以下新聞轉載自 2008.9.29 Fridae匯樂網站 http://tinyurl.com/53jzok Fridae匯樂 為2008台灣同志遊行官方國際網路媒體 Taipei LGBTs march proud and loud in Asia's largest gay parade （2～4） P.2 At around 3.30 pm, about 18,000 people stood still on Taipei city’s main thoroughfare Zhongxiao East Road Section 4 to create the spectacular view of a 4.5-metre wide floating rainbow flag gradually forming along a 100-metre stretch of the street. Thousands of pedestrians as well as buses and cars driving past Taipei’s busiest shopping and commercial street during the 5-minute spectacle witnessed Asia’s largest display of LGBT-themed public art display as the six-coloured rainbow flag took shape with the coordinated participation of every person in the march. At the parade, Fridae also met four participants from the South Bay Queer & Asian (SBQA) group in San Francisco (www.sbqa.com) who told us that they flew to Taipei specially to take part in the parade. Parade marchers also came over from other part of the US, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore. . From Hong Kong, several representatives from support and counselling body Hong Kong Rainbow, led by Kenneth Cheung (Kenjai), and the guys behind G Dot TV (www.gdottv.com), the city’s queer vodcast station, joined the parade and took the opportunity to share the news that Hong Kong’s own inaugural pride parade will take place on 13 December. P.3 This year’s parade saw for the first time, disabled participants in the contingents, many of them friends of wheelchair-bound gay activist Vincent, who answered his call to lend their support to the LGBT cause. About a dozen of them joined him to com plete the distance of about three kilometres on electrically-powered wheelchairs or volunteer-driven scooters. Also among the contingents were representatives from the Green Party, a political party and vocal advocate body for respect for diversity and social justice. It is also observed that more young people are taking part in the parade while there continue to be strong support from the teachers’ unions, including the Taiwan Indigenous Teachers Association, and dozens of student organisations at the parade, a healthy indication that the effort to make educators more concerned about LGBT students and their welfare has taken root in Taiwan, after years of groundwork by various NGOs in schools and institutions to engage them on the otherwise taboo issue P.4 Pop vocalist Chou Hui appeared as the mystery guest at the concert which commenced at the end point of the parade. After wowing the crowd before the Taipei City Hall Square with two of her songs which are widely loved by lesbian and gay listeners, she revealed to the audience that she is no stranger to gay and lesbian people as she has long been aware that one of her family member is queer. In his fourth year performing at the parade concert, cross-dressing television artist Da Bing brought the crowd to another high with a sexy dance number with the Raymona dance troupe. Teddy award-winning lesbian film director Zero Chou, scholar and activist Josephine Ho, disabled queer radio presenter Vincent and Hong Kong Rainbow founder Kenneth Cheung (Kenjai) are among the people who also appeared before the crowd this year to share with passers-by and the queer audience some of the experience and work they have done in their respective fields. Look out for more pictures and videos of the Taiwan Pride Parade 2008 on fotos@fridae to be released soon. Fridae is proud to be the Official International Online Media of the Taiwan Pride Parade 2008. - Text by Choo Lip Sin Fridae匯樂 為2008台灣同志遊行官方國際網路媒體 .......................................................... 台灣同志遊行網站： http://twpride.net 有更多的同志遊行新聞報導、當天活動相簿連結，請見遊行聯盟網站 ※ 編輯: TwLGBTPride 來自: 61.228.41.171 (10/02 12:55)