LGBTQ Archives - Talking Taiwan Podcast

Birdy Explores Universal Themes of Freedom, Limitation and Identity Relevant to Taiwan | Ep 353

Felicia Lin — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:16:25 +0000

We were at the dress rehearsal of BIRDY, one Hung Dance’s most critically acclaimed productions, which will be premiering in New York at NYU Skirball on July 17 & 18^th. BIRDY explores the relationship between freedom, limitation, and identity through a distinctive movement language inspired by Tai Chi, traditional Peking opera and contemporary dance.

We sat down to speak with Lai Hung-Chung, Choreographer and Artistic Director of Hung Dance about his artistic vision for BIRDY and Wei-Ping Chen the dance company’s Operations Director. Lai told us that the themes of freedom, limitation, and identity not only reflect his personal struggles but also relate to Taiwan’s situation.

Hung Dance is an award-winning Taiwanese contemporary dance company founded in 2017. The troupe’s name comes from the Chinese character 翃 (Hóng), meaning to fly.

Cony Hsieh Kaohsiung Pride President Focuses on LGBTQ+ Issues and Reforming Taiwan’s Military | Ep 350

Felicia Lin — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:48:09 +0000

Happy Pride month! Cony Hsieh is President of the Kaohsiung Pride Parade Association. We recently spoke with Cony about her experience as a lesbian woman serving in Taiwan’s military, and how she hopes her research on gender issues in the military can help push for reform in Taiwan’s military.

She’s also a podcaster and her podcast 微叛逆ê副駕 (which has been translated as “The Slightly Rebellious Co-pilot”) is about LGBTQ+ life experiences and gender issues in the military. She once created 28 days of podcast episodes covering a range of LGBTQ+ experiences for Pride Month!

Cony has a master’s degree from the Graduate Institute of Gender Education at National Kaohsiung Normal University.

Related Links:

Get Exclusive Access to the REPLAY VIDEO of the 2026 Talking Taiwan Gala by making a contribution of $50 or more: https://events.humanitix.com/talking-taiwan-2026-fundraising-gala

Cony Hsieh’s podcast 微叛逆ê副駕 (which has been translated as “The Slightly Rebellious Co-pilot): https://podcasts.apple.com/tw/podcast/%E5%BE%AE%E5%8F%9B%E9%80%86%C3%AA%E5%89%AF%E9%A7%95/id1547207923?l=en-GB

Kaohsiung Pride: https://www.instagram.com/khpride/

What Led to Taiwan’s Same Sex Marriage? Ep 83

What Led to Taiwan’s Same Sex Marriage? Ep 83: https://talkingtaiwan.com/what-led-to-taiwans-same-sex-marriage-ep-83/

Taiwan Hosts WorldPride 2025: Our Conversation with Darien Chen and Amazin LeThi Ep 162

Taiwan Hosts WorldPride 2025: Our Conversation with Darien Chen and Amazin LeThi (Episode 162): https://talkingtaiwan.com/taiwan-hosts-worldpride-2025-our-conversation-with-darien-chen-and-amazin-lethi-ep-162/

What Caused the Cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025? Our Discussion with David Yu Ep 220

What Caused the Cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025? Our Discussion with David Yu Ep 220: https://talkingtaiwan.com/what-caused-the-cancellation-of-worldpride-taiwan-2025-our-discussion-with-david-yu-ep-220/

General Yu (于北辰): Former 4-Star General of Taiwan Army Shifts from KMT to Independent Ep 256

General Yu (于北辰): Former 4-Star General of Taiwan Army Shifts from KMT to Independent (Episode 256): https://talkingtaiwan.com/general-yu-%e4%ba%8e%e5%8c%97%e8%be%b0-former-4-star-general-of-taiwan-army-shifts-from-kmt-to-independent-ep-256/

The post Cony Hsieh Kaohsiung Pride President Focuses on LGBTQ+ Issues and Reforming Taiwan’s Military | Ep 350 appeared first on Talking Taiwan Podcast.

Nymphia Wind Brings Taiwan’s Betel Nut Beauty Culture to the New York Pride March | Ep 349

Felicia Lin — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 06:57:10 +0000

This year’s Taiwan Pride Float at the New York City Pride March was inspired by Taiwan’s Betel Nut Beauty culture. The concept and design was conceived by Nymphia Wind, who was already an established drag queen in Taiwan when she won RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 in 2024.

Nymphia dedicated her win to Taiwan and that same year Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen congratulated Nymphia and invited her to perform at the presidential office. In 2024 Nymphia also appeared on the Taiwan Pride Float at the New York City Pride March. In 2025 Nymphia performed at the Paris Cultural Olympiad.

