A Taiwan presidential frontrunner joins Pride march, Johannesburg Pride marches for LGBTQ Ugandans, and the Vatican Synod ends without clarity on its LGBTQ stance.
Taiwan Presidential Frontrunner Joins Pride March
Roughly 180,000 people marched in East Asia’s largest Pride march.
Vice President Lai Ching-te joined the march, making him the most senior government leader ever to attend.
"On this road, the [Democratic Progressive Party] has always been together with everyone. Equal marriage is not the end - it's the starting point for diversity. I will stand steadfast on this path,” said Ching-te.
He also thanked those who have worked to support equality and the legalization of same-sex marriage.
According to Reuters, this comes before Taiwan’s presidential and parliamentary elections in January where Ching-te leads the opinion polls.
The other three presidential candidates did not attend the march.
Johannesburg Pride Marches For LGBTQ Ugandans
Photo via prideofafrica.org.
Over 20,000 people marched in Johannesburg to celebrate pride and emphasize their support for LGBTQ communities whose relationships are now criminalized.
"Our intention today is to march for Uganda ... for LGBT communities in Africa that can't march for themselves," said organizer Kaye Ally.
She continued, "...That hunger for Pride, as well as all the happenings in Africa, has really amplified the need for us to take to the streets and to come out in all our flamboyancy and assert our authenticity."
According to Reuters, this is the city’s first Pride event since the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s was subdued after threats of a possible terrorist attack.
South Africa remains to be the only African country to legalize same-sex marriage.
Vatican Synod Ends Without Clarity On LGBTQ Stance
Francis DeBernardo. Photo via lgbtqreligiousarchives.org.
The month-long Vatican meeting regarding the future of the Roman Catholic Church ended with no clarity on where the church stands regarding the LGBTQ community, despite it being one of their main topics of discussion.
According to Reuters, at the end of the session, the body released a document with 81 paragraphs that received at least two-thirds approval.
The report did not take an explicit stance on the LGBTQ community, only saying, “In different ways, people who feel marginalized or excluded from the Church because of their marriage status, identity or sexuality, also ask to be heard and accompanied.”
Reuters reported that Synod participants felt a "deep sense of love, mercy and compassion" for those who feel hurt or neglected by the Church but failed to call for greater inclusion.
The executive director of New Ways Ministry, Francis DeBernardo, said the report “greatly disappoints” individuals who want a more positive result from the Synod.
DeBernardo said in a statement that it is "important for the Catholic Church to live up to its best ideals of being an enlarged tent where all are welcome, all are respected, and all are treated equally.”
