Gay bar raid in Taiwan sparks protest; 51 detained under 'public morality' law

Around 100 members of Taipei’s LGBTQ+ community protested on Sunday after police raided a gay bar the previous day and detained 51 people, an unusual move in Taiwan, which has long projected a liberal image and legal protections for sexual minorities.The protest came a day after police raided Commander D, a well-known gay bar in Taipei’s Wanhua district, taking 51 people in for questioning and arresting the bar’s owner. Police said they had acted on a search warrant over suspected “offences against public morality”.According to precinct spokesman Chen Yu-cheng, those detained were suspected of violating a law prohibiting “wantonly exposing one’s naked body or presenting a lascivious posture in a public place or publicly accessible place”.Protesters marched to the precinct police station on Sunday, where they voiced anger over the raid and questioned the police action.“They raided the place violently.