28/10/2019 – Scene Magazine – From the heart of LGBTQ+ Life

THE END OF AIDS?

FREE DOUBLE-BILL SCREENING

As part of their week long science festival the Towner Gallery in Eastbourne will be hosting a double-bill screening of films exploring the experiences of people living with HIV/AIDS in two different parts of the world. Introduced by anthropologist Gem Aellah.

POSITIVE YOUTUBERS, directed by Leandro Goddinho, 15 mins An experimental short film about four Brazilians who create Youtube channels in order to talk openly about their HIV status and

ATIENO, directed by June Ndinya (subtitles) 64 mins. UK premiere of a unique feature film which tells the moving story of Atieno, a 16 year old girl from Kisumu, Kenya, who drops out of school and is forced to fend for her sick father and siblings.

The film was entirely written, directed, produced and acted by the Dream Girls, young women participating in a collaborative community media project that educates girls about the relationship between HIV, entrepreneurship and resilience.

This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science, an annual, week-long celebration of the social sciences and social science research:

Thee events are free and open to all but booking required:

WEDNESDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

AT 7PM

TOWNER ART GALLERY

EASTBOURNE.

More info

Taiwan celebrates 1st pride since becoming only Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage

This year was the first LGBTQ+ Pride parade since Taiwan became the first Asian country to legalize equal marriage. The 5.5km route started at Taipei City Hall and continued along Zhongxiao East Road, ending at the Presidential Palace.

It is estimated that between 170,000 to 250,000 people were in attendance throughout the day, with visitors from approximately 100 countries.

With this now the largest Pride event in Asia the sun shone over hundreds of thousands of people who took to Taipei’s streets to celebrate love. Since its initiation in 2003, drawing visitors every year from countries worldwide to join the festivities and experience the island’s vibrant civil society. The 17th LGBTQ+ parade focused on the theme, “Together, Make Taiwan Better,” calling for compassion and care among LGBTQ+ communities and the general public.

There were two stages, at Taipei City Hall Plaza and Ketagalan Boulevard, six ‘teams’ for each color of the rainbow, 24 floats and approximately 180 groups officially registered for the parade. Five flags representing bisexual, trans, pansexual, asexual and intersex groups led the teams throughout the route.

A record-breaking 30 companies signed up to participate and sponsor the parade this year. Meanwhile, over 100 booths joined in the Rainbow Market, a vendors’ area at Taipei City Hall Square offering LGBTQ+-oriented merchandise, NGO information, and other commercial services.

According to Ministry of the Interior statistics, a total of 2,155 same-sex marriages were registered in Taiwan as of the end of September, of which 1,461 pairs were women and 694 were men.

Even though Taiwan has legalized same-sex marriage, discrimination and misunderstanding toward LGBTQ+ people still exist, and this requires constant attention and action in society, said one of the organizers, the Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association.