Same Love, Equal Rights

(Taiwan Pride, 2/5)

I joined this years Taiwan Pride in Taipei with a group of staff from the various de-facto embassies of the EU and its member-countries. Similar to ours, we met several other representative groups from all around the world. The UK started right with us, the Australians & New Zealanders too had a big group close, and for the US the director of the AIT personally lead a big group.

The slowly moving reference points in our vicinity were a large crowd of Google employees, a carriage of clothing retailer GAP, noticeable mostly by the loud guffaw of its airy MC, and a driving disco/pizza bakery sponsored by Pizza Hut – whose later handouts were very welcome.

Carrying our banner (“Same Love, Equal Rights”), we too attracted a lot of attention, or rather, our VIP did. Invited by the Dutch representatives, acting Miss International Queen 2023, Solange Dekker (Instagram) – dressed in a stunning pink dress and towering above anyone else by at least a head – gave the EU an ironic monarchic leader, and the crowd another favorite.

And yet, I couldn’t help to feel a bit sad about the group that we jokingly referred to as “Benelux+”. While Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands had a strong showing, only my friend Nora made the small German delegation. Everyone else and every country else did either abstain, or silently defected after the initial photo shoot. Personally, I think a clearer stance for human and liberal rights would have suited the EU’s various representatives well, especially in these times and at this place.