Right before the New York City Pride March on Sunday, June 28th, we were invited to an event where Nymphia shared her creative vision behind this year’s Taiwan Pride float. We also had a chance to meet the other betel nut beauties Yolanda Mesula and Tina Banana, who would be joining Nymphia on the float. After Nymphia’s initial comments, I did have a chance to ask her a question and to get some other soundbites.

Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action Panel: Meet the Panelists Ep 306

Felicia Lin — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 10:09:07 +0000

March is Women’s History Month and in this episode of Talking Taiwan I’ll be speaking with the Angela Feng, the organizer of the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action panel, a UN CSW69 Parallel Event that’s going to be held here in New York City on Friday, March 14th from 4:30pm-6:00pm. CSW69 stands for the 69th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Also with me in this interview are the other two panelists Cindy Wu who’s been a previous guest on Talking Taiwan and Dr. Remi Duyile.

There are quite a few acronyms tossed around in this conversation so I thought I’d mention them upfront here like SDG goals, which stands for Sustainable Development Goals which were adopted by United Nations Member States. There are 17 SDGs because ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The other acronym you’ll hear is BPW which stands for Business and Professional Women.

The theme of the panel is how education and community initiatives equal empowerment. The session will dive into how education and grassroots programs can transform lives.

Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi not only talked about the panel, and work of their respective organizations, but I ask each of the women who were their earliest role models who helped to shape who they are today, and to share about challenges that they’ve had to overcome in their careers thus far.

If you’d like to know how you can attend the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action go to the Related Links section of this post to find the link to register for it on Eventbrite.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

Angela Feng, Cindy Wu, and Dr. Remi Duyile are the organizers and panelists for the Empowering Women Through Education and Community Action Panel.
The panel’s theme is “How Education and Community Initiatives Equal Empowerment.”
The session will explore how education and grassroots programs can significantly transform lives, particularly for women and girls.
Angela Feng is the president of Soroptimist Taipei International, Girls Power, a female non-profit organization recognized by the UN and Taiwan.
Cindy Wu is a trilingual financial management professional, singer-songwriter, and motivational speaker, involved with the International Federation of Business and Professional Women (BPW).
Dr. Remi Duyile is a Nigerian-American, a UN ambassador of peace, and the founder of Legacy Premier Foundation, a global developmental non-profit.
The discussion will delve into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how these goals relate to women’s empowerment
Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi the work that they have done with each of their respective organizations
Angela, Cindy and Dr. Remi talked about their early role models and the challenges they have overcome in their careers.
The panel aims to provide practical insights and inspire action, moving beyond abstract concepts of women’s empowerment.
The women want to provide action steps, and resources to the audience
Soroptimist International of Taipei Girls Power focuses on education for young women, from elementary school through college.
The Legacy Premier Foundation focuses on financial literacy, and providing access to resources to underserved communities, and teaches skills that are needed in the market place.
The International Federation of Business and Professional Women works to create opportunities for women through promoting employment, and protecting rights.

Psychological Defense and Practices to Manage Stress for the People of Taiwan: A Talk with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo Ep 296

Felicia Lin — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 14:37:55 +0000

In July I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the Taiwanese American Conference- East Coast about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan.

Since 2020 Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has been reporting the number of incursions China makes by sea and air into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone. These incursions now happen on a daily basis and already the tally for this year alone has surpassed the total number of occurrences that took place last year in 2023.

Recently, on October 14th, just days after President Lai Ching-te’s Double Ten Day speech, China’s military initiated the “Joint Sword-2024B” drills, a simulated blockade which took place in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s MND, a record number of 153 Chinese military aircraft were detected around Taiwan within a 25-hour period.

We’ve previously discussed China’s gray zone military tactics and civil defense preparedness, on this podcast, but just as important is something called psychological defense.

In July we brought Talking Taiwan to the 53rd annual Taiwanese American Conference, East Coast that was held at West Chester University. That is where I sat down with Dr. Hsiao-Wen Lo (駱筱雯) who spoke at the conference about Psychological Defense for the People of Taiwan.

We also got into a discussion about the related topics of trauma and practices to manage stress and maintain good mental health.

This episode is sponsored in part by the Taiwanese American Council of Greater New York.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Dr. Lo got interested in psychological defense
What is psychological defense
The importance of the mind-body connection
Types of trauma: psychological trauma, generational trauma, collective trauma
What is psychological warfare
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s psychological warfare tactics
The impact of long-term stress
Post traumatic growth
Fight or Flight states
Strategies to deal with stress
The erasure of Taiwan by China

The Boba Guys: Andrew Chau and Bin Chen Bubble Tea Entrepreneurs Bridging Cultures for 11 Years Ep 288

Felicia Lin — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 12:05:39 +0000

Early last year I spoke with Boba Guys co-founders Andrew Chau and Bin Chen. At the time Andrew had just gotten back from visiting Taiwan and other parts of Asia, so it was interesting to hear his observations. Andrew and Bin shared so many great nuggets.

