Taiwan’s LGBTQ rights movement is mobilizing ahead of referenda on marriage equality and gender equity education this Saturday.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/11/19
By: By Brian Hioe, 破土 New Bloom
Credit: Reuters / TPG
A reported 100,000 people attended a rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in support of LGBTQ rights Saturday, with a nationwide referendum on marriage equality and LGBTQ-friendly education scheduled to take place Nov. 24. Featuring musical performances and speeches, the rally culminated with a performance by heavy metal band Chthonic, which is fronted by legislator Freddy Lim of the New Power Party (NPP).
That the rally would be so large was a surprise to most, with the expectation being that the event would only draw thousands or tens of thousands, particularly as it was announced at short notice. With 100,000 in attendance according to organizers, this would put the rally on a similar scale to the Formosa Alliance’s demonstration in front of the Democratic Progressive Party headquarters on Oct. 20, which mobilized individuals from all across Taiwan. This would even put the event close in size to the pride parade which took place on Oct. 28 – the largest pride parade in Taiwanese history – which drew 140,000 to the streets of Taipei. Indeed, while campaign events were also held today by Taipei mayoral candidates Ko Wen-je, Ting Shou-chung, and Pasuya Yao, the rally on Ketagalan Boulevard far dwarfed them all.
As a rally and concert, the event was similar to an anti-nuclear concert held the previous week at Liberty Plaza, which had some overlapping organizers. The event, which was MCed by Jennifer Lu and Cheng Chi-wei of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline, was a star-studded affair, with performers including a number of pop musicians such as Ailing Tai, Z-Chen, Enno Cheng, Lara Liang, Sean Lin, and Afalean Lu. A number of famous television and film actors also spoke, including Ding Ning, Amber An, Wen Chen-ling, and others. Directors Zero Chou and actor and film producer Li Lie also spoke. Foreign attendees included Ben Yuen of Hong Kong, who had won best supporting actor at the Golden Horses the previous night, and French actor, Félix Maritaud, the lead actor of “Sauvage.” [FULL STORY]
