Story by Ting-Fai Yu
Photo Assistant: Evalyn Xiao
Thruple Daily — Adam Tsai, Grayn Wu and Jeremy Chien
The social media presence of Thruple Daily offers a fresh perspective on non-monogamous relationships, capturing the ordinariness of queer lives in Taiwan, where Han Chinese constitute 95% of the population. Unlike the usual Euro-American representations of diverse kinship configurations, which often emphasize radicalism or resistance to traditional norms, the gay throuple’s representation of their everyday life shows that these relationships are as ordinary and familiar as any other. This nuanced depiction provides a harmonious blend of conflicting ideas, where queer identities and relationships exist within the fabric of everyday life, subtly challenging societal expectations without overt confrontation, resonating with the broader queer Asian experience, where quiet resistance often coexists with normative cultural norms. The setting of Lukang, Changhua County, adds a layer of significance to this set of photographs.
Known as one of Taiwan’s most traditional towns, Lukang is steeped in cultural and historical weight. This location, long portrayed in Taiwanese literature as a place resistant to change and modernization, has served as a backdrop for non-conforming individuals and their lifelong struggles. Home to the pioneering feminist writer Li Ang, Lukang is depicted in her now-classic novella The Butcher’s Wife (1983) as a rural town where feudal patriarchal customs still hold sway. More recently, Kevin Chen’s award-winning novel Ghost Town (2019) casts Changhua as a place where time seems to have stood still, deserted and left behind by Taiwan’s modernization. Writing on the queer experience (with its self-explanatory title), the novel highlights the challenges faced by individuals who defy traditional societal expectations. In contrast to these literary depictions, the photos focus on the subtle harmony of LGBTQ+ life within such a deeply traditional setting. Such a portrayal reflects a more nuanced reality—one in which LGBTQ+ individuals navigate and adapt to the existing social order. This coexistence offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of queer existence in Taiwan, often regarded as Asia’s gay capital, following its historic legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. Rather than emphasizing the clash between the throuple’s queerness and Lukang’s historical alleyways and well-preserved temples, the photos underscore a quiet yet profound tension, between the historical rigidity of Lukang and the fluidity of modern relationships—one that doesn’t seek to disrupt but rather to integrate.
This non-confrontational approach to visual documentation aligns seamlessly with Thruple Daily’s social media presence, where they share glimpses of their everyday life. Their content highlights the routine aspects of their relationship, emphasizing the normalcy of queer kinship. By focusing on everyday moments rather than framing their relationship as radical or oppositional, Thruple Daily reinforces the idea that queer relationships are just as ordinary and relatable as any other, reflecting the broader cultural acceptance of LGBTQ+ lives in Taiwan. While Taiwanese society retains deep-rooted cultural norms, there is increasing space for non-conforming identities to exist and thrive within these frameworks.
The everyday portrayal of the throuple in the images indicates a broader cultural shift where queer people are not necessarily seen as outliers, but as part of Taiwan’s current social narrative. This suggests a growing normalization of LGBTQ+ relationships, where they are neither exoticized nor marginalized, but seen as valid configurations of kinship that can coexist with, rather than disrupt, traditional values. It is queer progress, and it is an essential condition of queer survival in Taiwan.
