The runner-up of the Freshwater Institute’s ‘NGO Pitch Forum’ talks about the thrill of launching a major award show, and the challenges remaining for LGBTQ+ rights in Taiwan

The first Freshwater Human Rights Accelerator was launched in September 2023 and concluded with the NGO Pitch Forum in May 2024, with the second place prize going to the Taiwan Equality Campaign (TEC, 彩虹平權大平台). Nearly a year later, we caught up with Chung-yi Lin (林忠毅), Communications & Development Senior Program Manager of TEC, who told us about the 2024 Q Power Awards and plans for the future. 

1. You won the second prize of the pitch forum. Was the award money helpful in developing your business model? If so, could you tell us more about how it has helped, and what challenges you still face?

The award money definitely provided some financial support for Q Power. However, securing more financial resources remains one of our main challenges. After all, we have only held two editions of Q Power so far, and the public is still getting to know what Q Power is and what impact it can have. On the creative front, our biggest challenge is encouraging more creators to participate. The Q Power Awards are dedicated to recognizing music, art, video, and literary works that focus on gender issues. The platform is built on the idea of two-way interaction; without enough creative content, it risks losing its meaning.

2. Could you share with us any memorable moments from the 2024 Q Power selection process or awards ceremony?

Q Power features five award categories: Q Campaign, Q Literature, Q Video, Q Music, and the highest honor of the awards, Q Power. This year, we received nearly 100 submissions, with the majority for Q Literature, Q Video, and Q Music. The topic of this edition was “From Fear to Power”. One particularly memorable moment for me during the selection process was when Wang Shaudi (王小棣), a director and a judge for the Q Video category, said that some entries still felt a bit too restrained. He hoped that creators would be even more fearless in telling their stories.

Unlike mainstream awards in Taiwan which often emphasize technical expertise, Q Power focuses on representations of gender diversity—not just breaking away from stereotypes but celebrating the full spectrum of queer identities. Beyond gender, we also value broader diversity. For example, we invited sign language dancer Lin Ching-Lan (林靖嵐) to perform at the award ceremony last year. Although she does not identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, her journey of overcoming challenges, learning to coexist with her body, and pursuing her dance dreams deeply embodied the theme of “From Fear to Power.” Another highlight was a collaborative performance by our 2024 Q Power ambassador, Lotus Wang (王彩樺) and the TWeen—a truly dazzling and unforgettable moment at the awards ceremony.

3. In addition to the awards ceremony, Q Power also launched a special exhibition and a series of events—could you tell us more about them?

The special exhibition showcased all 25 of this year’s Q Power shortlisted works, with five nominees for each of the five award categories. We believe that any storytelling piece holds the power to make an impact. The exhibition layout resonates with the topic of “From Fear to Power,” guiding visitors through self-discovery and self-awareness toward empowerment and a future filled with new conversations. The works featured a wide range of topics, including aging within the LGBTQ+ community, stigma faced by queer individuals, and Indigenous queer experiences, highlighting many cross-disciplinary perspectives. At the center of the exhibition venue, there’s  a glass wall covered with notes from Q Power judges and other notable figures, sharing their past fears and how they overcame them. Visitors were encouraged to write down their own fears and coping methods at the end of the exhibition. By the end, we had collected over 2,000 heartfelt notes. We wanted to use this exhibition to pass on the energy of “From Fear to Power.”

We believe these stories of diversity shouldn’t be confined to the stage or gallery—they should live on in everyday life across different fields. That’s why we collaborate with partners from various sectors and launch a wide variety of annual events. Continuing from the first edition, we brought back the Q Power Bar Surfing, featuring limited-edition cocktails and special menus at participating bars. New activities last year included a “Dining in the Dark” experience, a tipsy karaoke competition, themed karaoke songbooks, and cross-industry collaborations like the Taipei Andaya Latin Festival and the Beauty & Rainbow of LGBT+ Bodybuilding Competition. We also partnered with TWeen to launch a Rainbow Sightseeing Bus. Featuring drag queen tour guides onboard, the bus started at the venue of the special exhibition, passed through meaningful LGBTQ+ landmarks such as the 228 Peace Memorial Park, and ended at one of the Bar Surfing bars. These events aim to bring the spirit of Q Power beyond the arts and into everyday spaces where empowerment, diversity, and joy can be celebrated by all.

