Gays have reasons to be prouder - Taiwan

[dArKeR]

Last week, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was honored with the 35th International Human Rights Award at a ceremony in New York. Around the same time, Taiwan's first gay pride parade took place in Taipei City. The relationship between these two events deserves our thorough discussion.

In early 1996, some masked representatives from a homosexual alliance gathered in front of the Taipei City Hall to protest against then Taipei Mayor Chen's failure to keep his promises to homosexuals regarding the city's New Park (today's 228 Park) -- a famous gay hangout. Seven years later, more than 1,000 homosexuals participated in a gay parade without masks. Although they marched only along a 1.5km stretch from the 228 Park to Hsimenting, they have endured great hardships to get this far. The 228 Park has finally turned from a land of darkness -- as portrayed in Taiwanese novelist Kenneth Pai's (白先勇) 1983 gay classic Crystal Boys (孽子) -- into a playground where all homosexuals can joyfully express themselves.

The truth is: homosexuality is not scary. What is scary is society's prevalent homophobia that forces homosexuals to deny it or feel disgusted with themselves. Still, despite the extremely unfavorable environment, gays and lesbians have tried to find a way out, and have bravely demonstrated their strength to society over the past few years. Homosexuals have formed groups, established magazines and radio shows, opened stores and done research, and now hold an annual festival -- the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights Movement, Taipei (台北同玩節). Heterosexuals cannot keep their heads in the sand and pretend that homosexuals do not exist.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/edit/archives/2003/11/07/2003074939