00:00It's crying in the instant, actually, that I can't remember where or when or how.
00:09Lip syncing to an emotional song in knee-high leather boots and sparkly dress.
00:15Taunee's drag queen, Hannah Monina, was on a special assignment on this particular night,
00:20as a performer and a tour guide.
00:23She's given the tour many times, but it was her first time hosting the ride in English.
00:29Despite the nerves, she said the ride offers a unique opportunity for both her and her audience.
00:35I think that it's more personal because you get really close to the audience,
00:41and normally it only happens when you have really close friends.
00:44They have this question, like, where does Hannah from?
00:48And they offer me the opportunity to explain how I feel my identity
00:52because I could feel there's something inside myself,
00:56and drag is a thing to make that happen.
01:00I feel, like, so touched because normally only in art field
01:04will somebody else will ask me about that.
01:08Okay, I love that.
01:11Hannah is part of Taiwan Drag Queen, also known as TWIN,
01:15the first agency in the country to represent and find work opportunities for artists like her.
01:20In its first official collaboration with the Taipei City Government,
01:25the agency offers a total of 30 tours along seven routes
01:29that take people on rides around some of the most significant LGBTQ plus landmarks,
01:34from Taipei's queer cultural hub Ximen District
01:37to some of the community's favorite gay and lesbian bars.
01:41Every October, thousands come from all over the world
01:44to immerse themselves in the prize celebrations in Taipei,
01:48including this bus tour.
01:49As well as boosting local tourism,
01:51it also teaches people about the history of LGBTQ communities here.
01:55Some audience members said
01:57they see a lot in common between drag culture in Taiwan and back home.
02:01But they're impressed by both Hannah
02:03and how fast the culture has progressed here.
02:05It was great, good fun, yeah, really good fun.
02:09Hannah was funny.
02:10Hannah was great.
02:12Especially, like, considering the weather was not on her side,
02:17she did a really good job.
02:19In politics in the UK, I think queer, gay and trans rights
02:24are actually going backwards to a degree.
02:26So it's really interesting and kind of refreshing
02:30because I feel like here things are going forward
02:34and my, like, the message is never go backwards.
02:38Some also said they were just glad to hop on the ride
02:41during their overseas trip.
02:42I didn't realize that it was Pride Week,
02:45but when I found out I was, like, super excited
02:48because I was in some other countries
02:51and I didn't really see any, like, people who were out.
02:55And then when I came to Taipei,
02:59I noticed, like, it was way more queer-friendly.
03:03For lesbian bar Taboo,
03:04which has been a tour stop two years running,
03:07management says the tour has brought growth
03:09both in its business and in acceptance for their communities.
03:13The bus tour will continue until the end of the Pride Parade
03:42this weekend,
03:44with the cheers from the crowd echoing
03:46not only for the drag queen performing on stage,
03:48but for the ongoing effort to bring people together.
03:52Fu Hua Hong and Irene Lin in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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