"Can He Even Have Sex?"... Taipei Police Under Fire for Inappropriate Conduct During LGBTQ Bar Raid

Taipei Mayor Issues Apology and Orders Measures to Prevent Recurrence

The mayor of Taipei has issued an apology after it was revealed that some police officers made discriminatory remarks against disabled individuals during a raid on an LGBTQ bar in Taipei.

Taipei citizens protesting against police crackdown. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to foreign media outlets such as the Liberty Times on October 5, police raided an LGBTQ bar in Taipei on October 3 and questioned 52 people, including the owner and patrons. The raid was conducted in accordance with proper procedures after police received a report of obscene acts occurring at the establishment and secured evidence in advance.

However, controversy erupted when it became known that some officers made inappropriate comments to disabled individuals and patrons during the operation. One officer was reported to have seen a man in the restroom and asked another officer, "Is he disabled?" and questioned, "Can someone in that condition have sex in the bathroom?" Another officer allegedly demanded that people at the scene kneel and used profanity.

Regarding allegations that police allowed a journalist to enter the bar to take sensational photos, a source said the journalist was already present at the establishment as a customer at the time.

Once the incident came to light, human rights civic groups held demonstrations, strongly criticizing the police's remarks and crackdown methods as a repeat of the oppression of sexual minorities that occurred 30 years ago. They also called for the disclosure of the officers' badge numbers and bodycam footage from the search, demanded an official apology and a clear statement about the incident from the police. Additionally, they insisted on the formulation of police guidelines for crackdowns on LGBTQ establishments and argued that the right to equality for vulnerable groups should be reflected in police evaluation standards.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an also apologized for the police's inappropriate remarks and ordered thorough measures to prevent recurrence. Mayor Chiang stated, "All Taipei citizens, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, identity, or group affiliation, enjoy the same rights," and bowed his head in regret, saying, "In this case, the discriminatory remarks made by my colleagues violated the principles we must uphold."

Taiwan police announced that the officers who made inappropriate remarks would be disciplined, and that supervisors who failed to intervene on the spot would also be held accountable.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.