Taiwan Pride Crowd Jeers Taipei Mayor After Police Raid on Gay Bar

TAIPEI, Oct 31 – Josh was having a drink on a Saturday afternoon at Commander D, a well-known gay bar in Taipei, when several police officers suddenly burst through the door. They shouted at everyone to squat down and stay still. Confused, he looked around and saw the bar’s owner being handcuffed and forced onto his knees.

The 28-year-old was one of 51 customers who were rounded up that day and taken in for questioning over suspected breaches of public decency rules. Some were held for more than six hours. Josh, whose name has been changed because of how sensitive the case is, said he never expected something like that to still happen today, and that it left him feeling much less safe.

Four weeks later, that sense of unease was out in the open. On Saturday, more than 170,000 people filled the streets of Taipei for Taiwan Pride, the largest Pride event in East Asia. And when Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an briefly showed up, he got an angry welcome.

Chiang Wan-an, who belongs to the opposition Kuomintang party, arrived near the end of the parade and stayed for only about 15 minutes. People shouted “don’t raid gay bars” at him, and some loudly cheered for his main rival in next month’s mayoral race, Puma Shen of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

“I already said this earlier: I apologise for the impact on those affected,” Chiang Wan-an told reporters. He said the city would carry out a thorough investigation and punish anyone at fault without delay. He then posed for a few photos with supporters as he left, surrounded by reporters and security staff, while protesters kept shouting.

The mayor has backed gay rights in the past, and he has attended Pride before. But the raid happened on his watch, and it has hit a raw nerve.

Taiwan is proud of its record. In 2019, it became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. A recent survey found that public support for gay marriage has grown from 42% to 54% since then. For years, the island has seen itself, and sold itself to the world, as a haven for gay and transgender people in a region where their rights are often limited.

That’s why the raid has stung so much.

It took place on October 3 at Commander D, a bar with a fetish theme that bills itself as the first and only one of its kind in Taipei. It has been open for more than a decade in Ximending, also known as Ximen, the city’s main gay neighborhood and a popular spot for tourists. It even appears in several international travel guides.

Police arrested the bar’s owner and referred him to prosecutors. He is suspected of profiting from helping others carry out sexual or indecent acts, an offense that can bring up to five years in prison. He hasn’t been formally charged. Customers were accused of breaking a law against exposing their bodies or behaving lewdly in public.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an attends the annual Taiwan Pride Parade in Taipei, Taiwan, October 31, 2026. Via, REUTERS

The police department later said it had received 13 complaints this year about possible breaches of public decency at the bar. Commander D was also one of three gay bars in Ximen that police visited that same day.

The bar’s owner told Taiwanese media a few days later that police had used too much force. He said any intimate contact between customers was their own choice. His lawyer declined to comment, pointing to the ongoing investigation.

Videos posted on social media made things worse. They appeared to show officers mocking a customer who uses a wheelchair, and stopping some people from putting their clothes back on. Some customers had taken off their shirts simply because it was a warm day. After reviewing 41 recordings from officers’ body cameras, police admitted that some officers had used inappropriate language.

Victoria Hsu, a human rights lawyer who works on gay and transgender rights, said there was an element of sexual humiliation in the raid. Because police wouldn’t let customers get dressed, she said, they were denied the chance to go to the police station with dignity.

The police department said officers were only trying to bring the scene under control. It said the search was lawful and was not aimed at any group or sexual orientation. Still, the public backlash was strong. Chiang Wan-an apologized, and six officers were disciplined.

Four were punished for inappropriate remarks, and the officer in charge at the scene was punished for failing to stop them. Rights groups have filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors and are calling for an independent investigation.

Pride organizers even changed this year’s theme because of the raid. In a statement this week, they said the search had reopened old wounds for sexual and gender minorities who were long treated harshly by the state.

For many at the parade, the anger was personal. Alan Chang, 30, said it was ridiculous and hard to believe that such a raid could happen at all, in a city that says it values gender equality.

People take part in the annual Taiwan Pride Parade in Taipei, Taiwan, October 31, 2026. Via, REUTERS

Puma Shen, who leads Chiang Wan-an in some opinion polls, appeared at a different part of the rally and got a warm welcome. Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim led the ruling party’s group at the parade. President Lai Ching-te wrote on Facebook that no one should have to live in fear because of who they are, and that this respect must also show in how public power is used.

The concern has spread beyond Taiwan’s borders. Midnight Poonkasetwattana, who heads a Bangkok-based network for sexual minority rights, told Taiwan’s Central News Agency that the raid could damage the gay-friendly image Taiwan has built. He also sent a formal letter of protest to Taiwan’s representative in Thailand. In it, he said true inclusion isn’t only about marriage or Pride, but also about how state power is used against gay and transgender people.

Hung Yan-an, a gay man who lives in Taipei, said friends overseas have been messaging him. One friend in Spain asked whether it would still be safe to hold hands with his partner in the street if he visits.

Local campaigners say the raid points to a deeper problem. In their view, it shows a lasting stigma toward gay venues, and a pattern of prejudice and abuse of power inside the police. A police spokesperson didn’t respond directly to those claims, but said the force fully respects social and cultural diversity and people’s rights.

Commander D isn’t the only venue to face scrutiny. In April, a gay bathhouse in the central city of Taichung closed after a police raid over suspected public decency offenses and later inspections. Its owner accused police of treating it unfairly. A gay gym in Taipei that shut down in 2021 was reportedly inspected 186 times in three years.

Victoria Hsu said some officers wrongly assume that gay people are more likely to carry drugs, and that she has advised several people who faced improper searches by police.

Chien Shih-han, a drag performer who goes by the name Hannah, said prejudice isn’t always easy to spot. He recalled gay venues facing repeated noise complaints, and a booked taxi that drove off after the driver saw a friend in drag. In his view, it often comes down to a quiet discomfort toward sexual minorities.

To Chien Shih-han, places like Commander D have served as safe spaces for people who feel they do not fit in, even within the gay community. He described them as a safety net—and said it now feels as though someone is setting that net on fire.

Josh said he still feels a little scared when he recalls that afternoon. But the experience did not keep him away from Pride. He said he marched to express his anger at being taken to the police station and to send a simple message: “We’re not strange, we’re not freaks.”