LGBTQ RIGHTS/2024 Taiwan Pride to be held Oct. 26 in Taipei

Taipei, Oct. 8 (CNA) The 22nd Taiwan Pride parade -- scheduled to take place in Taipei on Oct. 26 -- will showcase the theme "Embrace Inclusion," organizers said on Tuesday.

The Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association (TWRCAA) said at a press conference in Taipei that they hope the annual event can inspire everyone to "respect each other's differences" and help build a more inclusive society.

The parade will set off at 2 p.m. on Oct. 26 in front of Taipei City Hall in the capital's Xinyi District, and it will later split into a "north route" and "south route" before circling back to the hall, according to the association that advocates for the rights of the LGBT+ community.

Fletcher Hong (洪浩哲), chairperson of the association, said that the TWRCAA calls on everyone to recognize diversity and take concrete action to ensure that the voices of different communities or individuals are valued and included in decision-making.

"We hope that everyone can respect each other's differences, allowing everyone to be themselves without fear," he said. "Only in this way can we establish a society where everyone can coexist."

TWRCAA spokesperson Simon Tai (戴佑勳) told CNA that last year's parade recorded 170,000 participants and he expects at least 180,000 people to join this year's event "if the weather is good."

Drag queen Chiang Weiii (薔薇) said that unlike in previous years when drag queens would usually host or participate in activities on different floats, many of Taiwan's top drag queens will gather and perform on a single float this year.

"We hope that through this opportunity, more people in Taiwan will realize that drag queens do not just play supporting roles within the LGBTQ community," she added.

Meanwhile, following the first instance of a cross-strait same-sex couple getting their marriage registered in Taiwan on Tuesday, Tai said that advocates promoting same-sex marriage equality between Chinese-Taiwan couples will also attend the parade to share their experiences.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council relaxed regulations on Sept. 19 to allow same-sex couples involving one Taiwanese person and one Chinese person who married in a third country to register their marriage in Taiwan under the same rules that apply to heterosexual couples.

This marks another step closer to full marriage equality in Taiwan -- the first country in Asia to legalize gay marriage.

However, same-sex foreign couples involving one or more partners who are nationals of a country where gay marriage is illegal are still restricted from getting married in Taiwan.

The TWRCAA spokesperson also said that the association has invited speakers to discuss the issues relating to long-term HIV-related care, as estimates from the Centers for Disease Control project that more than 50 percent of people living with HIV in Taiwan will be over the age of 50 by 2036.

"We believe that long-term care will become an increasingly important need for the HIV community," Tai said.

This year's parade will feature a total of 35 floats, while the "Rainbow Market" will have 113 booths, including a record more-than-30 charity booths, according to the association.