As Taiwan Considers Marriage Equality, Tens of Thousands Attend Pride Parade

Walk under the rainbow flag. Photo by Sound of Silence. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Walk under the rainbow flag. Photo by Sound of Silence. CC BY-NC 2.0.

About 70,000 people attended Taiwan's LGBT pride parade on October 25 to celebrate the diversity of sexual orientation and gender identity and encourage the public to do the same.

The number of participants was one of the largest that the parade has seen since the first was held in 2003. In recent years, it has become the biggest pride parade in Asia and attracted many overseas attendees.

The theme of the 2014 parade was ‘Walk in Queers’ Shoes,’ featuring voices from marginalized LGBT communities such as physically disabled people, HIV-positive people and sex workers.

Most of the participants in the parade voiced their support for the legalization of same-sex marriage. A marriage equality bill was presented to the Legislative Yuan by the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights in 2012. The legislature passed the first reading on October 25, 2013, but the legislative process was suspended in reaction to a massive mobilization of opponents of same-sex marriage.

Gay rights activists began pushing legislators to resume their work in early October this year and a public hearing for the bill was held on October 16. Many couples in the LGBT communities took the opportunity of this year's pride parade to share their stories and hope with others.

Below are some photos from the parade.

A participant with a rainbow puppy. Photo by J. Michael Cole. CC BY-NC 2.0.

A participant with a rainbow teddy bear. Photo by J. Michael Cole. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Participants in the parade. Photo by J. Michael Cole. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Participants in the parade. Photo by J. Michael Cole. CC BY-NC 2.0.

The parade  around the Freedom Square. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Drag queens dancing and singing in the Liberty Square. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

A gay couple said on their T-shirts that they have been together for 8 years and they are looking forward to getting married. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

A couple said on their T-shirts that they have been together for eight years and they are looking forward to getting married. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Participants in the parade. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Participants in the parade. Photo by coolloud.org. CC BY-NC 2.0.

12 comments

  • Keith Pullman

    So good to see! There is no good reason to deny that we must keep evolving until an adult, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, monogamy or polyamory, race, or religion is free to share love, sex, residence, and marriage (and any of those without the others) with any and all consenting adults. Polyamory, polygamy, open relationships are not for everyone, but they are for some. The limited same-gender freedom to marry is a great and historic step, but is NOT full marriage equality, because equality “just for some” is not equality. Let’s stand up for EVERY ADULT’S right to marry the person(s) they love. Get on the right side of history!

  • Bill

    My God says this: Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not
    the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of
    heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.

  • Bill

    Leviticus 18:22, 24

    Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind, it is abomination. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things

    The right side of history and Thus the foundation of our American law comes from the Bible.

    Leviticus 20:13

    If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

    Deuteronomy 23:17-18

    There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.
    Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.

    1 Kings 14:22, 24

    And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD,and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

    And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

    1 Kings 15:11-12

    And Asa did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, as did David his father.
    And he took away the sodomites out of the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

    1 Kings 22:42-46

    Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. . . .And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned not aside from it, doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD: . . .

    And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land.

    2 Kings 23:3, 7

    And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart
    and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.

    And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.

    Romans 1:26-27

    For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their woman did change the natural use into that which is against nature.

    Sodomy is on the wrong side of history.

    And like wise the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another: men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that
    recompenseof their error which was meet.

    1 Corinthians 6:9

    Or know ye not that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not led astray. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate men, nor homosexuals,

    1 Timothy 1:9-10

    Knowing this, that law is not laid down for arighteous one, but for lawless and undisciplined ones, for ungodly and sinful ones, for unholy and profane ones, for slayers of fathers and slayers of mothers, for murderers, for fornicators, for homosexuals, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and if any other thing opposes sound doctrine,

    God absolutely hates the sin of sodomy (homosexuality), however, He absolutely loves the homosexual sinner and pleads with this person to repent and by washed by the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ i.e. Yeshua.

    • Bish Chan

      There are chinese deities that deal with homosexual affairs – Tu Er Shen. If we cited his teachings, would you suddenly convert? If not, why would we convert to yours?

      • Bill

        It is not my teachings but Yahweh’s. For He says that all have sinned and fallen short and none are righteous no not one (Romans 3:10).

        To say that some people are born homosexual is
        to say that God makes mistakes. If God creates a man (with a man’s
        reproductive organ), but that man has God-given natural sexual desires for
        another man, then God made a mistake. The Bible plainly states in Genesis
        1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
        he him; male and female created he them.”

        There is nothing in the Bible
        about two men getting married, nor two women. Same-sex marriage is sinful in
        the eyes of God.

