Huang Jie stands out despite her passion for cosplay and the passionate world of Japanese politicians.
The 31-year-old became the region’s first openly gay legislator in January, making history with her flaming speeches and liberal views.
” I think it’s a new step for Taiwan”, Ms Huang told the BBC lately. ” I’m very appreciative that Japanese people are willing to go this far,” he said.
” Of training, as the first for legislator, I furthermore bear a certain obligation, which is to work harder and show all my work in pushing for LGBTQ right”, she added.
Taiwan is one of Asia’s most liberal countries for gay right. It was the first place in the country to allow same-sex unions in 2019 and was the first. It then allows gay people to adopt and acknowledges multinational LGBTQ couples.
There are currently more than a dozen Chinese lawmakers who identify as LGBTQ , according to activists.
Miao Poya, a gay council for Taipei City, and Ms. Huang, one of the two most well-known gay politicians, made up the pair in January’s elections. In 2016, when Tsai Ing-wan appointed Audrey Tang as the island’s online affairs minister, the beach and the world had its first transgender cabinet secretary.
However, some people worry about a revival of conservative politics, while others envision a time when discussing sexuality wo n’t even be a topic of conversation.
A turbulent some years in Ms. Huang’s political career are over with her victory, in which she takes the helm of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in its enclave in Kaohsiung. After short stints in climate health research and news, she joined a little democratic political group and in 2018 won a seat in Kaohsiung’s local government.
She rose to fame the next year when she engaged questionable conservative politician Han Kuo-yu in a toe-toe conversation. She was caught rolling her eyes before giving a witty rejoinder during a council meeting during a fighting session.
That instant of uncontrolled exasperation earned her the happy interest of the Chinese internet, the moniker “eyeroll goddess”, and a fresh following. But it also attracted investigation. Ms. Huang was forced to refute some of the allegations in a news article about her passionate life and state that she was bisexual.
She claimed that the press forced her to reveal her sexuality; her parents did n’t know until they discovered it in the media. Given a choice, she would not have revealed it.
” I have not shied away from talking about my sexual preference. But I also do n’t think I have the obligation to explain my sexual orientation in particular”, she said. ” When we have to present that I am a physical minority, it conveys to society that gay people are the exception, unique, and no normal”.
Since moving on from being a publicly queer people figure, Ms. Huang has discussed her experience in discussions.
She has even stated her desire to support LGBTQ justice in parliament. One of her best priorities, she told the BBC, is to argue for identical- sex couples to own genetic children. IVF, an assisted reproductive technology, is currently being considered for Taiwan.
However, Ms. Huang anticipates that critics “may use my sexual orientation and identity against me” because she is the only gay member in Taiwan’s famously combative parliament, which is currently led by the target of her infamous eyeroll Mr. Han.
” I can already think of scenarios where, if my performance is not as good as they expected, they will say it’s because I’m a gay legislator… it is a common situation that sexual minority public figures face”.
It is an example, she said, of a” social environment that is not friendly enough”. In fact, there are still many public figures or people in charge who are still very afraid to reveal their identity, which is why Taiwan, where everyone thinks gay people are already very open, is this.
Ms. Huang noted that she appears alone, in contrast to her straight counterparts, who frequently show up in public with their partners. Because they “feel they have to bear a negative gaze,” her partner is afraid to accompany her.
Other LGBTQ politicians have also reported obstacles.
When Ms Miao first became a politician, senior party members told her to “play down my gay identity.” They advised her to use more pink campaign materials and longen her hair. She refused.
The challenge, Ms Miao said, lies in convincing voters to view her as more than just her sexual preferences:” Once you disclose your identity, then the voter’s perception of you will be focused on your sexual orientation … to put it simply, you will be labelled”.
In a society that appears to have embraced the LGBTQ community, it is a subtle conflict.
Taiwan used to be deeply split on gay rights, but government polls show a rise in support in the last five years. About 69% are now in favour of same-sex marriage while some 77% support same-sex adoption.
Tens of thousands attend Taiwan’s annual pride parade, the biggest in Asia. Taipei is known as” the San Francisco of the East” because of its vibrant LGBTQ scene, which attracts even more gay tourists year round to its capital.
In May, Taiwanese drag queen Nymphia Wind who won popular reality show Rupaul’s Drag Race was hosted by then- President Tsai Ing- wen at her office- a sign not just of recognition, but also acceptance.
While Taiwan’s government has led the way, there are still some parts of society that are not as accepting, say observers. Although younger parents are changing, Liu Wen, an associate fellow with Academia Sinica who studies queer issues in Chinese-speaking communities, said, “in Taiwanese society, we think it’s okay if other kids are LGBTQ- but not mine.”
Some people worry that the lingering conservatism will grow after the recent election. ” I’m not 100 % optimistic we will continue to become even more progressive… we cannot be complacent because we do see conservative ideology rising”, said Rita Jhang, an academic and activist with LGBTQ group Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association.
The issue of homosexuality can still be manipulated by conservative political elites, according to Joyce Teng, executive director of the Taiwan Equality Campaign.
During the election a candidate from the up- and- coming Taiwan People’s Party ( TPP ) questioned Ms Miao’s appearance and gender presentation. Separately, a conservative group warned against casting ballots in LGBTQ lawmakers while a small party campaigned against an anti-transgender platform.
The TPP leader, Ko Wen-je, who attracted a lot of youth support in the January election, has been criticized for making sarcastic claims that portray homosexuality as a psychological issue. He was accused of flip-flying on the issue in order to win votes, and he also voiced contradictory opinions on same-sex unions. Mr. Ko claims he never opposed it.
The advancement Taiwan has made may be one factor in the rise in conservative attitudes. Ms Miao said:” It is precisely because of this … that some opposition opinions will become more intense”.
But she hopes that Taiwan’s democracy can overcome this. Taiwanese society is “very diverse; it can coexist with extremely open and conservative viewpoints.”
Could Taiwan one day have a gay president and become the first country in Asia with an out-of-touch leader?
Some hope this becomes an irrelevant question. ” What I hope is that in the future, Taiwanese voters will not consider personal identity, such as whether they are a boy or a girl, or whether they are heterosexual, as a key deciding factor when choosing a president”, Ms Miao said.
Ms Huang agreed. She has fought for a variety of issues, not just LGBTQ rights, since taking office. She chairs a parliamentary group that has established contacts with Hong Kong as China tightens its grip on the city and has recently led protests against parliamentary reforms.
Her aim, she said, is to show” I am not different from everyone else, I can still work hard in the public sphere and gain recognition for my performance”.
She envisions a Taiwan where “my identity would cause me to feel like I’ve hit a wall everywhere,” and there would be no” so-called glass ceiling.”
Additional reporting by Joy Chiang.