On Saturday, October 31, Taipei turned into a river of rainbow flags again.

The 24th Taiwan LGBT+ Pride drew more than 170,000 people from Taiwan and abroad, according to organisers the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association, as reported by the Taipei Times. The association calls it East Asia’s largest Pride. (The Associated Press, as cited by Joe.My.God., reported “tens of thousands” on the streets and an organisers’ estimate of around 150,000. Crowd counts vary; either way, it was huge.)

But this year’s march carried something extra: anger, and a demand for answers.

The raid that hung over the parade

Four weeks earlier, on October 3, Taipei police raided Commander D, a BDSM-themed gay bar in Ximending, the city’s best-known gay neighbourhood (our report from the time).

According to Focus Taiwan, Taiwan’s national news agency CNA:

  • Police took 51 people to the station for statements. The customers were released; the venue’s manager was referred to prosecutors on suspicion of public indecency.
  • Police said the search was lawful and backed by a court warrant, after 13 public-decency complaints about the venue this year, and that 16 other businesses were inspected that night in planned checks.
  • People at the scene alleged excessive force, procedural violations and discriminatory remarks, including toward people with disabilities.
  • Police Commissioner Lin Yen-tien announced that six officers were disciplined. Four who used inappropriate language each got two reprimands.

About 500 people protested the next day, Focus Taiwan reported. Mayor Chiang Wan-an apologised to those affected. Reuters, via The Star, quoted him saying Taipei “has always been an inclusive and friendly city for us.”

For a lot of queer Taiwanese, though, the raid stirred older memories. Association chairperson Simon Tai told the Taipei Times it revived memories of state oppression of LGBTQ+ spaces, and called for a transparent investigation and binding policing guidelines.

”Our Voices, Our Journey”

The theme this year was about listening. Organisers said they wanted to push back against political polarisation and the global backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion through active listening and solidarity, the Taipei Times reported in September.

That backlash isn’t abstract in Taiwan. The association pointed to an Executive Yuan survey this year showing declining public support for LGBTQ+ rights. A separate Taiwan Equality Campaign poll in June found support for same-sex marriage holding at 54.3%, as we reported: steady, but no longer growing.

The day before the main parade, the Taiwan Trans March took to the streets on Friday, October 30.

Who showed up (and who got heckled)

  • President William Lai posted on Facebook that Taiwan became the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage seven years ago, and that “the fight for equality must not be reversed,” the Taipei Times reported.
  • Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim led the governing Democratic Progressive Party’s contingent.
  • Groups from across the spectrum marched, including the KMT’s youth wing, the Taiwan People’s Party, the Social Democratic Party, the New Power Party and the Taiwan Statebuilding Party.
  • Mayor Chiang Wan-an (KMT), who is running for re-election, arrived at the end of the parade and was met with shouts of “don’t raid gay bars.” He apologised again for the impact on those affected and promised a rigorous investigation and immediate discipline, per the Taipei Times.
  • His DPP challenger, legislator Puma Shen, joined a different part of the rally. After the raid, he wrote that “even a remark or gesture can evoke memories of being treated as outsiders,” Focus Taiwan reported.

And then there were the people who make Pride what it is. The Taipei Times met a 29-year-old who has marched ten years in a row and, this year, brought his mum for the first time. Another marcher said they keep coming back because it’s the one day they can fully be themselves. A bisexual visitor came all the way from the Netherlands.

Why it matters beyond Taipei

Taiwan has long been Asia’s proof that marriage equality can work and stick. That’s exactly why this year’s mix of joy and anger is worth watching.

  • The vote is close. Taiwan holds nationwide local elections on November 28, Focus Taiwan reports, and the Taipei mayoral race is one of the headline contests. The Pride organisers explicitly urged voters who care about equality to back candidates who support diverse communities.
  • Rights on paper need protection in practice. The raid showed how quickly a “friendly city” reputation can wobble when policing goes wrong. Regional groups including the ASEAN SOGIE Caucus and APCOM Foundation openly asked whether Taiwan remains a safe destination for queer travellers.
  • The answer, on Saturday, was loud. More than 170,000 people, a president’s message that equality “must not be reversed”, and a mayor who had to hear the community’s demand to his face.

Seven years after marriage equality, Taiwan’s queer community isn’t celebrating as if the work is done. It’s marching like people who know exactly what they have, and exactly what it takes to keep it.