Taiwan LGBT March 2021 Theme and Spirit

Source:2021 Taiwan LGBT Rally official website

Friendship Daily in Taiwan

Discussion:

Since the first year of same-sex marriage in 2019, the theme of the Taiwan LGBT parade has changed from "LGBT Alley" - seeing the existence of LGBT people around you and me, to "The Beauty of Adulthood" - understanding and respecting the identity of others. But understanding and respect are not just slogans; it is what we feel in our daily lives that is the most real.

We have all heard of "gay-friendly", "gender-friendly", "○○-friendly", etc., but what does it mean to be friendly? I have many gay friends, but is "......" friendly? After the referendum in 2018, the public has become more and more able to distinguish the discrimination wrapped in fake friendliness. is just a justification for discriminatory language. But true friendliness is not about segregation - one might ask if "gender-friendly toilets" or "gay-friendly stores" are a form of segregated equality, which must be a big misunderstanding of the word "friendliness".

Gender-friendly toilets are not "only" transgender, and gay-friendly stores are not "only" for gay people to go into. When can we stop using the word "friendly"? Only when we no longer need to use "friendly" to label any particular person or place, that is, when we are friendly everywhere and nowhere, is this a truly friendly society. As mentioned in last year's theme statement, "If this society is friendly enough, then we don't have to feel sorry for being born as human beings, whether at home, school or work, everyone can live in the way they feel most comfortable, and that is our daily life. So, let's make friendliness a daily routine.

With the passage of the same-sex marriage law, gays and lesbians have the same right to marry as heterosexuals, but is marriage really a happy event that deserves to be publicized? If you want to get married, you will have to face the issue of how to tell your family about your marriage - unless you only register your marriage, but if your family sees your account or family register, they may still find out. Therefore, if you are not prepared to come out of the closet, you may still have to face a storm.

To the general public, all the things that we were worried about before the same-sex marriage legislation, such as the disappearance of parents and grandparents, have not happened, and life is going on as usual. In fact, it is not that more people are "becoming" gay or being "taught" to be gay by sex education, but that the change in social climate and the popularization of gender knowledge have allowed more and more gay people to be more comfortable in their own skin. However, the friendly atmosphere still varies depending on the region and age group, and the situation of older gay people in particular may be more difficult.

Gay people get old too, so what kind of problems do older gay people face in their daily lives? According to overseas experience, when a gay person needs care, he or she may face the problem of "re-entry" - because of uncertainty about the friendliness of the caregiver, or the possibility of gradually losing the connection to the community (some people deliberately cut off their connection to the community); or even if he or she has to enter a long-term care facility, are the staff there friendly? And what if they are HIV-infected? Perhaps no long-term care facility will accept them. Although the law explicitly prohibits unfair treatment [1], given the current shortage of long term care resources, what can be done if the facility says it is full of beds? Or if a higher fee is charged, is that acceptable? If not, the other side can leave the beds for other people who need them.

The COVID-19 epidemic that broke out in the middle of this year at the Wanhua Tea Room has shown society that heterosexual seniors also have sexual needs. Or what about sex for the disabled? Even though Taiwan has been in an aging society for many years, do people still think of the elderly or the disabled as "desexualized" and think that they can "just live", and that any more demands (sex, lust, privacy, etc.) will be seen as too greedy and troublesome? In addition, the actual daily life of people with disabilities is facing the unfriendly living environment, hardware and facilities, etc. Everyone will grow old and everyone may become a person with disabilities.

What is the opposite of friendliness? We all know that a contaminated name is not conducive to epidemic prevention. This has been widely echoed by various groups since the term "gay community" was first introduced, and even though it has since been referred to as a "special friendship circle" by various counties and cities, the reference has not changed. Is the public's imagination of gay people's daily life still limited to those who are forced to reveal their identity due to the epidemic? Is it really necessary to expose the privacy of a case for the sake of the epidemic? It is reasonable to assume that those undergoing the epidemic should only be required to provide information about when and where they have been in the past; their identities and behaviors are not relevant to the majority of the community. In the face of the virus, people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are at risk of contracting the disease, so I don't know what the purpose of specifically labeling "special friendship circles" is, but is it also necessary to label "general friendship circles" for heterosexuals? If we think that heterosexuality is an unnecessary information, why is gay identity necessary again?

No one wants to be infected, not even COVID-19, not even HIV. When society still treats the infected/infected as "sinners", it only makes those who are at risk of contracting the disease more reluctant to tell the truth or take the initiative to get screened, and even affects their willingness to seek medical treatment. But is it possible that the law itself is an accomplice in the prevention of infectious diseases? Yes, for example, the intentional infection ordinance [2], with its "knowingly infected" requirement, reduces the incentive to get screened - because if you don't get screened, you won't know, and this goes against the UNAIDS "90-90-90" goal [3]. Although the definition of risky behavior [4] was amended in July of this year to include the concept of U=U [5], the AIDS Ordinance itself still needs to be adjusted until the community no longer considers patients to be sinners.

For example, heterosexual couples can marry foreign spouses without the fear of infiltration, human trafficking, or health care collapse; heterosexual couples can adopt children together without having to divorce first and then adopt, or not being able to marry for the sake of adoption [6]; heterosexual infertile people can use artificial reproduction without having to travel across the ocean and spend tens or millions of dollars. These are rights that seem to be inherent to the general population, but which gay couples are excluded from. For transgender people, the little things that people don't notice about everyday life - like going to the bathroom - can be a daily challenge, not to mention job hunting and housing issues. For the hearing impaired, the masks everyone has to wear to protect themselves from the epidemic make it difficult for them to read lips or sign language expressions. When we realize and understand these inconveniences, we can take the first step to be more friendly in our daily lives.

The impact of the COVID-19 epidemic has affected everyday people, both different and different, and after all, the virus does not pick and choose; however, we can also see that outbreaks are often the most vulnerable parts of society. Not all jobs can be home based or diverted to work, and industries that require human contact in particular have been forced to suspend operations, with some still needing to close down. The restriction of social space and group gatherings may have a greater impact on the gay community, as not every gay person has come out of the closet in their daily lives or has gay friends in real life. For those who have not come out of the closet at home, or whose family members do not accept them, the pressure is even greater when they have to share a room with their families all day.

In all walks of life, there are LGBTQ people around us, and LGBTQ people are also fighting the epidemic together with the public, whether they are health care workers, police and firefighters, social workers, or frontline epidemic prevention workers. --In any case, we still hope that society can create a friendly environment and make it a reality in everyday life, so that everyone can live in their most comfortable way. Even though we cannot walk on the streets this year, we are using self-restraint and social distance to prevent the epidemic. We also invite everyone to walk together online this year with "hearts" so that we can understand each other and treat each other more kindly and bring our hearts closer together. (Quoted from the official website of 2021 Taiwan LGBT March)

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(Quoted from the official website of Taiwan Gay and Lesbian March)