The skies over Taipei may have been gray, but the streets glowed with color, courage, and unshakable joy as more than 150,000 people gathered for Taiwan’s 23rd annual LGBTQ+ Pride parade. The event—Asia’s largest and most influential celebration of queer visibility—marched on through the rain with flags waving, drums pounding, and hearts ablaze with pride.
Taiwan Pride Theme
This year’s theme, “Beyond Links, More Than Clicks,” was a rallying cry for deeper human connection. In an age when so much of activism unfolds through screens, Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ community took to the streets in Taipei to remind everyone that real progress happens face-to-face. Organized by the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association, the parade called on people to move past passive online support and instead engage in empathy, understanding, and open dialogue about gender and identity.
RELATED: 130,000 People Attended Taiwan Pride, One Of The Only Prides In 2020
Association president Simon Tai captured the moment perfectly, explaining that global diversity and inclusion efforts have faced a troubling backlash. The movement, he said, must resist becoming just another online argument. Instead, it’s time to build bridges across differences and reaffirm that queer rights are human rights. In his words, gender identity and equality aren’t hashtags—they’re lived experiences that deserve understanding, respect, and policy support.
The scale of participation underscored the strength of Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ community. Nearly 180 organizations and over a hundred booths filled the streets, including a record number run by nonprofits and advocacy groups. That surge in involvement showed that Taiwan Pride isn’t just a party—it’s a movement fueled by compassion and community action.
@hugo_tw 2025 Taiwan Pride 臺灣同志大遊行！
Among the parade’s key voices was Fletcher Hong, a spokesperson who spoke passionately about gender recognition and bodily autonomy. Hong criticized policies that still require surgical procedures before someone can legally change their gender marker, calling such rules outdated and unfair. “Safety comes from education, not exclusion,” he said, pushing for inclusive policies that protect both cisgender and transgender women rather than dividing them.
The event also took aim at how social media algorithms shape public opinion on gender and sexuality. Activists stressed that likes and retweets are never enough to drive real change. The true fire of activism, they said, lives in shared stories, community presence, and the courage to listen to one another—even when opinions differ.
@_nickdeocampo Happy Pride Taiwan #pride
Visually, the parade was a feast of symbolism and reinvention. Marchers reimagined the meanings behind the rainbow flag, reflecting on how its colors can evolve with time while staying true to their original spirit. As Hong noted, even debates over the red stripe—long representing passion and sex—reflect how LGBTQ+ movements continue to grow and reinterpret what pride means today.
By the parade’s end, drenched but radiant marchers stood as living proof that progress is built on empathy, not algorithms. Taiwan, already a trailblazer as the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage, continues to redefine what leadership in equality looks like—one heartfelt conversation and one proud step at a time.
In a world where anti-DEI sentiment still burns in headlines, Taiwan Pride proved that another fire burns brighter: the fire of connection, inclusion, and unbreakable solidarity.
Reference: Taipei Times
What an incredible display of PRIDE!! Taiwan does our community proud and sets the lead for Southeast Asia. I can’t wait to visit in person and meet many of the awesome people. The rest of the world should be playing catch-up; it’s time to give credit where credit is due.