Tuesday, December 05, 2006

HOMOSEXUAL GROUP ENDORSES CANDIDATES IN CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

Taipei, Dec. 5 (CNA) A homosexual group announced its endorsement of five candidates in the upcoming Taipei city council elections Tuesday and demanded more homosexual-friendly policies from the Taipei and Kaohsiung city governments.

Based on candidates' past records and public statements, the Taiwan Tonzhi Hotline Association (TTHA) said it will endorse Pan Han-shen, Chan Ming-chou, Dai Hsi-chin, Lin Yi-hua and Chou Po-ya in the Dec. 9 election for Taipei city councilors.

Of the candidates, Pan is from the Green Party, which has been known for supporting homosexual rights, while independent candidate Chan Ming-chou claimed he is the first out of the closet homosexual candidate in Taiwan's election history.

"The homosexual population accounts for as much as 10 percent of the population. Votes of homosexuals are going to be critical and that is why candidates should not ignore the importance of these voters, " said Kao Ying-chao, convener of the TTHA's human rights group.

The organization did not endorse any candidates in the elections for Taipei and Kaohsiung city mayors or Kaohsiung city council, which will also be held Dec. 9, as most candidates either failed to answer questionnaires submitted by the group or lack past records for review.

However, Kaohsiung city mayoral candidate Chen Ju did mention common-law partners and families of gay people in her White Paper, while Taipei mayoral candidate Clara Chou is also listed as a homosexual-friendly candidate.

In the survey, most candidates were hesitant to specify their views or policies on homosexuals, said Kao.

Homosexual groups have submitted their recommendations and endorsements in elections from as early as 1995, TTHA Public Relations Director Wu Hsu-liang said, adding that they endorsed candidates such as current legislators Hsiao Bi-khim, Cheng Yun-peng and Joanna Lei in past elections.

"Our surveys and endorsements are non-partisan. All we care about are candidates' track records and whether they are homosexual-friendly, " Wu said.