Are you curious about why Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage? Do you want to hang out with your friends in a totally gay-friendly destination? If you want to say yes to these questions, come visiting Taiwan and get ready to be surprised by how gay Taiwan is! It’s totally fine if you are not familiar with Taiwan, below are the reasons why Taiwan should be your next destination!
1. Gay-Friendly Environment
The gaybourhood of Ximending is the place you can’t miss. You can find many gay bars around the Red House (西門紅樓). Enjoy hot spring or sauna to melt away your stress of travel and urban living. Staying at the first gay accommodation “Gs Gay Hotel” in Taiwan can be an interesting experience as well. This hotel is within 10 mins walking from Raohe night market. If you are interested in praying for soul mates, you can pay visit to “Wei-Ming Temple (Rabbit Temple),” where the deity has watched over homosexuals for centuries. People in Taiwan can feel safe not only in entertainment space, but also in workplace. Discrimination based on sex orientation in workplace is banned by Taiwanese government.
♦ Gay bar in Taipei: Café Dalida
Add: No. 51, Ln. 10, Chengdu Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City
Tel: +886 2 2370 7833
Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 19:00-03:00 / Friday to Saturday 18:00-04:00
♦ ABRAZO Bistro
Add: No. 198, Sec. 1, Dunhua S. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City
Tel: +886 2 2731 8282
Opening hours: Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday 11:30-02:00 / Friday and Saturday 11:30-04:00 / Closed on Monday
♦ Kawayu SPA & Sauna
Website: http://www.kawayu-spa.com.tw/m/home.php?Lang=en
Add: No. 10, Lane 300, Xing-Yi Road, Beitou District, Taipei
Tel: +886 2 2874 7979
Opening hours: 06:00-01:00 AM (April to October) / 06:00-03:00 AM (November to March)
♦ Gs Gay Hotel
Website: http://www.gshome.co/
Add: No. 322, Sec. 5, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan Dist., Taipei City
Tel: +886 2 2766 1116
♦ Wei-Ming Temple (Rabbit Temple)
Add: 8F, No. 50, Jinan Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City
Tel: +886 2 2242 1197
Opening hours: 13:00-21:00 PM (Closed on Tuesday)
* Tips for visiting Wei-Ming Temple: bring unpacked food or cosmetics as offerings to the deity “Da Ya.(大爺)” Do not call the deity “god of rabbit.”
2. Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage
Although Taiwan has a large gay community, the issue of same-sex marriage is a longtime struggle. In 2017, the Constitutional court ruled that the existing law stating marriage should between one man and one woman was unconstitutional. Two years later, lawmakers finally pass the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in 2019. Almost 2,000 couples recorded same-sex marriages from May to the end of August, 2019.
3. Taiwan LGBT Pride
Taiwan LGBT Pride is the biggest pride parade in Asia. The first Taiwan Pride parade was held in 2003 with only one thousand participants. More than 200,000 massive crowd participated in 2019’s Taiwan LGBT Pride to celebrate the country’s victory in legalizing same-sex marriage. Come join Taiwan Pride parade on the last Saturday in October each year to cheer madly for gender equality! In 2020, Taiwan LGBT Pride will be held on 31 October. As it is one of the biggest parades in Taiwan, do remember to book your hotel in Taipei in advance and prepare some rainbow-themed accessories to decorate yourself 🙂
Website: https://www.taiwanpride.lgbt/eng
4. Taipei LGBT Private Walking Tour
If you would like to learn more about the history, struggles and achievements of LGBT community in Taiwan, come join our Taipei LGBT Private Walking Tour!
Website: https://www.klook.com/activity/15062-lgbt-private-walking-tour-taipei/
The tour is available from 13:00-16:00 PM, every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
Meeting point: NTU Hospital MRT station exit 1