We talked about how they got started with a pop-up shop while working fulltime and how they continued to so even after they opened their first few stores Other topics covered include how Boba Guys weathered the pandemic, Andrew and Bin’s book called The Boba Book, and how they see boba as a way to bridge cultures.

What has Boba Guys been up to since we spoke? Lots of interesting collabs with other brands, and the release of a loyalty program called “Passport” which gamifies the experience through loot boxes instead of linearly earning points to redeem for a drink.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How Andrew and Bin first met when they both worked at Timbuktu
How they decided to start a bubble tea business
Andrew’s recent trip to Taiwan and the other Taiwanese Americans he met up with while there
Andrew’s thoughts on Taiwan’s bubble tea scene
How they started with a pop-up shop
How they have not taken any VC (venture capital) money
The social costs and risks of being an entrepreneur
How other Taiwanese American entrepreneurs like Steve Chen and Kevin Lin mentored them
How Andrew does advising for the small business council and testified in Washington D.C. on behalf of small businesses
How they were working on Boba Guys Japan when the pandemic hit
How Boba Guys dealt with the pandemic
The biggest challenges they’ve experienced
The third wave of boba
The meaning of the word boba and how Andrew’s mom reacted to the name Boba Guys
How Boba Guys name their drinks
Their book, The Boba Book and how they choose their co-author Richard Parks
What happened when they went to Taiwan and tried to determine which tea shop invented bubble tea
The Boba Guys’ merchandise and aardvark mascot
The Boba Home Kit and how they created a boba kit that was on Williams Sonoma
How they teach people how to make boba online
How they have mentored other entrepreneurs

Michelle Krusiec: Acclaimed Actor, Writer, and Director Talks About Dealing with Institutional Racism and her Sources of Inspiration Ep 279

Felicia Lin — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 17:35:55 +0000

Last September I had the pleasure of interviewing actor, writer and director Michelle Krusiec. Her IMDB page displays an impressive list of acting roles dating back to 1992.

We talked about the different phases of her career starting with her one-woman show, Made in Taiwan, which earned her much critical acclaim. She wrote, directed and acted in it in her 20s. Then there was her first main character role in a feature film, Saving Face, a film that put her on my radar and so many others’ in 2004. In 2020 she portrayed the legendary Anna May Wong in the Netflix series Hollywood. Stepping into that role helped her to rethink the institutionalized racism that she’s experienced as an actor. Michelle also talked about her directorial projects, and expressed her thoughts on the SAG-AFTRA strike, and so much more.

March is Women’s History Month and so we thought this would be the perfect time to release the first episode of the Trailblazing Taiwanese Women’s series sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association, which was founded in 1988. To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

How she got on the path of acting
The stereotypical Asian roles she took on early in her career
The struggles she’s faced in her acting career
How playing the role of Anna May Wong helped her to rethink the institutional racism that she’s faced as an actor
Her first leading role in a feature film (Saving Face)
How she grew up she didn’t see many people who looked like her on television and longed to change that
How Michelle prepared for her role in Saving Face by going to Taiwan to learn Mandarin
How Michelle prepared for her role as Anna May Wong in the Netflix series Hollywood
Michelle’s directing projects
Michelle’s one woman show Made in Taiwan and how it opened doors for her and got her a deal with ABC TV
How anti-Asian hate became more prevalent during the pandemic but was around long before
Her upbringing and how it impacted her early career
Michelle’s Washington Post op ed piece
How a fortune teller impacted Michelle’s adoption
The connection between Made in Taiwan and Michelle’s short film, Bite
Michelle’s short film Nian
Michelle’s thoughts on motherhood and parenthood
The writing/directing projects that Michelle is working on
Michelle’s thoughts on the SAG-AFTRA strike
Michelle’s support for SB 805, a bill that supported funding for nonprofit theaters
How Michelle was affected by the BLM (Black Lives Matter) demonstrations that arose during the pandemic
Michelle’s advice to others who want to pursue acting or directing
Michelle’s connection to Taiwan

NYC ART BRIDGE: How TAAC and CHATogether are Winning at Achieving Emotional Wellness Through Art Ep 258

Felicia Lin — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 10:55:51 +0000

The Taiwanese American Arts Council (TAAC) and the Yale CHATogether Group have collaborated on the NYC Art Bridge program. Several of the artists in residence at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house on Governors Island, Building 7B, which has affectionately come to be called the Taiwan house, have participated in the NYC Art Bridge program and created artwork for it. In this episode I will be speaking to Luchia Meihua Lee, the Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council, Dr. Eunice Yuen, Founder and Director of CHATogether, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Child Study Center, and LuLu Meng one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who participated in the NYC Art Bridge program. We previously had Dr. Eunice Yuen on Talking Taiwan in episode 93 to talk about CHATogether (Compassionate Home Action, Together).

