Tens of thousands of people marched
through the streets of Taipei on Saturday as the city celebrated its
annual Gay Pride parade.
According to Taiwan LGBT Pride, the
organizer of the event, an estimated 65,000 joined in the street
party.
Organizers sought to create greater
awareness of the LGBT community's diversity, Focus
Taiwan reported.
“The LGBT community is so diverse and
complicated,” said Albert Yang, a spokesman for Taiwan LGBT Pride.
“Some people recognize only gays and lesbians, but there are also
transgender, bisexual, intersexual and asexual people.”
“We hope there is a chance for these
groups to be seen and heard,” he added. “It is only possible to
talk more about [their rights] after they have become visible.”
Revelers urged lawmakers to approve a
draft bill which would allow gay couples to marry. The bill has seen
little progress since it cleared a first reading in the Legislative
Yuan last year.