PHOTOS: The Rainbow Shines In Taipei At Taiwan Pride

On Saturday, more than 50,000 queers and their allies flocked to Taipei for the annual Taiwan LGBT Pride, the largest celebration of its kind in Asia. Now in its tenth year, the capital city’s celebration kicked off with a rally and speakers outside the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard. Hong Kong pop star Gigi Leung and out singer Anthony Wong were on hand to show their support.

“Love is gender-blind—everyone is entitled to the right to enjoy happiness,” Leung told the Taipei Times. “I can feel the joy of marriage after I got married last year, and I hope that everyone can enjoy the same degree of happiness as I do, regardless of their sexual orientation.”

At 2pm, the crowd split in two and criss-crossed the city in a colorful parade, with a variety of factions marching—from shirtless hunks touting Manhunt to an AIDS activist group carrying a display made from HIV medication packaging. Many carried placards referencing the parade’s theme, “I Do!”, a call for marriage equality in Taiwan. “We think the right to marry is a basic human right,” said parade spokesperson Chen Chia-yu. “And whether or not a person actually wants to get married, marriage should be a basic right that all citizens have.”