A Taiwanese LGBT rights activist has been included in Newsweek's Creative Class of 2019, an initiative celebrating innovators who develop creative solutions to the world's problems, according to the American weekly magazine.

Jay Lin (林志杰), founder of LGBT streaming platform GagaOOLala, was named one of 15 innovators in the Creative Class of 2019, published by Newsweek on Jan. 16.

GagaOOLala, Asia's first streaming service offering stories from LGBT people, has plenty of non-LGBT viewers, who go on the platform to be entertained by good video content, but also watch to learn about the LGBT community, Newsweek said.

Lin said that GagaOOLala's presence in 13 Asian countries is crucial for their local LGBT communities, especially because homosexuality is illegal in some of the countries the platform serves, such as Malaysia and Singapore. Read more via Focus Taiwan

Innovator: Jay Lin, LGBT rights activist

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.” Read more via Newsweek