Thousands gather for colorful celebration at Taiwan Pride parade

Thousands person gathered connected nan streets of Taipei for nan Taiwan Pride parade, 1 of Asia’s largest yearly celebrations of inclusivity

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Thousands gathered connected nan streets of Taipei connected Saturday for nan Taiwan Pride parade, 1 of Asia’s largest yearly celebrations of inclusivity.

Attendees, galore dressed successful colorful costumes, walked waving flags and banners pinch messages of support for gender equality. Some hailed from crossed nan region, from places for illustration Vietnam, Hong Kong and Japan.

Taiwan has built a estimation arsenic 1 of Asia’s astir gender-inclusive places. The land populist successful 2019 was the first successful Asia to legalize same-sex marriage aft a yearslong run by cheery authorities advocates.

Saturday’s parade overlapped pinch Halloween celebrations, pinch immoderate attendees’ costumes pulling double work for some events.

“More and much group travel to participate successful nan parade each year,” said an attendee who only

wanted to usage his first name, Daniel, and who wore a winged centaur costume and vampire teeth.

“Gender equality … is very important, particularly successful Asia wherever location are still galore blimpish countries,” he added. “Taiwan is comparatively antiauthoritarian and free, truthful everyone comes to Taiwan to participate successful nan parade for gender equality and speak up for adjacent rights.”

Nick Van Halderen, a resistance performer from New Zealand who lives successful Taipei, expressed excitement astir reuniting pinch friends from crossed nan region.

“I consciousness for illustration aft COVID, it’s conscionable very typical to person everyone travel from overseas again,” Van Halderen said. “It still feels for illustration rather a novelty.”

The Taiwan Pride parade began successful 2003 pinch conscionable 700 participants gathering successful a parkland successful cardinal Taipei — astir of them wearing look masks to debar stigmatization.

Organizers of Saturday’s arena said they hoped to create a safe abstraction wherever everyone felt comfortable to definitive themselves.

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Associated Press writer Simina Mistreanu contributed to this report.