Despite Taiwan’s global reputation for being progressive on LGBTQ+ rights, only a tiny handful of out LGBTQ+ people holds elected office in the country. From public mockery to pressure to meet societal gender expectations, queer politicians like Miao Po-ya and aspiring changemakers like Antonio Wu are confronting the unspoken barriers that still shape who gets to represent Taiwan and who doesn’t.
00:00There isn't a single openly gay man in an elected position in Taiwanese politics.
00:05Antonio Wu, a staffer for a Taipei City Councilor, is hoping to change that in the future.
00:30Just down the hallway from Antonio is the office of Miao Boya, one of the few openly gay councillors in Taiwan.
00:38Queer rights and representation have long been a key issue for Miao, who has experienced first-hand the fallout of being out in politics.
00:47Just last year, a Taiwan People's Party legislator made fun of her in front of thousands of people.
00:53She explains what he said in Taiwanese.
01:00But Miao refused to dilute her identity.
01:06That is another example to disencourage the youth, because I'm telling them if you want to be successful in politics, you have to hide yourself from the public.
01:19By getting involved in politics, gay people like Miao Boya and Antonio Wu are hoping to change public perceptions about their community,
01:27and push for a legislature that better represents the demographics of the people it serves.
01:32If you lost the color in Spanish, you'd like to speak to those in San Diego, and I think that the girls in San Diego were looking forward to seeing a bigger display onto the national anthem into the country.
01:40It's like an appearance of the national anthem.
01:42WHAT DO YOU SEE WHAT THEY DO, ARE YOU SEE WHAT THEY DO?
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