ZONE:

In a country embroiled in a political struggle between "greens" and "reds," the city of Taipei saw a very different use of the spectrum the morning of September 17, 2006, as the city government and the Gender/ Sexuality Rights Association held a rainbow flag-raising ceremony to mark the beginning of Taipei Pride. The event, which had taken place in front of Taipei City Hall and attended by a 300-strong crowd, is hailed as unprecedented in Asia, and has drawn comparisons to similar events held in such gay-friendly cities as Toronto and San Francisco.

Though originally expected to draw up to 600 people, the event saw only half that many attendees - unsurprising to some of the participants, some of whom confessed to have hesitated attending due to the morning's inclement weather. Armed with colored pom-poms supplied by the organisers, the event began with a choreographed "wave" dance performed to the song, "Dreaming of Rainbow." Participants, through newsletters and word-of-mouth, were encouraged to learn the lyrics to the song before hand, and with organisers demonstrating on stage, to participate in the acrobatic dance.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-Jeou, whose participation remained unconfirmed two days before the event, gave an appearance to give his blessings to Taipei Pride. Congratulating both the organisers and participants at large, the mayor declared that "being gay is a natural state that cannot be repressed," and that the event is an important marker of a city's abilities to both tolerate and embrace differences. Indeed, while the openly gay mayor of Berlin proved difficult to meet on an earlier trip, Mayor Ma claimed that it was Taipei's holding of its own gay pride that opened doors.

Following a brief ceremony in which Mayor Ma presented the rainbow flag to be raised, organisers read out loud a letter of congratulations from San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom. In it, Mayor Newsom writes that he is "honoured to be forwarding [San Francisco's] greetings and congratulations," and that as a city known for its gay activism, they "commend everyone involved in this event and the important message that it is presenting." As one of Taipei's sister cities, San Francisco is similarly proud to send a rainbow flag "as a symbol of the continued friendship between [the] two cities.

The event culminated in the raising of a rainbow flag amidst much applause, yet despite the upbeat and cheerful atmosphere, opinion on the city's effort to further gay awareness remains mixed at best. While Jason Yeh - Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Civil Affairs - claimed earlier that Gay Pride's mission to have GLBT persons accepted has been "completed," others are less convinced.

"People will say being gay is ok, but when it involves a friend or relative, it's a whole different story," claims event participants Isa Lin and Ann Chen.

As for the government's track record in furthering gay rights? "The politicians are here only to win votes for upcoming elections."

Perhaps a more sympathetic - and upbeat - note can be found voiced by Miles Hsu, whose friends include some of the event's organisers.

"Regardless of how seemingly little has been achieved," he said about the city's progress, "I believe that it can only get better with this current generation."

The ceremony marks the beginning of Taipei Pride, a larger event involving forums, discussions, and a parade to be held on the 30 September. Further information can be found at www.lgbttaipei.net.