Drag queens bring joy to Taipei's homeless at year-end banquet

Taipei, Jan. 18 (CNA) An unusual banquet featuring drag queens was held outside Taipei Main Station for the city's homeless community on Friday and Saturday, as part of a year-end celebration hosted by a local NGO.

The annual festive meal organized by nonprofit Do You A Flavor, has taken place on the streets of Taipei since 2015. It provides food for the city's most vulnerable, as well as free haircuts, and, for the first time, the chance to sing and dance with drag queens.

It is a tradition in many Asian countries, including Taiwan, for families and colleagues to come together for a feast just before the Lunar New Year.

Hana Boo Boo, one of the five drag queens who performed around the station on Friday, told CNA that drag queens give a voice to sexual minorities. She said that drag queens can also amplify the voices of other marginalized groups in society, as they are often the ones who "can be seen."

"Through our performances, we aim to draw more attention to those who need to be seen and helped," she said -- in reference to the homeless individuals who live around the station.

Chang Yun-hsiang (張雲翔), who attended the banquet, said that he had a lot of fun singing with the drag queens because he "really enjoys interacting with people."

Chang, who has lived on the streets for 20 years, said the classic Fujian dish "Buddha Jumps Over the Wall" -- a variety of shark fin soup -- was his favorite this year.

Around 200 volunteers pushed carts around the station and handed out the donated food to those in need.

One of those, Jacky Chou (周雨時), who came with his wife and 5-year-old son, said he hoped the 20 servings of fried rice and shrimp they prepared would bring comfort to the city's most vulnerable.

The 47-year-old said he brought his son along to teach him that "everyone is equal."

"We are all ordinary people living in this society," he said. "It is just that their living spaces might not be the same as ours."

A-Yǒng Chu (朱剛勇), the coordinator of this year's banquet, told CNA on Friday that an estimated 500 servings of food would be provided during the two-day event. Each meal consists of an appetizer, main dish, snack and dessert.

Chu said that the organization has noticed some migrant workers come to the station on their days off specifically to distribute meals -- praising it as an example of people overcoming language and cultural barriers to help those in need.

"If you truly want to do something to help, even offering a bottle of water or a meal to someone can be a great way to connect," Chu added.