A group of foreign dignitaries marched Saturday with tens of thousands of others through Taipei in support of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, saying that the huge turnout was a show of Taiwan's progressive and open-minded society.

As in previous years, members of the diplomatic corps representing foreign representative offices in Taiwan, including the European Union, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States took part in the 15th Taiwan LGBT Pride Parade, which attracted a record 123,000 participants.

In an interview with CNA ahead of the parade, European Economic Trade Offce (EETO) head Madeleine Majorenko said she was happy to take part. "It's a fantastic opportunity to show how wonderful Taiwan is, how fantastic a country it is, and how beautiful and open-minded its people are."

Majorenko said that the EU has always supported liberal countries that put democracy, respect for human rights, and respect for rule of law at the forefront. "Taiwan is a shining star in Asia in this respect," she said. Read more via Focus Tawain