Taipei gay bar raid by police sparks protests over public morality law

Taipei police have raided a well-known gay bar and detained 51 people under public morality laws, triggering angry protests from the city’s LGBTQ+ community just weeks before its annual Pride march.

Officers entered the venue, Commander D, in Taipei's Wanhua district at around 4:30 pm on Saturday, 3 October. In addition to detaining dozens of customers, police arrested the bar’s owner.

Precinct spokesman Chen Yu-cheng said the authorities acted on a search warrant concerning suspected offences against public morality. He said those detained were suspected of violating a law that prohibits "wantonly exposing one's naked body or presenting a lascivious posture in a public place or publicly accessible place."

On Sunday, about 100 protesters marched to the local police precinct to voice their anger over the raid. Witnesses described the police action as heavy-handed. One customer who was detained said officers entered the venue violently, creating a terrifying scene. The bar's manager, who protested the raid, was handcuffed, and witnesses said police initially refused to show their search warrant.

What happened at Commander D?

The Taipei city government referred to a police statement saying that officers had received a formal complaint alleging public decency violations at the bar. Reports suggest that many customers who had removed their clothes were taken away for questioning. While police later described the operation as questioning rather than a search, the explanation did not appease the protesters.

Commander D has been operating in Taipei for 14 years, but it recently came under political pressure. A city councillor raised concerns over allegations that underage customers were entering the bar, releasing photographs of the interior and claiming minors were being subjected to inappropriate activities. Those allegations led Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an to order an official investigation.

The bar’s management has strongly denied those claims, stating they run a strict identity and age-verification system at the entrance. They added that any intimate interactions between customers were private behaviour.

Why the raid has caused outrage

The raid has caused significant concern because Taiwan is widely seen as Asia’s most progressive society on LGBTQ+ rights. It became the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage in 2019, and Taipei is set to host its massive Pride parade later this month.

The timing is also politically sensitive for Mayor Chiang, a member of the opposition Kuomintang party. He has previously attended Taipei Pride to show support for sexual minorities, and he faces an election next month.

When the precinct chief briefly addressed the crowd on Sunday, saying police respect "the culture of a pluralistic society," protesters shouted over him. "I’m not cool with this," one protester said. "This city used to claim that it was queer friendly."