Taipei Mayor Chiang Apologizes After 170,000-Strong Pride Crowd Boos Him Over Gay Bar Raid
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Oct 31
Taipei Mayor Chiang Apologizes After 170,000-Strong Pride Crowd Boos Him Over Gay Bar Raid
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Oct 31
Summary
Chiang Wan-an stayed about 15 minutes at Taipei Pride before chants of “don’t raid gay bars” and support for rival Puma Shen drowned out his appearance.
The backlash followed a police raid earlier this month on Commander D in Ximen, where officers took 51 people in for questioning, arrested the owner and held some for more than six hours.
Chiang said he apologized to those affected and promised a rigorous investigation and immediate discipline, but Pride organizers said the search revived historical trauma over state oppression of sexual minorities.
More than 170,000 people joined East Asia’s largest Pride parade, underscoring how the incident hit a sensitive issue in Taiwan, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2019.
The dispute has also spilled into Taipei’s close mayoral race, with some polls putting DPP challenger Puma Shen ahead as Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim and President Lai Ching-te publicly backed LGBTQ+ rights.