As we mentioned in our previous blog, Asia’s LGBTQ+ movement isn’t struggling as much as many believe. If there was one country that was at the forefront of this vanguard, it would be Taiwan.
In fact, Taiwan is amongst the most tolerant societies in the world when it comes to LGBTQ+ rights. They rank 34th on the Gay Happiness Index (GHI), and are said to have fewer relative hate crimes than USA.
Historic Milestones
Taiwan has continuously made global headlines with their giant leaps in LGBTQ+ rights. More specifically, they became the first Asian country to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019. This was a huge milestone that ultimately inspired other Asian countries to follow in their footsteps.
In more recent news, Taiwan became the official host of 2025’s WorldPride event. This again is another major milestone, as it will be the first ever WorldPride event in East Asia.
This is not all to say that the process has been easy however. Brave activists have devoted themselves to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights for many years, and their successes did not come overnight.
The first ever pride parade in a Chinese-speaking country was held by Taiwan in 2003. At the time, only 1,000 people participated and most hid their identities with masks in fear of repercussions. Since then, the numbers gradually increased and the masks gradually declined. 2019’s pre-pandemic parade attracted 200,000 participants.
LGBTQ+ Platforms
LGBTQ+ representations within Taiwan’s media have been instrumental in the progress of the movement. Many famous novels, movies, and TV programs have in a sense ‘normalised’ different sexual orientations within public perception.
In fact, unbeknownst to many, the world-famous Brokeback Mountain was directed by the Taiwanese Ang Lee. The movie depicts the homosexual romance between two Western cowboys.
The LGBTQ+ has since flourished in Taiwan, with a wide variety of platforms now being used to celebrate LGBTQ+ diversity. For example, 2017 saw Taiwan introduce Asia’s first ever LGBTQ+ art show, featuring over 50 works from 22 artists across Asia.
A Colourful Future
In a nutshell, Taiwan is a country that suffers from various political and social issues that reach far beyond sexual orientation. It is not a perfect country, however thanks to the nationwide efforts we are in the midst of a very exciting time for Asia’s LGBTQ+ journey.
Change is accelerating in pace, and they are consistently hitting milestones that inspire not only other Asian countries, but countries around the world to reevaluate their stance on these social issues.