4. What are your thoughts or plans for the next edition of Q POWER?

While the core concept of Q POWER will remain the same, we hope to amplify the impact of diverse stories and creative works. In terms of format, the awards ceremony will continue to be the heart of Q POWER, as we want to encourage creators to present more works. The award categories will likely remain unchanged. Organizing Q POWER takes over a year, requiring us to plan budgets and engage potential partners well in advance. For the next edition, we may consider scaling back some annual events, but we are also looking to extend the overall preparation timeline to better align with the call for submissions. In particular, submissions for the Q Campaign category often require approvals from different units and may involve authorization or legal considerations. By allowing more time, we hope to give creators the space and flexibility they need to properly prepare and submit their entries.

5. Could you tell us TEC’s goals and plans for 2025?

This year, TEC has restructured its framework to better define our focus areas. We aim to highlight the intersections between different domains and address more specific themes, helping the public understand why we continue to advocate for gender issues six years after the legalization of same-sex marriage. In an increasingly uncertain global climate, we need to reflect on how we can sustain momentum for gender-related advocacy. 

The rise of anti-gender movements and the suppression of diversity and inclusion under political shifts are challenges we must prepare for. In Taiwan, attention to gender issues has waned since legalization of same-sex marriage, but if anti-gender or conservative forces gain traction again, how should we respond? 

These are the critical questions we’ll be addressing in our upcoming forum in May. At the same time, we are continuing our efforts in advocacy across political, workplace, and international arenas. In July, we will launch a new workplace inclusion benchmarking initiative, encouraging companies to move toward diversity and inclusion. We’ll offer a set of criteria for companies to follow and submit data to earn a DEI mark. We also plan to set up a booth at October’s Taiwan LGBT+ Pride Parade selling LGBT+-related merchandise. Through creative advocacy, we hope to infuse awareness of the LGBT+ community into people’s daily lives.

再訪NGO 提案論壇二等獎得主：彩虹平權大平台林忠毅

思流學院人權加速器計劃於 2023 年 9 月啟動，於 2024年 5 月的 NGO Pitch Forum 告終，七千美元的一等獎獎金以及三千美元的二等獎獎金分別由香港民主女神以及彩虹平權大平台獲得。2023-24人權加速器計劃參與者專訪系列介紹過五組 NGO Pitch Forum參與者，2025 年 3月，相隔將近一年後，我們有幸再次和彩虹平權大平台公眾對話暨資源開發資深專案經理林忠毅進行對話，我們和他聊聊 2024 Q Power頒獎典禮及系列活動、 2024 NGO Pitch Forum 結束至今彩虹大平台的改變以及未來展望。

1. 你在NGO Pitch Forum上贏得了第二名後，獲得的獎金是否對你發展商業模式有所幫助？若有，能否告訴我們這筆獎金如何幫助你，以及你目前仍面臨的挑戰？

這筆獎金對 Q Power 來說當然有一定程度上的補貼，但我們目前面臨的挑戰還是尋求更多資源，畢竟 Q Power 至今也才舉辦兩屆，大家對Q Power還沒有那麼認識，還不知道Q Power可以達到什麼樣的效益，這是資源面上的挑戰。另外，創作面上最大的挑戰是我們期待更多創作者加入，Q Power 頒獎典禮著重在表揚性別議題相關的影視音及文化作品，這個平台是一個雙向互動的概念，缺少創作作品就會讓這個平台失去意義。

變裝皇后在Q POWER Awards頒獎典禮上登場

2. 請與我們分享一下2024 Q Power 獎項徵件評選過程和頒獎典禮有沒有什麼令你印象深刻的事呢？

Q Power 分為五個獎項：創意行銷、文字創作、影像創作、音樂創作以及Q Power 精神獎，總共吸引近百件投稿，以影像、文字和音樂佔多數。本次 Q Power 的主題是放膽追尋 From Fear to Power，評選過程裡最令我深刻的事是，影像創作獎的評審王小棣導演說道，他覺得有些作品還是稍嫌內斂，希望大家可以更無所畏懼一點，勇敢地呈現自己想說的故事。另外，有別於台灣較為著重技術專業度的大型頒獎典禮，Q Power會更專注在多元性別相關的意念呈現，傳達多元的代表性以及這個群體的樣貌，而不只是跳脫以往對於多元性別的刻板印象。除了性別以外更注重多元性，例如我們這次邀請了一名手語舞蹈家林靖嵐，雖然她本身並不是多元性別，但她勇於克服困難，學習與自己的身體共處，追尋自己的舞蹈夢，這樣的生命歷程也非常符合「放膽追尋」的主題。另外，本屆 Q Power 活動大使王彩樺在頒獎典禮上也有和變裝皇后一起帶來精彩的表演。

Q POWER活動大使王彩樺與變裝皇后在頒獎典禮合體表演

3. 除了頒獎典禮以外，Q Power 還有推出限定特展和年度活動，可以跟我們分享一下嗎？

限定特展的展品就是本屆 Q Power 的入圍作品，每個獎項都有五名入圍者，所以總共有25件展品，我們相信只要會說故事的展品就一定有其影響力。展場動線是循著主題 From Fear to Power的歷程設計，從自我探索、自我意識到長出自己的力量，在未來產生不一樣的對話，其中也包含很多跨領域作品，例如：老年同志、同志面對污名化、原住民同志等相關主題。此外，展場中間還有一面玻璃牆，上面貼著 Q Power 評審和一些重要人物過去害怕的事，以及他們如何面對自己的恐懼，我們也邀請看展民眾在展覽的終點寫下自己害怕的事以及應對方式，希望能夠傳遞From Fear to Power的能量，最後也收集到了2000張紙條。

我們相信這些故事不應該只侷限在舞台上或展覽裡，Q Power或多元性別的概念應該也可以落實在日常生活中不同的領域，所以我們也積極和不同領域的夥伴合作，推出許多年度活動。除了延續第一屆的酒吧連線，也就是和多間酒吧合作推出限定調酒和菜單，這次還有無光晚餐、酒醉卡拉OK大賽、Match 卡拉ok主題歌本、跨界聯名的台北安達亞拉丁舞蹈節和美力彩虹健美健體賽等，還有和 TWeen灣島皇后合作的彩虹觀光巴士，巴士從我們限定特展的展場出發，行經二二八公園等多元性別相關的景點，途中還有變裝皇后導覽解說，最後抵達酒吧連線的合作酒吧。

Q Power 限定特展一景

4. 對於下一屆 Q POWER，你有什麼想法或規劃嗎？

Q POWER 的方向和核心概念不會改變，我們還是希望讓更多的創作和故事發揮影響力。形式上而言，頒獎典禮依然是 Q POWER 的主要核心，因為我們希望鼓勵創作者端出更多的作品，獎項上應該也不會有太大的差異。Q POWER 從拉贊助開始需要一年以上的準備期，必須提前編列預算或者去和企業溝通，下一屆或許會考慮減少一些年度活動，但整個準備期程可能會配合獎項徵件再拉長一點，因為就現實面而言，報名創意行銷這個獎項的廣告在完成以前都會需要通過層層關卡，還可能需要處理授權的問題，所以我們會希望拉長準備期。

原住民歌手巴查克以母語專輯【Tiaken 自己】拿下2024 Q POWER 精神獎

5. 能否與我們分享彩虹大平台2025年的目標以及未來計劃？

今年彩虹大平台重塑了品牌架構，更明確去定義不同的領域，希望能讓大眾看見不同領域的交織性以及更具體的主題性，以及同婚通過六年後我們還在持續倡議性別議題的原因是什麼，在世界局勢如此不可預期的情況下，我們可以怎麼持續倡議性別相關的議題。美國總統川普上任後打壓多元共融以及很多國家發起反性別運動，這些都是我們接下來可能面臨的挑戰，再加上台灣通過同婚以後，大家對性別議題的關注持續減低，但這些反性別或保守勢力如果再次崛起，我們該如何因應，這些都是我們五月即將舉辦的論壇會囊括的主題。與此同時，我們也持續努力在政治、職場和國際相關的倡議，七月也會推出職場指標的徵件活動，鼓勵企業朝著多元共融的方向前進，我們會提供一些指標給企業參考，讓企業依據這些指標繳交資料以獲得認證。我們也計畫在10月的同志大遊行擺攤義賣彩虹商品，以創意包裝倡議，讓大家能帶著自己喜歡的彩虹商品，在日常生活中發揮更多影響力。