Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. This happened on May 24, 2019.
Now, just over seven years later, Tainan Pride Parade is being held for the ninth time in the city, and I have joined to see and hear what the LGBTQIA+ community is fighting for today.
It is morning in the Taiwanese city of Tainan.
I park my bicycle next to the stage that, in a few hours, will be filled with representatives from various LGBTQIA+ groups, drag queens, belly dancers, and K-pop performers.
I have an appointment with Zoe, the organizer of the city’s ninth pride parade, who is currently on stage delivering the opening speech.
Zoe is 23 years old and has just graduated from college. She was born and raised in Tainan in a home with her mother, father, and sister, and has participated in the parade with her friends many times before.
This year, she has taken on responsibility for the entire event, which has required several months of preparation.
My Family Doesn’t Know That I Like Women
Most of Zoe’s life takes place within the LGBTQIA+ community, which she is deeply engaged in and where she has met most of her friends. Despite this, she is not sure whether her family knows what she is doing on this occasion.
“I don’t feel like taking the chance and telling them that I’m into women,” Zoe says.
She elaborates that they would probably have many questions and concerns that she does not feel like dealing with.
What about the day you get a partner? Will you hide her from your family? I ask.
Zoe laughs and replies that she doesn’t know, but that she still believes her family is aware of her sexuality, even though they have never had the conversation.
But Zoe is not the only one who finds it difficult to “come out” to those closest to her. She also mentions that many of her friends keep this part of themselves hidden from their parents.
This suggests that even though the law in Taiwan gives the green light to same-sex marriage, it does not necessarily mean that understanding and acceptance have reached people’s homes or dinner tables.
This Year’s Theme Challenges Prejudice
The theme of this year’s pride parade focuses precisely on this tendency, Zoe explains.
She adds that “the law is often mapped out before the population is ready for the changes.”
“I don’t think people mean any harm when they make a slightly inappropriate joke here and there, but rather that they are not aware of what it does to us—the people it affects,” she concludes.
This year’s theme is therefore inspired by a viral internet meme, which originates from the traditional Taiwanese proverb thinn bo tsiau kah-tsi [天不照甲子], which in English means:
If people do not follow heaven’s law, heaven will not follow the natural cycle
The proverb was previously used by conservative groups as a tool to dismiss climate change and to accuse same-sex marriages of not following the natural order, and therefore not being legitimate.
“No one has the right to decide what is natural or not,” Zoe says, adding one final remark before her walkie-talkie goes off and she has to assist some of the volunteers:
“We just want to create a space where everyone can come and be themselves. A space where we can talk to each other and be curious about one another.”
A Place Where We Can Be Ourselves
A couple of hours have now passed since I spoke with Zoe. The gray concrete in the square in front of the stage has been transformed—painted with red lipstick, covered in feathers, and adorned with wigs, BDSM outfits, and push-up bras.
A K-pop trio warms up the crowd for the two-hour march that is about to begin. I stand in the middle of the crowd, get offered a sip of alcohol from a plastic dildo (which I politely decline), and end up with a pair of breasts in my face.
“Oops, sorry,” exclaims the two-meter-tall drag queen, embracing me.
Why do you think it’s important to be here today? I take the opportunity to ask.
“We need to stand up for ourselves. Our voices need to be heard so people can realize that marriage can look different in many ways,” says the red-haired drag queen, emphasizing that there are still many minority groups we need to care about.
I thank her for the answer, move on, and ask the same question to a drag queen with pink pigtails, who replies:
“I’m here to show my strength. In reality, I’m a shy boy, but when I’m in drag, I can think of myself as an artist, and then I have a completely different aura,” she says with a big smile.
Next to her stands her friend, who also usually does drag but is just feeling lazy today. He mentions that it can be difficult to show this side of yourself when you’re alone, “but when we are more of us, it makes us stronger,” he concludes.
A trumpet sounds, and the march begins. Passing by me is a long line of dancing people, now heading out to shake things up and leave a long trail behind them with the message:
Here, you can come and be exactly who you are.
Join me at the parade in the video below: