2023 Taiwan Trans March
Walk Tall, Walk Proud: Your Transgender Path Awaits!
Date: Friday, October 27th, 2023
Location: The Red House Square (near Exit 1, MRT Ximen Station)
Event Timetable:
18:30 Round-up
18:45 The first half of the program starts
19:30 The Trans March kicks off
20:40 The second half of the program starts
Organizer: Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association
Co-Organizers: Blizzard, GILEAD, TaihuBrewing
Venue Sponsor: TAIWANIZE
The fifth annual Taiwan Trans March invites all to come to Ximending on Friday night, 27 October 2023, for “A collective, carefree walk that transcends gender.”
Many identity frameworks exist in society, such as woman, man, student, parent, partner, friend, etc. Everyone must comply with the various frameworks, due to the multiple identities we all carry. Given the physical differences at birth, we are asked to conform to sets of gender-based norms in appearance, attire, speech and demeanor; as in, boys should be like this and girls should act like that. However, not everyone is suited for this kind of categorization.
Categorization may be convenient, but it can also be limiting. Some women simply dislike wearing skirts. Some men are simply not burly and buff. Some people simply do not wish to be put into any category. Each of us is so different, yet we all come together to make up this dazzlingly diverse society. In fact, those who cannot perfectly fit into these specific gender frameworks embody the meaning of transgenderism. Anyone who transcends the mainstream dichotomization of maleness and femaleness, regardless of their gender identity and what gender with which they walk through life, can be a member of the transgender community.
Surely, all of us simply want to live each day with ease and peace of mind. We want to go out to the world wearing what we like and date whom we like. We want to have a stable job, without being singled out at the workplace. We want a peaceful life without daily confrontation with discrimination and hostility.
Each day, each of us decides how we want to appear in this world. Meanwhile, we also hope the world can accept us as we are. However, that is not the case for some. Many transgender individuals cannot live the way in which they find most comfortable. They must endeavour to hide their truest selves, to play the gender role expected of them, forcing themselves to fit the normative image of a woman or a man. Or conversely, they follow their heart and present their true selves. In turn, they must endure unfriendly comments and gaze, be treated with neglect, even rejection and ostracization. For example, they may be asked, “What have you done to yourself?” They may be called anti-trans slurs. They may even be turned down at job interviews with a statement such as, “Our company cannot hire the likes of you.”
In fact, transgender individuals are no different from you and me. They may be folks who like to wear long skirts and makeup to feel beautiful. They may be folks who prefer to look dashing and dapper. They may be folks who go shopping while holding hands with their besties every weekend. They may be folks who are cheered up by a breakfast shop owner’s greeting, “Handsome, what will you have today?” They are our family members, classmates, colleagues and friends. They are individuals we encounter every day on the MRT, at the office and gatherings. They are people to whom we have greeted cordially and expressed care. They are also part of our society.
The fifth annual Taiwan Trans March is on 27 October 2023. We’re inviting transgender individuals, their allies, anyone who has ever felt ill at ease with the gender binary system, as well as everyone who just wants to be themselves. On the night of 27 October, join the march in the way you feel most comfortable. We are all members of this brilliant society. Let’s walk together and transcend gender frameworks. Let’s take a walk on which everyone can be at ease and at peace. Let’s make this world more diverse and more beautiful for it.
Afterparties: Pro-Trans Party at The Locker Room, Taihu Brewing’s Special Brew @Driftwood Ximending, Q Point, T&N Party (Trans and Non-Binary Party), and more…
For more information, please follow the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association on Facebook and Instagram.
Main Illustration: Rico Xu / Design: Nick Chang
