• Taiwan Gay & Lesbian News
• Taiwan Lesbian Scene Updates message forum
• Travel in Taiwan message forum
• Women in Taiwan message forum
• Additional links for Taiwan GLBT information.

The updated and expanded 2nd Edition of the Utopia Guide to Taiwan offers a fresh insider's glimpse at the gay and lesbian scene in 12 cities including Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Taichung. Listings include organizations, bars, discos, accommodations, spas, restaurants, and more. A special section highlights venues that are especially welcoming for women. Enjoy savvy comments and recommendations from local Utopians and gay travelers. Click here to order

• Fembooks
  02-2363-8244, email.

• Asian Lesbian Film & Video Festival
  (886-2) 8251-0105, FAX 8251-0106, email. ALFF seeks to initiate dialogue around media representations of and by lesbians/lazi/lala/tongzhi/t/po/queer persons in an inter-Asian context so that communities within Asia could share images and stories made in their own region by and about Asians in Asian societies and build a forum for the lesbian and queer communities to discuss issues including visibility, media representation, gender and sexuality, relationships among women, family and community, violence and social justice.
• Between Women
  8931-1533, email. Taiwan's first lesbian organization, founded in 1990.
• Leshand
  Taiwan Lesbian Association.
• NTU Gay Alliance. Student group at Taiwan University which helped organize the 1st Gay Pride Festival in 1997.
• Taiwan Pride Festival
  12F No. 70, Sec. 2, Roosevelt Rd, (886-2) 2392-1969, email.
  Here's a scene from the 2007 Taiwan Pride Parade...

• Tongzhi Hotline Association
  THA has private hotlines available Mon-Fri, from 7pm-10pm, with three full-time workers and 40 volunteers to answer calls. THA has also formed alliances with other tongzhi groups and participates in gay rights demonstrations.

KAOHSIUNG -- area code (886-7)

Population is 1.5 million (that's 60,000 Utopians).

• GAMA&LAMA
  P.O. Box 1282, Kaohsiung. Gay and lesbian organization promoting the development of homosexual identity and the improvement of G&L life in society.

Click here for Kaohsiung hotels and accommodations.

• Marui (gay and lesbian)
  No. 120 Shing Tieb Rd, 271-4523. Stylish gay-owned coffee shop with karaoke club downstairs. The owner speaks Japanese. Gay magazines on sale. Monthly special shows.

TAINAN -- area code (886-6)

Population is over 750,000 (that's about 30,000 Utopians).

Click here for Tainan hotels and accommodations.

• Light
  72 Zhong-yi 3rd Rd, 225-1781. Gets very busy on Fri nights. Locals, expats and visitors. Mostly gays, some lesbians and some straight women also.
• Music Town Karaoke(mixed)
  11/F, 9, 72 Huan-he West Rd, Chinatown Theater/Shopping Complex (near the river), 220-8800, 223-1262. Turn left after getting out of the elevator. Friendly, mature crowd. Some English speaking staff. Fairly easy to find and a good place to get other business cards. Mostly gay, lesbians on occasion. Take bus number 6 from the train station and get off at Da-yong stop. Look out for China Town Building or China Town Cinema.
• Suck
  Min-chuan 2nd Rd. Some gay and lesbian customers.

• Fu Low
  1-22 Sha Lin Rd, 229-6535. Modern and clean setting for an open-air Taiwan-style restaurant, serving seafood, fresh local dishes and beer.
• Lemon Mini (mixed), 229-6535. Tea shop.

TAIPEI -- area code (886-2)

Population is 2.7 million (that's over 100,000 Utopians).

• Gay Chat
  Taida University. Student gay group which organized the recent first gay pride march and occasional raves.

Click here for Taipei hotels and accommodations.

• Esha
  156 JianGuo North Rd, Sect 1 (across the street from Café Grazie), 2515-2228. About a 15 minute walk from the Nanjing Dong Lu MRT stop. Tomboy club for women only. Young crowd.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "The bouncers were cute! Unfortunately, even though it was a Fri night, the place was practically deserted. The bouncers said it was because it was a holiday (Tomb Sweeping Day)." -- eileen, Apr 5, 2008

• Go Fish
  B1 No.6 An He Rd., Sec.1, 2755-1076-7. Big place with karaoke and dance floor.
• The Jailhouse
  2/F, Alley 8, Lane 316, Roosevelt Rd (go up the stairs in the alley next to the Niko Mart convenience store), 2364-1463. A lesbian bar which also attracts some gay customers.
• Lesnight Pub
  51-B1, Sec. 2, Heping E. Rd. On Fri night lesbians party here.

  Comments from Utopians:

  "I went here just two weeks ago. It's a lesbian pub only on Fri night from 10pm-4am. Entrance fee is T$400." -- kaiyo, Aug 13, 2007

• The Source (mixed)
  1-2 Roosevelt Rd Sec 1 (corner of Ai Kwo St, just around the corner from the huge Chinese-style theater building at the corner of the CKS Memorial park, MRT exit 4), 3393-1678, 2288-1753. Mixed bar and dance space featuring lots of antique Chinese decor mixed in with the usual bar detritus. Cocktail bar on 1/F where you can relax with friends, dance space upstairs. Happy hour specials. Fri and Sat DJ rocks the dance floor until the early morning hours. No cover charge. Utopia Member Discount

• Lesbian and women's book store at 2362-5494.

• Eslite (Dun-Hua store)
  2/F, 245 Dun-Hua S. Rd, Section 1, (near Jen-Ai Circle), 2775-5977. Flagship store of this upmarket book chain is open 24 hours every day. Quite cruisy, with a fairly well-stocked gay and lesbian section. MRT Nan-kang line, Zhong-xiao Tun-hua station.
• Eslite (NTU store)
  98 Xin-sheng South 3rd Rd, 2362-6312. MRT Hsintien line, KungKuan station.
• GinGin's
  1/F No. 8, Alley 8, Lane 210, Roosevelt Rd, Section 3 (close to Taipower Subway Station and 10-minutes from National Taiwan University), 2364-2006, email. Next to the gay Hours café and across from Love Boat lesbian shop. Gay and lesbian book shop with pride goods, DVDs, gifts, and gay magazines from the region. They welcome visitors from all over the world. Open daily from 11am-10pm. Friendly staff, some English spoken.

  Love Boat Across from GinGin's and Hours Café, 2364-8757. This friendly and colorful lesbian shop sells gifts, jewelry, clothes and decor but it specializes in custom male-style clothing for tomboys who normally can't find small sizes in men's fashion.

• Sho Chun Bookstore
  2371-0495. Japanese publications available.

TAOYUAN -- area code (886-3)

Population is over 360,000 (that's about 15,000 Utopians).

• Foxy
  No. 33 Nan Hua St, 339-5798. Gay and lesbian night on Fri.