this great new correspondent!
Proud of you :-)
5. 2006-09-22 17:22  
Major Ma should be next President! :)
6. 2006-09-22 22:35  
Namo namah everyone! Way to go Taipei! Way to go Phil! For an expat of Taiwan as myself to hear of such news, conjuring up a sense of pride, elation and nationalism, I am reconsidering the possibility of re-settling back in Taiwan, and Taipei in particular! So beware Taipei, I am coming! :oP This event, even in the supposedly open and thus, endowed with a profitable sex industry's Southeast Asian sovereign state of Thailand such an event is yet to be seen and as declared in the article as well, unprecedented in the whole of Asia! Praise be to Taipei the Magnificent for her courage and leadership in the freedom of expression and the position taken in this area of social development! Maybe the motherland across the strait should consider easing up a bit and becoming a bit more civilized with all aspects of society and politics before considering their long-proposed, so-called "re-unification"! Therefore, Taiwan, and Taipei in particular, is exemplary, daring and full of Prajna - not merely intelligence! Sorry, didn't mean to bore you guys with my patriotism or political views, but for heaven's sake can a gay guy not be allowed to shout at the top of his lungs that, for once, he is proud of his own country - something he has yet to feel for a long time now! I strongly urge other more developed nations in the West and even within Asia itself (you all know who you guys are!!!) to follow suit and make the world a more loving and caring place for all! Punar milaamah! :o)
7. 2006-09-23 09:34  
In our struggle for equal rights, for human rights, it always seems to start with a few people brave enough to gather and declare our right to exist. I thank all those brave souls who did that at the Taipei City Hall. The world is a better place because of your courage to stand in a public place and declare our right to be accepted as equals in life and love. I am struck by the image of the "Tank Man" and how his passion for cause still inspires us to excell.
Comment #8 was deleted by its author
9. 2006-09-25 17:33  
Bad weather is not a good excuse for not attending a gay pride event, I mean COME ON! Rain or shine we gotta show our pride in who we are~! On another note, I praise Mayor Ma for his appearance and his continued support for the gay community, esp. admist all this political hoopla. Its individuals like him that have given way to a more progressive Taipei. For the 300 or so that did attend, keep on representing the part of you that has added so much to the uniqueness of this culture & city.
10. 2006-09-29 20:01  
yay! congrats!
Comment #11 was deleted by its author

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