Innovator: Jay Lin

LGBT rights activist

On 1/16/19 at 1:13 AM EST

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Jay Lin

Jay Lin Jay Lin Courtesy of Jay Lin

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The director of the Taiwan International Queer Film Festival, Jay Lin is also the founder of GagaOOLala, Asia's first LGBT streaming platform. “Many LGBT people in Taiwan stay closeted for fear of discrimination,” he explains. “I hope that they can find stories [on GagaOOLala] that resonate.” The service also has plenty of non-LGBT viewers. “Mostly, they come to be entertained by good movies, TV series and documentaries they can't see anywhere else. But many also watch to learn about the community.”

He was also involved in recent efforts to legalize same-sex marriage. And while a referendum to amend Taiwan's civil code failed, the government plans to pass a new marriage-equality law this year. “Only if everyone enjoys the same universal rights, including the right to marry, can we overcome the obstacles ahead together,” says Lin. “If the nation is divided into first- and second-class citizens, our future is bleak.”

About the program

We're saluting innovators who have developed creative solutions to the problems that face our world—pollution, economic disparity, war, discrimination and more. Say hello to the creative class of 2019.