Beyond Links: More than Clicks
超．連結——跨越標籤，理解差異
Looking back at 2024, the 22nd Taiwan LGBT+ Pride adopted the theme "邁向共融，交織共生 Embrace Inclusion." This theme invited the public to not only recognize the rich tapestry of diversity, but also to take a further step toward inclusive coexistence, so that different groups can truly participate equally in public decision-making and gradually eliminate barriers between them.
However, in 2025, global trends and the shifting tone of online communities have brought new challenges facing LGBT+ communities worldwide…
At the start of this year, in the wake of Donald J. Trump's reelection as U.S. president, there was a resurgence of backlash against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion). Across Europe, similar anti-DEI policy rollbacks have emerged, framing gender equality and cultural diversity not as cornerstones of social progress but as burdens of political correctness. This tide, spreading rapidly through social media, has deeply influenced national policies and has also affected the ways Taiwanese businesses and government institutions approach gender-related issues and resource allocation.
In an age where algorithms drive public opinion and memes infiltrate everyday life, anti-DEI discourse no longer appears only in political debates. More often, it slips into casual discussions through mockery and ridicule. This kind of offhand dismissal is more influential than direct opposition, allowing the view that gender equality is overly politicized to subtly permeate public discussions online.
Against this backdrop, the 23rd Taiwan LGBT+ Pride has chosen "超．連結——跨越標籤，理解差異 Beyond Links: More than Clicks" as this year's theme and a call to action. The word “Links” symbolizes the information era of the internet, prompting us to reflect on how online discourse shapes, and sometimes distorts, public perceptions of sexuality and gender. At the same time, "Beyond Links" calls on society to move past superficial online interactions and symbols, transcending entrenched labels and prejudice. It urges us to rebuild authentic, meaningful connections so that we can truly understand one another.
Echo Chambers and the Challenges of Gender Discourse
This appeal is not an abstract vision, but a recognition of real challenges in today's online discussions. The debate over surrogacy in recent years clearly illustrates these tensions.
Supporters center their arguments on bodily autonomy, family diversity, and reproductive choice, arguing that if national systems and relevant regulations were designed to be more comprehensive, the rights and interests of all parties could be protected while addressing the needs of different types of families. Opponents, on the other hand, focus on risks of exploitation and commercialization, including gender and class inequalities, the commodification of women's reproductive labor, and the possibility that disadvantaged people might be pressured by financial hardship into providing reproductive services.
In actuality, surrogacy involves cross-border legal gaps, the safety and limitations of medical technology, as well as protections for women's labor rights and children's welfare.It's difficult to fully encompass this issue with a single narrative, let alone reach consensus through simplified statements of position, however, on social media platforms, these complex and nuanced aspects, which should be carefully discussed, are often compressed into binary narratives. “Identity”, once a foundation of self-recognition, becomes a weapon to exclude others. As a result, it is easy to slip into a mindset that "those unlike me must be against me," viewing those with different opinions as threats and, amidst layers of defensiveness and suspicion, eroding the possibility of mutual understanding.
Thus, the echo chamber effect becomes magnified in polarized online environments. Perhaps, when discussing difficult topics, we can avoid reducing others to caricatures of a stance and instead see the richness of their lived experience. Only then can conversations rise above emotional clashes and make room for genuine understanding.
Gender Stigma in Disguise: LGBT+ Identities Turned Into Jokes
If polarized speech and rigid labels are blades cutting off dialogue, then the culture of social media that wraps gender stigma in humor is a raw form of discrimination against LGBT+ identities. This culture coats prejudice with the sweetness of jokes, helping it spread more quickly and making it harder to stop.
A striking example occurred earlier this year when the AIYU (The Love and Desire Practice) Club at National Tsing Hua University posted information promoting the Hsinchu Pride Parade. The post was soon flooded with some mockingly tagging others with comments like, "Hey, this one's for you," "I signed you up," and "LOL, you will love this." These remarks, shared repeatedly among friends, appeared harmless or were rationalized as casual "bro humor." However, beneath the playful surface there was an implicit message: LGBT+ identities are still treated as a punchline, and sexual orientation remains a target for ridicule and cheap amusement. This pattern normalizes stigma, allowing discriminatory speech to spread endlessly under the guise of humor.
This incident is far from isolated. Similar dynamics are long-standing and widespread in comments under posts by gender-focused groups and advocacy organizations. Within this culture of mockery, the subjectivity of LGBT+ communities is ruthlessly erased. Their real-life experiences and appeals are reduced to material for jokes, and every seemingly funny tag further marginalizes LGBT+ identities.
In response, the NTHU AIYU Club launched the NTHU Campus Gender Comment Archive campaign under the slogan "This Is My Event." The initiative records public online remarks, not to start a witch hunt or shame commenters, but to gently and firmly remind everyone that every seemingly offhand remark carries real consequences, and we all have a basic responsibility for our words.
Conclusion: From Clicks to Companionship
In 2025, Taiwan LGBT+ Pride celebrates its 23rd year. Looking back at the long path toward gender equality, we once gathered in the streets, shouting ourselves hoarse to make homosexuality visible. We endured countless struggles and finally achieved the legalization of same-sex marriage. These milestones are the hard-won fruits of countless pioneers before us. However, we know that legal progress does not equate to social understanding and acceptance.
Today, much of public conversation has shifted online, opening a new and more complex battleground. One that will determine the kind of future we aim to build. In this digital realm of algorithms, identity labels, and anonymity, the meaning of “connection” is often diluted into superficial clicks, likes, and shares. We grow accustomed to defining others by simplified labels and wielding mockery as a weapon – forgetting that behind every screen is a real, multi-dimensional person.
Therefore, on October 25 this year, Taiwan LGBT+ Pride sincerely invites everyone to start with themselves, let every "link" go beyond mere data points, and appreciate genuine human stories. Only by crossing the barriers built from prejudice and fear, and by appreciating each unique life experience, can we weave a more resilient society, making Taiwan ever more diverse, equal, and truly respectful of one another.