A group of about 60 people representing Taiwan joined the annual New York City Pride March on Sunday, holding aloft the national flag and displays that highlighted the name of the country.
The NYC Pride March, held fully in-person for the first time in three years, attracted thousands of revelers celebrating the LGBTQ community with colorful costumes and floats.
They paraded through Lower Manhattan, along Fifth Avenue, through Greenwich Village, and to the Stonewall National Monument, the site of the June 1969 riots that launched the modern movement for LGBTQ rights.
While the approximately 60 participants representing Taiwan did not have a float, they carried the national flag, along with the rainbow flag, and balloons that spelled out the name of their country.
Behind them, the music of Taiwanese pop stars A-mei (???), Jolin Tsai (???) and Aron Yan (???) blared from loudspeakers on a truck, paying tribute to LBGTQ rights in Taiwan, which in 2019 became the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.
This was the fifth time in a row that Taiwan was taking part in the parade.
"As New York is full of vigor and dynamics, we wanted people to come out and feel the vibe and charm of the city," said Hsu Bor-cheng (???), the coordinator of the Taiwan contingent at the 2022 NYC Pride March.
Hsu also said the march was an opportunity to turn the spotlight on Taiwan's exclusion from many international organizations and to highlight its need for greater support to effect change in that regard.
One of the other Taiwanese participants, graphic designer Wang You-he (???), who launched her career in New York five years ago, said she felt a sense of belonging at the parade.
"Everybody is so warm and friendly, and it just makes you feel that you are not fighting alone and that you belong to a gay community with many others like you," she said.
Wang, who took part in the parade for the first time, also said she felt like an advocate of Taiwan's status in Asia, with regards to LBGTQ rights.
"I feel like a torchbearer for the 'first in Asia' -- so nervous and excited," she told CNA.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel