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Taiwan drops bid to host WorldPride 2025 over naming row

Organizer accuses event licensor of going back on its word

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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The preparation committee of WorldPride Taiwan 2025 said Friday (Aug. 12) it will give up hosting the event because the name “Taiwan” is not allowed.

The organizer secured the bid last year to host the biennial WorldPride parade in Kaohsiung that celebrated the LGBTIQ+ community. However, following discussions with the event licensor, InterPride, have broken down.

According to the committee in a Facebook statement, InterPride has voiced doubts about the organizer’s financial capacity to host an event of such a scale, among other issues, despite its tendering records proving its ability. The negotiations reached a dead end when the licensor requested the event be called “WorldPride Kaohsiung 2025.”

That was the final straw, said the committee, which denounced InterPride for reneging on a previously agreed upon matter. "WorldPride Taiwan 2025" was used throughout the bidding process and the name “Taiwan Pride” has significance for the country’s LGBTIQ+ community, it argued.

While the move has received support and understanding from some, others have different views. A netizen commented that past WorldPride events were named after cities, rather than countries. He suggested there may be other reasons behind the decision, which he believes can be solved with the assistance of the public.