LGBTQ RIGHTS/Thousands march in Taipei to support Taiwan's transgender community

Taipei, Oct. 25 (CNA) More than 2,500 people came together for the 6th Taiwan Trans March in Taipei on Friday evening to voice support for the transgender community in Taiwan and advocate for gender equality, according to the organizer.

The one-and-a-half-hour march, organized by the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association with the theme "Stay and step up, join us on the journey to the future," started at 228 Peace Memorial Park, looped through nearby streets, and ended back at the park.

Many of the 2,500 marchers chanted slogans such as "Gender is not limited to just two options."

Among those chanting was transgender woman Claire Chiu (邱芯妤), who said that transgender people born in Taiwan have to face misunderstanding from both family and society.

When she began growing her hair long, "people would say I was neither man nor woman, and in that state, I could hardly find any job," Chiu recalled.

The 28-year-old said that even when she managed to secure a job after many struggles, she often could not last more than two months, as supervisors would approach her and ask, "Can you cut your hair?"

Chiu recounted one time when she told her supervisor, "Can I grow my hair long? I feel that I am a transgender person." But she only received a dismissive response that she looked neither male nor female, which would "affect the company's image."

In addition, Chiu said she also experienced rejection when she came out to her family, leading to a complete fallout, "as my family members, especially the elders, did not accept me."

Now working as a driver, Chiu told CNA that she provides private car tours where she actively promotes gender inclusivity to her passengers, hoping to save enough money from the job to undergo gender-affirming surgery.

Identifying himself as "Seth," a 21-year-old French transgender man told CNA that he joined the march to "show support for transgender rights in Taiwan", adding that he learned from the news that Taiwanese people still need to undergo compulsory surgery to change their gender on ID cards.

Currently, if a Taiwanese individual wants to change their gender assigned at birth, they are required to undergo gender-affirming surgery, specifically the removal of primary sex organs, to legally change their gender on identification documents.

"You should not have to legally change your body if that's not what you want to do, " said Seth, who has only undergone "top surgery."

Seth, a university student in Taiwan for a one-year exchange program, explained that people in France can go to court to change their gender on identification documents, without having to undergo gender-affirming surgery.

He noted that he feels "less stressed" after changing "this one letter on my ID."

Sean Du (杜思誠), secretary-general of the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association, said that the purpose of holding the march is to "share our support to the transgender and non-binary community in Taiwan."

He hopes the event will allow more stories from the transgender community to be heard, encouraging greater support for gender-diverse and transgender individuals.

First held in 2019, the annual Taiwan Trans March is one of the few marches in Asia that focuses specifically on transgender issues, attracting over 5,000 participants in 2023, according to the organizer.

Meanwhile, the 22nd Taiwan Pride parade, organized by the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association, will set off at 2 p.m. on Saturday in front of Taipei City Hall, with the theme "Embrace Inclusion." Organizers estimated there will be 180,000 participants.