There will be a closing ceremony for the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house on Governors Island this Saturday, October 28 at 2:00pm. As a special treat Talking Taiwan’s very own Executive Producer Kaju will be performing as the artist Rad Jet at the closing ceremony with a special guest, Rico Jones, six time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner,Tenor Saxophonist. If you are in the New York area we hope to see you there at Building 7B located in Governors Island’s Nolan Park.

Luchia Meihua Lee, Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council

Eunice Yuen, MD, PhD. Founder and Director of CHATogether, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Child Study Center

LuLu Meng, one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who participated in the NYC Art Bridge program

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

The concept behind NYC Art Bridge and its connection to CHATogether
How NYC Art Bridge connects mental health with the arts
How graphic media, illustration and other visual art can be used as tools to discuss mental health
Through NYC Art Bridge there have been talks with the community, AAPI artists, a community art exhibition
The two community NYC Art Bridge events that have been held on April 29 at the Queens Community College and on September 16 at the Taiwan house (on Governors Island)
The CHATogether component of the NYC Art Bridge events and how it facilitated discussion among the audience
The three parts of NYC Art Bridge: 1) an art exhibit 2) workshop, artist talks, role play, conversation with mental health professionals 3) artist interviews
The purpose of the artist interviews
How NYC Art Bridge serves to bridge artistic work with child and family mental health
How art can be a powerful form of expression or communication without words
How CHATogether use theater as a medium to destigmatize mental health and make people feel more comfortable to talk about mental health
How CHATogether has components of drama therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy
How CHATogether and NYC Art Bridge will be presented at AACAP (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) on October 25 and what will be presented there
Pages from the graphic novel, Healing the Whole Family are displayed at the Taiwan house
The graphic novel, Healing the Whole Family, that was based on a New York Times article written by CHATogether member Grace Chiang
The illustration artwork of Elaine Shin (a psychiatry resident from, Northwestern University) is displayed at the Taiwan house
LuLu Meng, one of the artists in residence at the Taiwan house who also participated in NYC Art Bridge
How LuLu went from being a chemical engineer to an artist
LuLu’s background and childhood in Taiwan
LuLu’s family portrait artwork piece
LuLu’s NYC Art Bridge interview and what it revealed
The artwork LuLu created for NYC Art Bridge
LuLu’s reflections and thoughts about the CHATogether workshop on April 29 at the Queens Community College
LuLu’s artwork that has been displayed at the Taiwan house and what inspired LuLu to create them
What being an artist means to LuLu
The closing ceremony of the Taiwan house (Building 7B in Governors Island’s Nolan Park) will feature a performance by Talking Taiwan’s very own Executive Producer Kaju, who will be performing as the artist Rad Jet at the closing ceremony with a special guest, Rico Jones, six-time Downbeat Magazine Award Winner, Tenor Saxophonist

Taiwanese American Arts Council: From “Island to Island” on Governors Island Ep 249

Felicia Lin — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 16:59:52 +0000

The Taiwanese American Arts Council (TAAC) has been selected to be an Organization in Residence on Governors Island from May to October of this year. The Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house is at Building 7B in Nolan Park on New York’s Governors Island. There will be several artists in residence there. About 20 or 30 artists will use the studios there. Every month there’s something new to see and experience at the house. The art on exhibit is everchanging. Plus there are performances and other events. Altogether 40 artists will be involved. The Taiwanese American Arts Council is the only Asian organization on Governors Island this year.

In this episode you’ll learn about the theme of the house From Island to Island and what’s going to be happening at there in September.

Maxine Leu is a Taiwanese interdisciplinary artist who’s living in New York.

Her work includes environmental and cultural issues.

Maxine Leu’s Artwork:

Luchia Meihua Lee is the Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council.

Photo Credit to: Jessica Maloney

Ming-Jer Kuo (born in Taipei, Taiwan) is a New York-based artist. He had worked as an environmental engineer for eleven years and came to New York for art. He creates interdisciplinary visual art works based on his lens-based media experience, urban living interests and engineer’s analytic perspective.

