Taiwan's gay pride parade to remain live as many others go virtual

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Hundreds of people, dressed flamboyantly and carrying rainbow flags, will march in a central area of Taipei on June 28 in a gay pride parade, even as many other cities around the world are planning virtual festivals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Taiwan event will recognize those cities that have had to cancel their parades, the organizers said Friday, explaining that 500 posters will be handed out in Taipei for participants to write the name of a city or country they wish to represent in the pride march.

Dressed in drag and other festive wear, the estimated 1,000 participants will gather at Liberty Square on June 28 and march around the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall complex, said Darien Chen (陳宏昌), a consultant at the Taiwan Gay Sports and Taiwan Gay Development Movement Association.

"Knowing that over 475 pride events all around the world have been canceled just broke my heart," said Chen, who represented Taiwan at Mr Gay World 2013. "Being in Taiwan, where things are almost back to normal and big gatherings are allowed, I feel privileged to carry the responsibility of holding a pride parade in Pride month 2020."

More than 500 pride events worldwide that were scheduled for June have been canceled or postponed, due to travel restrictions and bans on large gatherings amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to international news reports.

As a result, a series of virtual events are being organized, including Global Pride 2020, a 24-hour live stream from around the world that will feature musical performances, appearances by drag artistes, and remarks by several world leaders, according to the reports.

In Taiwan, the pride parade can be held live because the country has been gradually easing its COVID-19 restrictions since June 7, when it recorded 56 straight days without any domestically transmitted infections.

June is celebrated worldwide as Pride Month because it commemorates the Stonewall uprising, a demonstration that began June 28, 1969 outside the Stonewall Inn in New York City and gave rise to the international gay rights movement.