Thousands gather for east Asia's largest Pride march

taipei, taiwan — 

More than 180,000 radical celebrated LGBTQ+ equality and diverseness successful Taipei connected Saturday astatine eastbound Asia's largest Pride march, joined by Taiwan Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and the reigning queen of RuPaul's Drag Race, Nymphia Wind.

Taiwan legalized aforesaid enactment matrimony successful 2019 successful a archetypal for Asia and is simply a bastion of tolerance and liberalism successful a portion wherever the rights of intersexual minorities are often either suppressed oregon outlawed.

The streets of cardinal Taipei were packed for the 22nd yearly parade.

Taiwan's Nymphia Wind, whose Drag Race triumph successful April electrified the island, appeared wearing an outfit inspired by medieval armor with a rainbow emblem enarthrosis cape.

"I conscionable person to travel backmost each twelvemonth for the parade," she said, describing her armor look arsenic representing the defence of cheery rights.

Hsiao led the ruling Democratic Progressive Party delegation, marching down a banner speechmaking "Be Yourself" and stopping each present and again to creation and question to the crowd.

"I'm arrogant of you, and I'm arrogant of Taiwan," she said earlier mounting off.

President Lai Ching-te, who past twelvemonth portion helium was moving for the presidency marched successful Pride arsenic the astir elder authorities authoritative ever to bash so, posted a video connection of enactment connected societal media, though said helium could not instrumentality portion successful idiosyncratic owed to anterior appointments and for information reasons.

"The authorities volition proceed to enactment hard to enactment into signifier sex equality truthful everyone successful this onshore of Taiwan tin clasp inclusion and not request fearfulness what others think," helium said.

Organizers enactment the fig of attendees astatine much than 180,000.

Taiwan's openness connected LGBTQ+ issues stands successful marked opposition with its elephantine neighbour China, which claims the democratically governed land arsenic its ain territory implicit the beardown objections of the authorities successful Taipei.

While aforesaid enactment relations are not amerciable successful China, aforesaid enactment matrimony is not recognized, and the authorities has been cracking down connected activists and depictions of LGBTQ+ radical successful the media.