After growing up in a devout family in Taiwan, Salomé Chia-Ting Galicher-Chen sought freedom by attending university in France. This allowed her to finally live her truth as a lesbian and opened the door to educating her LGBTQ+-hostile family about the queer community
As told to Dale Fox
RAINBOW WORLD
Growing up in Taiwan within the confines of a devout Presbyterian family, my days were marked by a routine centred around religion: up at 7am on Sundays to park right outside the church for services; prayers before meals; and meticulous memorisation of biblical verses in Taiwanese, Mandarin and English. This strict upbringing, coupled with societal and familial homophobia, framed the intense struggle I faced in embracing my authentic self.
From an early age of around six or seven, I sensed my divergence from societal norms regarding my sexuality. However, in a society rife with homophobia, particularly within my family and the church, I quickly learned to bury this truth. Finally coming out at 15, amid my mother’s battle with breast cancer, proved to be an ill-fated revelation. My parents dismissed it as a fleeting phase, grounding me, confiscating my phone, blocking my access to the internet, and even entertaining the idea of subjecting me to so-called ‘conversion therapy’.
Four years later, when it came to finding a university, I purposefully chose to study in Montpellier, France, knowing the city had a reputation as an LGBTQ+-friendly hub. Although my parents pushed for me to study in a city near a pastor they knew, I held firm, desperate to find a place where I could finally be open about my sexuality after years of hiding.
Montpellier was liberating, like taking my first full breath. But my parents still controlled me from afar, demanding I attend church services daily and report back on the pastor’s sermons in detail over the phone. Their manipulation persisted for months until I met Gwenola, my future wife, online. She was shocked at how my parents could still dictate my actions from halfway across the world. Her bewilderment at my obedience prompted me to finally take back my autonomy, and I devoted myself to nurturing our relationship without guilt or shame.
In 2014 and 2017, I brought Gwenola back to Taiwan, presenting her only as my “best friend from university” to my family, although my mum interrogated me relentlessly about our true relationship, never once acknowledging Gwenola as who she really was.
I clung to th
