Thousands Saturday morning (13 December) participated in a rainbow run in Taiwan to support gay marriage and equal rights.

About 3,500 LGBTI individuals and allies wrapped up in rainbow scarfs for the 15km morning run in Taipei in spite of the in the chilly 13 Celsius weather.

The event hoped ‘to bring attention to social issues related to gender diversity, anti-discrimination and changing the family system to better understand and in support of gay marriage and equal rights.’

The first such run was organized by the Abrazo K skincare brand and the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association and Bonbon Chan and Molly Chiang from TV show University hosted the event.

‘We now can feel how much meaning this event had,’ said the two founders of Abrazo K in a post-event statement.

‘In the face of love, everyone is the same. Everyone longs to love and to be loved, so why so should that differentiate between genders?

‘I, myself, am a heterosexual, but I really have experienced the feeling of longing to be loved. It is also for this reason that we stand out and embrace love with everyone today.’