When I decided I was going to spend a year teaching English abroad in 2012, I had two minimum requirements for where I’d consider going: I needed a city that was both vegetarian-friendly and queer-friendly. After a bit of research, I packed my bags and headed to Taipei, despite the fact that I’d never been, didn’t speak Mandarin, and didn’t know a soul there.
It was the right choice.
Within a few months of my move, I’d found a girlfriend, befriended the tarot card reader at the lesbian bookstore, discovered a whole network of Taiwanese queers and other queer expats who were eager to show me everything they loved most about gay Taipei, and completely fallen in love with the city.
I’m not the only visitor to figure out that Taipei is a treasure trove of queer delights. Condé Nast Traveler recently referred to Taipei as “Asia’s most LGBT-friendly city” with good reason. In addition to hosting the biggest pride celebration in all of Asia every October (with queers from just about every other major city in South East Asia converging for the celebration), there’s a vibrant LGBT community that’s incredibly welcoming to visitors year-round-not to mention mountains, beaches, hot springs, world-class museums, and mind-blowing views from the top of Taipei 101, all within city limits.
via SAM YEH/AFP/Getty Images
Some Notes on LGBT Culture in Taiwan
Though Taiwanese people are generally accepting of LGBT folks nowadays, same-sex marriage isn’t yet legal in Taiwan. Activists have been hard at work to change that for the last decade, sometimes using delightful tactics like mass gay wedding ceremonies),and in January, the nation elected its first-ever female president (who herself has been rumored to be a friend of Sappho, though that’s mostly just because she prefers to remain single) Tsai Ing-wen, a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage.
A large-scale cultural shift regarding same-sex marriage seems to be underway, too-in late 2014, popular Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai put out a pro-same-sex marriage anthem called “õ©ìõ©Çµ¿úÕÅêµÇĵ¿ú,” which translates roughly to “We’re all different yet the same.” Both the song and the music video, which features two famous Taiwanese actresses, tell the heartbreaking story of an elderly lesbian couple’s harrowing hospital visit, which ultimately results in one of the women dying because her lifelong partner isn’t able to consent to the life-saving surgery she needs and her next-of-kin doesn’t arrive at the hospital on time. (The video totally made me cry even though I understand virtually none of the lyrics, but a rough lyrical translation is also available here). The song and the video both remain wildly popular in Taiwan.
Speaking of music videos, it’s also worth mentioning that Taiwan has an amazingly fabulous all-lesbian boi band that will make you feel like a tween fangirl in the best possible way. The members of the group Misster are what’s referred to in the Taiwan queer lady scene as “Tomboys” or “Ts,” and they’re part of a butch/femme culture that remains very much alive and well in Taiwan. Femmes are referred to as “Paos,” (which is taken from the Mandarin word for “wives”) or “Ps.” Although there are increasingly more androgynous folks and rule-breakers around, T’s and P’s tend to date each other and take on their corresponding gender roles to some extent. It’s not uncommon for people in a bar or club to make assumptions about you and who you’ll date based on your appearance, or even to ask whether you’re a T or a P in an attempt to figure out who you’re interested in hooking up with.
Also good to know: non-Taiwanese femmes are kind of a rarity in Taipei, and because I didn’t adhere to the high-femme dress code of most Paos, people assumed I was straight a lot. I was regularly asked questions like “Um, do you know this bar is for lesbians?” in hushed, slightly-panicked tones by concerned, well-meaning queers. Once I’d outed myself, though, everyone was always incredibly warm and welcoming.
Now that you’re ready to fall in love with the capital city of the beautiful island (and possibly some of its residents), here’s all the amazing gay stuff you should do when you visit:
Dance/DrinkPride (Annually)
A photo posted by Gelo Camaya (@sogelocious) on Oct 26, 2014 at 11:37pm PDT
As I mentioned earlier, Taipei hosts the biggest Pride celebration in all of Asia every October. The parade itself is huge and beautiful, and the parties are epic. There’s usually at least one event specifically for women (2015’s was a white party called “Girls Pride“)
Taboo (Lesbian club)
via Facebook
Other lesbian-exclusive bars seem to come and go quickly in Taipei, but Taboo has been going strong for a number of years. On weekend nights, it’s packed. Drinks are cheap (also worth noting: lots of bars in Taiwan charge a small cover for “all you can drink”), the music is good, everyone dances, and patrons are generally friendly and flirty. They also frequently host themed parties with dress codes, so it’s a good idea to check their Facebook page before heading over (which will likely require some Google Translate sleuthing).
C.U.M. (Monthly party)
via Facebook
“Create Ur Mmmagic,” or CUM, is a monthly party “for boys and girls and all gender expressions” featuring drag queens and performances. According to their Facebook page, if you “express yourself visually with a vivid, vivacious outfit,” you might get in for free.
Ximending (Gayborhood)
Photo by: JTB Photo/UIG via Getty Images
Ximending is referred to as the “Harajuku” of Taipei by the tourism bureau, but it’s also Taipei’s biggest gayborhood. It’s an uber-hip pedestrian shopping area full of stores, restaurants, DIY-vendors, and over two dozen gay venues including hotels, bars, saunas, stores and restaurants (mostly geared toward dudes and many geared specifically toward bears, but fun nonetheless). There’s a lovely little row of twinkle-lit outdoor gay bars here behind Red House, a historic landmark that was once a theater (but now houses lots of queer-friendly shopping-more on that below), where the people-watching is sublime. It’s the ideal spot for a pre-game.
