A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day

Shih Han on the roof top of the building where his family lives, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘I feel very proud that Taiwan just became the first Asian country to legalize same sex marriage, and I really believe it’s just the first step. Now we have to let more and more people know that we have the same rights as heterosexual people. Education is the priority.  I get discriminated by gay men because of this expectation that we should be muscular with short hair, as to compensate for something. I’m sick of this. Some patriarcal gay men asked me why I had long hair, thinking I was giving gay men a bad name by looking different. They think it’s adding an extra layer of misunderstanding for the society. They believe I’m not a good gay man. But why should I follow the rules? I just want to be myself.’ Shih Han Shih Han is a performing artist. He lives with his family in New Taipei City. Photo by Su Cassiano/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

A Brighter Summer Day

A Brighter Summer Day

Crown and Carole at home, New Taipei City, Taiwan, 2019 ‘Even my mum told me that it’s not that she doesn’t support me having a family, it’s more that she thinks if we have this whole gay marriage legalization there are going to be more gay people in the society. That’s not true. It’s that now gay people are more visible, now you are hearing from them. Before they were hiding their identity within the society. This is a weird time. I didn’t think I would be able to get married or to have kids here in Taiwan. But now that this little window is open and you see the possibility that this might be able to be changed and have hope and people try to stop it, you get really angry. We had a vote before and there was 7 million votes against the legalization of same sex marriage so it doesn’t look good. Older people are being told that if we let ‘homos’ get married it’s going to ruin heterosexual’s rights to get married and that people are going to marry their dogs and their kids will become gays.’ Carole Crown works i

Pedestrian light featuring lesbian couple

Pedestrian light featuring lesbian couple

Photo taken May 12, 2015, in Vienna, the capital of Austria, shows a signal for pedestrians with a design of a lesbian couple. Austrian municipal authorities have erected 49 pedestrian lights with designs of same-sex or heterosexual couples in a bid to abolish prejudice against homosexuality ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest final to be held in the city on May 23, local media said. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Pedestrian light featuring lesbian couple

Pedestrian light featuring lesbian couple

Photo taken May 12, 2015, in Vienna, the capital of Austria, shows a signal for pedestrians with a design of a lesbian couple. Austrian municipal authorities have erected 49 pedestrian lights with designs of same-sex or heterosexual couples in a bid to abolish prejudice against homosexuality ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest final to be held in the city on May 23, local media said. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo