Rainbow Taiwan flag at the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall. | Photo via Instragram (charlesc1025)
LGBTI advocates in Taiwan are outraged at the Chinese government’s plan to stop them waving their national flag at the Gay Games.
Reports have surfaced that organizers of the Paris Gay Games are under pressure to stop Taiwan from competing under that name. They are also under pressure to stop the team from flying the national flag at events.
China does not recognize Taiwan as an independent country, but rather a Chinese territory. As a result, it is often forced to compete under the name of Chinese Taipei or Taiwan (China) at international events.
The French government had apparently contacted the Federation of Gay Games (FGG) to express its concerns over flying Taiwan’s flag. The Paris Gay Games will run for 10 days in August.
‘We will fight’
But the Taiwan delegates refuse to back down to China’s pressure.
‘Our logical conclusion is that China protests to the French government or otherwise this would not have happened,’ Yang Chih-chun, president of the Taiwan Gay Sports and Gay Development Movement Association told AFP.
‘We hope the FGG can resist pressure.’
Yang is negotiating with FGG over whether it would be called Taiwan or Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) at the games.
‘We will fight till the last moment to use our national flag at the Gay Games,’ he said.
The Gay Games are held every four years after starting in 1982. The Paris games will run for 10 days and attract more than 10,000 participants.
Hong Kong – an official Chinese territory – will become the first Asian country to host the Gay Games in 2022. At those games it will be impossible for Taiwan to compete under its preferred name.
Taiwan is considered to be one of the most progressive country’s in Asia when it comes to LGBTI rights. Last year, it became the first country in Asia to approve same-sex marriage.
