May 2024

The Aesthetics of the Bluebird Movement

Brian Hioe
The “Bluebird Movement” evidenced many characteristics of an occupation-style movement, even if it was not truly one. After all, though the name “Bluebird” took its name from how the main street on which the protests took place, “Qingdao East Road”, is visually similar to “bluebird” in Chinese, the protest took the form of day-long demonstrations starting when the contested legislative powers were discussed in the legislature...
EnglishMay 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements8 min read

Reflecting on the Bluebird Movement in Photos

newbloomeditor
The "Bluebird Movement" protests have made their mark on Taiwan, even if this was not successful in preventing the third reading of the legislative changes pushed for by the KMT and TPP. At present, we are putting a call out to readers to contribute their photo and video documentation of the demonstration through this Google form, in the interests of archiving the protest. Here are some of the contributions to date. Thank you again to all who have contributed so far...
EnglishMay 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

High Administrative Court Rules Again Against Surgery Requirement for Legal Gender Change

Yo-Ling Chen
This morning at 10:30 AM, the Taipei High Administrative Court ruled in favor of a transgender man’s administrative appeal case to change his legal gender without providing proof of sexual organ removal surgery. The plaintiff, known by the pseudonym of Nemo, was represented by the Taiwan Alliance for Civil Partnership Rights and is likely to become the first transgender man in Taiwan to change his legal gender to male without undergoing compulsory sterilization surgery...
EnglishGender/SexualityMay 2024Social Movements6 min read

‘Bluebird Movement’ Draws 30,000 Outside Legislature, Though Third Reading of Controversial Bill Takes Place

Brian Hioe
Controversial legal changes pushed for by the KMT and TPP passed their third reading today. As such, it is a question what happens next, with protests against the new bills having exploded from 300 demonstrating outside of the legislature on May 17th, to 30,000 on May 21st, and the current peak of over 100,000 on May 24th. Today's demonstration has drawn 30,000 to date, with it unclear what happens next...
EnglishMay 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements8 min read

A Look at the ‘Bluebird Movement’ in Photos

newbloomeditor
Demonstrations to date against the pan-Blue camp's power grab have now been termed the "Bluebird Movement." At present, we are putting a call out to readers to contribute their photo and video documentation of the demonstration through this Google form, in the interests of archiving the protest. Here are some of the contributions to date. Thank you again to all who have contributed so far. See you on the streets tomorrow!...
EnglishMay 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements6 min read

Nymphia Wind’s RuPaul’s Drag Race Win: Rekindling Exotification or Alternative Empowerment?

Ziggy Zhu
As the judge announced, "America's next drag superstar is - Nymphia Wind!", the room of filled with anticipation and excitement. Nymphia, wearing her iconic all-yellow outfit and high ponytail, covered her face and kneeled down dramatically, overwhelmed by her victory. Born in the United State and raised in Taiwan, Nymphia, otherwise known as Leo Tsao, developed a passion for making clothes and dressing up as a teenager. She transformed her teenage enthusiasm into a thriving career and made history for queer people in Asia by becoming the first drag queen of East Asian heritage to win RuPaul's Drag Race. Her victory sparked discussions about Taiwanese drag culture, LGBTQ+ rights, and Asian representation across the globe. This article explores how Nymphia evokes the exoticized fascination of Asia in the Global North through her performances and recodes this fascination into tools that empower queer people in Asia...
Arts and CultureEnglishMay 2024Performance6 min read

100,000 Demonstrate in Taipei Against Pan-Blue Camp’s Power Grab

Brian Hioe
Over 100,000 demonstrated in Taipei today against the legal amendments that the KMT and TPP are intent on railroading through the Taiwanese legislature. The demonstration started at 9 AM and ended around midnight when the legislative session ended. The protest was clearly one of the largest demonstrations in Taiwan since the 2014 Sunflower Movement, particularly seeing as most protests of this size in the years since then have been daytime protests that were planned ahead of time, and took place during the daytime on weekends...
EnglishMay 2024Self-DeterminationSocial MovementsYouth Movements18 min read