        Remember, in the beginning God created Adam and Eve………………………………………not Adam and Steve.

        • Bish Chan

          You dodged the question. Why would we convert to your god when you would not convert to ours?

          According to chinese mythology Nuwa (our version of Noah) was a female goddess who created humanity from clay. Later there was a flood and she repaired the holes in the sky with her magic gems. She repopulated the earth with incestuous sex with her brother. That shares similarities with the christian story of creation.

          According to genesis God created Adam. He then took his rib. Eve was Steve before the sex change.

          Citing fairy tales means you have no rational argument. It convinces no one.

          • Bill

            Answer to your first question:

            Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

            Deut 6:14-15 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the
            peoples that are round about you;15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

            In answer to your statement that Nuwa (Noah) was a female goddess and that Eve was Steve before what you call a sex change is missing a great deal of fact. Evidently you have not studied the original Aramaic and, or Greek text regarding the scriptures which you should as it concerns you sole and eternity.

            So for the record God (Yaweh) says in Lamentations 4:14; They have wandered (nuwa) as blind men in the streets, they have polluted (n’go’alu) themselves with blood, so that men could not touch their garments.

            God also says in Zephaniah 2:15; This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am, and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in!
            every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag (nuwa) his hand.

            Woe to her that is filthy and polluted (nigo’alah), to the oppressing city!
            She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the LORD; she drew not near to her God……Her prophets (navi) are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary,
            they have done violence to the law.

            But God (Yeah) sums it up best in Romans 8:7-8 where He says; For the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so, that’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

            The God I worship is not a man made false God. He never needed to convince me that I was and still am a sinner saved by His grace. He came to earth to give His life for me a sinner. He offers me an eternity without sin to be in His presence and praising Him for His death on the cross and that eternity is forever and complete.

             
          • Bish Chan

            “Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

            Deut 6:14-15 Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the
            peoples that are round about you;15 for a jealous God, even the LORD thy God, is in the midst of thee; lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and He destroy thee from off the face of the earth.”

            That is circular reasoning.

            “In answer to your statement that Nuwa (Noah) was a female goddess and that Eve was Steve before what you call a sex change is missing a great deal of fact.”

            If they were fact they would not be called faiths.

            “For the mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so, that’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.”

            Pretty much sums up christian obsession and problem with people enjoying sex. It is about control. And liberal use of threats in the afterlife are used to gain compliance, with promise of reward as an incentive.

            “The attention to detail makes it the most tenable of all the stories that are known.”

            Consider the chinese historical text SanGuoZhi (Records of the Three Kingdoms) – this is official chinese history of a period of civil war following the fall of the Han Dynasty (a contemporary and our version of Rome). It contains biographies of rulers, officials and notable people. Then there is a historical novel published a millenium later that is considered 60% fact, 40% BS. The novel is far more detailed as it is a chronological story. Your logic would mean the novel is more convincing because of the detail.

            All you are doing is co-opting science instead of rejecting it like christians in the past. It leads to all sorts of elaborate theories and solutions to try to prove the Ark etc. It is just an un-necessary solution to a problem which doesn’t exist. If one was objective they would not be tailoring the science to fit around that theory but open to any number of competing theories.

            Floods have been recorded in chinese history since we had recorded history. Our civilizations were originally based around rivers and for as long as that there were floods. The history of every single dynasty includes the usual crap about the floods and how they then take action to solve it but it always returns because that river carries so much sediment. What they consider global and all under heaven is just as likely to be local.

            But seriously, what concrete harm manifests in society when 2 men or 2 women obtain a marriage licence?

             
          • Bill

            God says that Marriage between one man and one women is honorable
            as Hebrews 13:4 states “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for
            God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.”

            Recently Lesbian magazine Bound featured ex-lesbian Janet Boynes

            Bound as you know is a magazine catering to a lesbian lifestyle readership, featured former lesbian Janet Boynes of Minneapolis telling her story of getting out of her former lifestyle of sin.

            “God hates me. Well, that’s what I’ve heard. I’ve heard
            He hates me because I’m a lesbian and according to the Bible, lady
            loving is a sin. It’s unnatural, like pastel-colored hair or imitation
            meat. I was once shown a clever little anagram by a straight Christian
            woman I accidentally hit on (strangely enough, she looked like a total
            dyke): GAY=God Abhors You. That was scrawled across a napkin and then thrown in my face. Must’ve been my pink hair.

            According to Janet Boynes, author of Called Out: A Former Lesbian’s
            Discovery of Freedom, God isn’t like that. She says He calls in love.