Ming-jer Kou’s Artwork:

Sarah Walko is an artist, director, curator and writer. She is currently the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Visual Art Center of New Jersey.

Sarah Walko’s Artwork:

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

The Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house on New York’s Governors Island
Artist Maxine Leu and the inspiration behind her dandelion sculptures
Luchia Meihua Lee, the Executive Director of the Taiwanese American Arts Council explains the concept and meaning behind the theme of the TAAC’s house “From Island to Island”
Events and exhibits happening at the TAAC house in September
Ming-Jer Kuo’s background, what inspires his art, and what he’ll have on exhibit in the group show in September at house at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house on Governors Island building 7B
What inspires Sarah Walko’s art and some of her pieces that were on exhibit at the Taiwanese American Arts Council’s house on Governors Island building 7B

What Caused the Cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025? Our Discussion with David Yu Ep 220

Felicia Lin — Thu, 29 Dec 2022 23:26:37 +0000

A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

In August the news broke that WorldPride Taiwan 2025 was no longer going to be hosted by Taiwan.

Less than a year ago, InterPride and Taiwan had celebrated the selection of Kaohsiung Pride’s bid over the Capital Pride Alliance of Washington D.C. to host WorldPride 2025 in Taiwan. The announcement about WorldPride Taiwan 2025 was hugely significant since Taiwan was the first country in Asia to legalize same sex marriage in 2019 and It would be the first ever WorldPride event to be held in East Asia.

My listeners will recall that we did an episode about this news last December with Darien Chen in episode 162.

What had happened to make Kaohsiung Pride and the Taiwan Preparation Committee decide to withdraw from hosting WorldPride Taiwan 2025?

In August I came across a tweet about the cancellation by Bi-Khim Hsiao, Taiwan’s Representative to the United States. She had tweeted an article written by David Yu, Don’t Sacrifice Taiwan in the Fight for LGBT Rights. The article had been published in Foreign Policy.

I reached out David and I invited him to come onto Talking Taiwan as a guest to discuss and reflect on what happened. David is Contractor CTO of an LA-based life sciences startup.

I also reached out to the Kaohsiung Pride committee, and InterPride for comment but have not received any responses to date.

This episode of Talking Taiwan has been sponsored by NATWA, the North America Taiwanese Women’s Association.

NATWA was founded in 1988, and its mission is:

to evoke a sense of self-esteem and enhance women’s dignity,
to oppose gender discrimination and promote gender equality,
to fully develop women’s potential and encourage their participation in public affairs,
to contribute to the advancement of human rights and democratic development in Taiwan,
to reach out and work with women’s organizations worldwide to promote peace for all.

To learn more about NATWA visit their website: www.natwa.com

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

David’s involvement with ITASA
The article that David wrote for Foreign Policy about the cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025, which was tweeted by Bi-khim Hsiao
How Taiwan won the bid to host WorldPride 2025 in November of 2021
How on August 12, 2022, the WorldPride Taiwan 2025 Facebook page posted an announcement stating that they would be terminating hosting WorldPride 2025
What’s been reported in the media regarding the cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025
The statement posted on the WorldPride Taiwan 2025 Facebook page regarding their termination of hosting WorldPride 2025
InterPride’s request that the event name be changed from WorldPride Taiwan 2025 to WorldPride Kaohsiung 2025, and the offer to use WorldPride Kaohsiung, Taiwan
How InterPride’s application for consultative status at the United Nations and China may have influenced to request to change the WorldPride event name
Should Kaohsiung Pride and the Taiwan Preparation Committee found a way to still host WorldPride 2025 in Taiwan
What is the loss of not hosting WorldPride 2025 in Taiwan
LGBTQIA rights in Europe
Europe’s views and dealings with China
How Guzifer Leong, Standing Director of Kaohsiung Pride (originally from Macau) was able to have his same sex marriage recognized in Taiwan, however his case does not change the precedent of Taiwan only recognizing transnational same sex marriages to citizens of countries where same sex marriage is legal
The parallels between Taiwan’s situation in the global arena and LGBTQIA rights within mainstream society
How China interferes with Taiwan’s representation internationally
How Taiwan has to compete under the name Chinese Taipei in the Olympics
David’s personal experiences at sporting events where Taiwan was not accurately represented and how he handled it
An inspiring quote about coming out, by Harvey Milk, a gay activist and member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
How the Gay Games 2023 is being co-hosted by Guadalajara and Hong Kong and Dennis Philipse the founder and co-organizer of Gay Games Hong Kong has resigned
How to move forward from the cancellation of WorldPride Taiwan 2025