LGBTQ RIGHTS/Thousands celebrate LGBT+ rights, inclusivity at Taipei pride parade

Taipei, Oct. 26 (CNA) Taiwan's pride parade celebrated its 22nd anniversary on Saturday, with hundreds of thousands of exuberant participants hitting the streets of Taipei to revel in the festivities and call for a more inclusive society.

"We hope that everybody will come out and see each other, and it's a good chance to let everybody be themselves... you can be as comfortable as yourself," Shao Li-yi, a spokesperson for the parade's organizers, said of the theme of this year's event "Embrace Inclusion."

While Taiwan has legalized same-sex marriage, dialogue among the Taiwanese public and even within the LGBT+ community is still needed to make society more inclusive and diverse, Wayne Lin, another spokesperson, told reporters outside the Taipei City Council building.

Largely propelled by civil society groups and three decades after the emergence of the gay rights movement, Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in May 2019, making it the first country in Asia to do so.

"I think the government can play a more active role... to facilitate the discussions" of a wide array of issues concerning the LGBT+ groups, Lin told reporters against a backdrop of a lively crowd dressed in eye-catching costumes and with rainbow flags and other props that had been assembling at the parade's starting point since noon.

First launched in 2003, the annual pride parade in Taipei on the last Saturday of October has grown over the years to become one of the largest in Asia.

The main organizer for this year's parade, the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association, said over 180,000 people took part in Saturday's event, a figure higher than last year.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) joined the march for the first time since taking office in May, accompanied by dozens of party officials and members.

"I am very happy to be here today with all the partners who support Taiwan's progress and gender equality," Hsiao said before the DPP group set out with the procession.

"We take pride in [Taiwan's progressive values]," the vice president said but noted, without elaborating, that more work should be done to "make our society more progressive" and "ensure diverse values thrive together."

Employees from several foreign representative offices in Taiwan, multinational companies and civil society groups also joined the parade, according to the organizers.