Korner (Bar with occasional lesbian nights)
via Facebook
Korner bills itself as “a hidden club for open minded people,” which seems to mean they occasionally have some queer, kink-themed sexy/play parties, some of which are for women only.
GStar and Funky (Gay clubs)
Both GStar and Funky are primarily gay men’s clubs (both occasionally host more mixed events), but there are usually at least a handful of queer ladies hanging out with their guy pals there. And because there are so few of you, it’s easy to spot each other and make friends (or, you know, hook up). They’re both super fun places to dance, but I personally prefer GStar. There’s a stage at the front of the club that faces a wall of mirrors, and groups of friends and strangers who’ve meticulously memorized the dance moves to the music videos playing on the big TVs take the stage to lovingly watch themselves vogueing and busting a move PERFECTLY IN SYNC. It’s truly a beautiful thing to behold, especially from the second-floor balcony that overlooks the whole club (which also handily facilitates cruising for other queer ladies).
Yanji Street/Eastern District (Gayborhood)
This quiet little street is conveniently near several other popular tourist destinations, including the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and is becoming a mini gayborhood in its own right. GStar and Funky are both here, and Yanji and several surrounding streets are home to a number of more laid-back gay cocktail and wine bars like La Boca and Park.
Shop/EatShida (Gayborhood)
Shida is home to two of the largest universities in Taiwan, so it’s full of attractive young people and fun stuff to do, including a number of LGBT bookstores and cafés (like Loveboat, GinGin’s, Fembooks, and Witch House – more on all of those below). It also boasts one of the best night markets in the city, where you can sample all the best street food Taipei has to offer (foodies won’t want to miss the larger night market at Shilin, either).
Love Boat (Lesbian sex/lifestyle shop & café)
According to Love Boat’s website, the store was “the first LGBT physical lifestyle shop in Asia” when it opened in 2005. The actual storefront (with adorable attached café) isn’t huge, but they sell everything from rainbow flags and t-shirts to packers, binders, and custom-tailored suits for butches and tomboys, to sex toys. There’s also an amazing in-house tarot card and I Ching reader, a space for massages and a shelf of Buddhist-leaning literature on spiritual wellness and healing. They recently got a lovely review in Broadly. (Worth noting: There’s also a documentary being made about a fascinating, decades-old cultural exchange program-also nicknamed “Love Boat”-that aimed to encourage Chinese American and Taiwanese American students to find romance and preserve their bloodlines.)
Gin Gin’s Books and H*ours café
via Facebook
This LGBT bookstore caters heavily to gay men and Mandarin-speakers (not a ton of English books), but they do have lots of lesbian movies in stock. H*Ours café is an adorable little gay café serving snacks and drinks right next door.
AdaCasa Salon
via Facebook
If you’re in need of a badass haircut while you visit, AdaCasa Salon caters specifically to LGBT folks and lesbians in particular (lots of cute tomboys with cool haircuts in their photos).
Taboo café
The lesbian nightclub of the same name also has a café for lesbian-friendly daytime snacks and drinks.
Fembooks and Witch House café
via Facebook
Fembooks, which claims to be the first feminist bookstore in the Chinese community, was opened in 1994 by members of Taiwan’s first women’s movement activist group. They primarily sell books about, by, and for women and feminism. Witch House café right next door uses bras for decoration, provides free access to board games and has a sex-positivity-themed menu of snacks, coffee, tea, and alcoholic drinks. They also sometimes hosts live music, mostly by women, in the evenings.
Red House & Cosby Burgers (gay landmark/shopping)
via Facebook
Red House in Ximending was initially a marketplace, then a theater, then a secret gathering place for the LGBT community. Now it’s now a historic landmark that houses arts and crafts vendor stalls (many with LGBT themes) and small food stands, including Cosby, a lesbian-owned burger and beer joint. The area just behind Red House is full of gay bars with beautiful outdoor seating and lots of other shopping.
Find Resources/ConnectLez’s Meeting
This site is in Mandarin but contains basically all information about lesbian happenings in Taipei, most of which you can access using Google Translate. The group also publishes a lesbian magazine (in Mandarin), coordinates lesbian nights and parties at bars and clubs around the city, and usually throws the women’s party during Pride. Though they go by “Lez’s Meeting” in English, their Mandarin name actually roughly translates to something much cooler: “Women Nation.”
Forumosa (Message boards/forum)
The name for this informational forum is a play on Taiwan’s nickname from its Portuguese colonizers (Taiwan has a long history of being colonized by various nations), “Formosa Isla,” or “Beautiful Island.” This site has been around forever (and still looks like it’s stuck in the ’90s), but is a great resource for both general questions about Taiwan and the LGBT community in Taiwan specifically for English-speakers.
Red House Shore (Facebook group)
This is a small, closed Facebook group for English-speaking queer women in Taipei to plan hangouts, adventures, and nights out at the bar. You shouldn’t ask to join unless you’re actually on your way to Taiwan, but if you’re looking to connect and make some friends while you’re there, this is a super friendly place to do it.
Google Translate
Most Taiwanese businesses use Facebook pages instead of having actual websites, and most of those pages are in Mandarin. Google Translate is going to be your best friend here.