            He’d write his number down on that napkin. He’s more like your pal who
            wants what’s best for you. However, “what’s best” is based on the
            teachings He laid out in the Bible, which isn’t the most gay-friendly
            read. If you’re gay He wants you to come back and hang out with him…just leave the lesbian thing at the door.”

            The article is in a magazine with pictures which depict lesbian
            relationships. While GCM Watch does not approve of Bound’s content, we do approve of Evangelist Boynes taking the message of freedom right into the prison walls.

            Registration is required to read the entire article. Boynes is author of the book Called Out, which details her deliverance from homosexuality. Her web site is http://www.janetboynesministries.com if you’re interested.

             
          • Bill

            To carry on a bit further, I am aware that The Chinese have a flood story about a human named
            Nuwa who spends a great of deal of time trying to repair and repopulate
            the earth after it has been covered with a flood. In India there was a
            legend about a man named “Manu” who is warned by a fish that a great
            flood is coming to earth. The fish is of course believed to be the first
            avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Manu builds a boat and the fish take it
            to the top of the highest mountain to keep him safe from the flood. He
            takes with him the “seeds of life” so he can repopulate the earth after
            the devastation.

            Even ancient aborigines have a flood story. They are
            visited by a creator-god who they call “Puluga.” One day Puluga stops
            visiting them and sent a flood to the earth. In their story only four
            people survive and were left.

            These are just a few of the stories are preserved
            by civilizations all over the globe. While there are distinct features
            to them all, it is important to note the following:

            1. All attribute the flood to the anger or distress of a deity.
            2. All talk about one man surviving the event.
            3. Most describe some kind of boat used by that man.
            4. All tell how there were only a few to repopulate the earth.

            Perhaps
            all of these stories are mere coincidence. Yet there are numerous
            groups represented here that have no real contact with each other, yet
            they are telling stories that are distinctly similar. So if the flood
            really happened then why should we believe the Hebrew account of the
            flood?

            The Ark and the Bible.

            1. The Biblical account of this Genesis story is
            very detailed and well-formulated. Moses had a scientific mind and his
            descriptions are very well ordered. There are a few reasons why the
            Genesis account stands out among all the other accounts given in legend.
            The attention to detail makes it the most tenable of all the stories
            that are known. Here are a just a few of the reasons that separate it
            from the rest.

            2. The building of the ark is very detailed and methodical. In
            the Bible the builders are given sufficient time to make a boat and gather the things
            that were needed for the voyage.

            3. The Genesis flood also gives details in regards to the collection of
            food, the gathering of the animals, and how these are to be organized.
            The other flood stories seem to lack any detail as to how animal life
            would have stayed around if there was a flood.

            4. Life after the flood.
            When Noah and his family came off the ark there
            was a lot of difference that had taken place in the world. The climate
            was harsh and these changes likely caused an ice age of sorts.

            Inter bedded within the sedimentary rocks is evidence of incredible
            volcanic activity that has no parallel today. Vast, unusually thick
            layers of volcanic flows and ash interlayer sedimentary rocks and fit
            the worldwide Flood paradigm very well. It appears that at the end of
            the Flood the world was covered by huge volumes of volcanic ash and gas
            that had spewed into the atmosphere.7
            The abundant ash and gas trapped in the stratosphere would act as an
            “anti-greenhouse.” Instead of warming the earth, it would reflect
            sunlight back into space and cool it. At the same time, infrared
            radiation would continue to escape the earth.

            5. However, one thing stayed as a part of the human story, and that is the
            presence of sin. The ninth chapter of Genesis shows us that sin was very
            much at work in the heart of man. The righteous Noah got himself as
            drunk as the proverbial “skunk.”

            His youngest son Ham uncovered his
            Father’s nakedness. Many Bible scholars including myself believe that
            this was more than gazing at his naked father. There was no doubt
            something perverse and sexual. I believe he may have sodomized his
            father and when he came conscious he knew what had happened to him.

            After such vice had been punished by God in the antediluvian world it is
            amazing that Ham brought this world with him on the other side of the
            flood.

            Noah cursed Canaan the son of Ham and this curse was evident in
            the Bible. Ham was not cursed, his descendants were not cursed. Black
            people were not cursed. The only curse came upon Canaan.

            The Middle
            Eastern Canaanites were vile and filthy people that stayed as a constant
            source of agitation for the people of God. It is amazing how tightly
            sin and filth can be wrapped in the heart of men. Even after the most
            intense display of God’s wrath men will still run to do evil.

            There is
            only one thing that can take away the desires of human sin and that is nothing but the blood of Jesus.

             
  • […] An estimated 70,000 people attended the LGBT Pride Parade in Taiwan on October 25th, reports Global Voices. […]

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