Pride Parade

Pride parades are the annual public face of the movement: commemoration of Stonewall, demand for equality, exercise in visibility. The first marches were held in June 1970, on Stonewall’s first anniversary, in New York and other US cities; the tradition then spread worldwide, anchoring Pride Month. Every parade wears two faces at once. It is a celebration — rainbow flags, floats, music. And it is advocacy — behind every banner is a right not yet won.

In the Chinese-speaking world, the flagship is Taiwan Pride, held in Taipei every year since 2003 and among the largest pride events in Asia. After Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage in 2019, the marching continued — equality was never only about marriage. Mainland China has no comparable large-scale public marches, which is part of why Taipei’s draws participants from across the region.

Marching does not equal coming out: many attend as supporters, and some wear masks. How far to participate is always governed by your own safety and willingness — safety first, and waiting is allowed (see safety notes).

Register note: neutral. English keeps both “parade” (festive) and “march” (protest-inflected); the Chinese youxing (游行) carries both senses.

Common misreading: “the parades are too loud.” Appearing in public, unashamed, is itself the demand (see visibility); the other name for loud is “finally not hiding.”