Gay and lesbian rights activists yesterday released a list of legislative candidates they consider to be homophobic and urged gay and lesbian voters to boycott them in next Saturday's election.
"There are some things that gay and lesbian voters must keep in mind," Chen Po-chieh (
Thirty candidates across party lines were listed on the boycott list.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
"Discrimination has always been the cause of hate crimes in human history. Undoubtedly, Wang should be the most condemned and boycotted legislative candidate of all because of his undisguised insults to gays and lesbians," Chen said.
He called on gays and lesbians to "look beyond green and blue," as "both the Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] and the DPP put their party interests above that of minority groups and values of diversity and gender equality," he said.
At the end of the news conference, representatives from several gay and lesbian groups urged voters to throw their support behind the Green Party Taiwan.
"There are certainly lawmakers who pay attention to issues concerning gay and lesbian rights," Chen said. "However, in the current political climate ... those who care about minority groups cannot speak out," and therefore a third party that focuses on social issues must be supported.
Besides Wang, legislative candidates on the boycott list are Alex Fai (
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