A group of about 80 people representing Taiwan on Sunday took part in the annual New York City Pride March, marking the sixth consecutive year that a Taiwanese group has participated in the event advocating equal rights for the LGBTQ community.
Instead of having a parade float as in the past, the people representing Taiwan walked in the parade playing songs including Rainbow by A-mei (張惠妹) and Love You by Cyndi Wang (王心凌) through a loudspeaker mounted on a pickup truck at the back of the group.
The group aimed to promote Taiwan’s achievement in becoming the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019, said Hsu Bor-cheng (許伯丞), the group’s leader.
Photo: CNA
Many of the participants from the Taiwanese group were taking part in the event for the first time.
Teng Ting (鄧婷), a 22-year-old student studying at a military academy in the US, attended the parade for the first time before returning to Taiwan.
She called it “unreal,” saying that walking along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan was much “cooler” than just being a spectator.
A 24-year-old worker in the financial sector surnamed Lin (林), who was persuaded by his Taiwanese friends to join the parade for the first time, described it as a “great experience.”
Another participant was 31-year-old African-American musician Enobong Etteh, who grew up in Boston.
He learned Chinese in Beijing nine years ago and said he was looking forward to visiting Taiwan one day.
Etteh said Taiwan is a free country with open-minded people, and he felt it was meaningful to join the parade’s Taiwan group.
“This is the first time I’ve come here to walk with my Taiwanese and gay friends, to represent our pride, our country and our love,” Etteh said.
Marking the culmination of Pride Month in New York City, the annual march commemorates the violent 1969 police raid of the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. The event spurred the modern LGBTQ rights movement.
New York’s annual Pride March attracts tens of thousands of people each year, with millions of others watching.
A group from Taiwan has participated in the event since 2016.
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