【Taipei Times Wednesday, Oct 03, 2007】 Page 4 http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2007/10/03/2003381486 Politicians taken to task for lip service on gay rights STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA Gofyy, president of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association： "Gay, bisexual and transgender communities welcome any support, but they are not fools." Election should do more than speak up for gay rights so that they can secure votes from members of the gay, bisexual and transgender communities, representatives from these communities said yesterday. "Taiwan's society has become more aware of gay rights, and many election candidates want to woo votes from this group. However, they have to back their words with action rather than just offering lip service," said the president of the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, who goes by the alias Gofyy. The US-based Kinsey Institute estimates that 10 percent of the human population is gay, bisexual or transgender, he said, adding that this made such communities a focus group politicians cannot afford to ignore. More than not, however, Gofyy said, politicians and candidates say they support gay rights, but fail to come up with substantial opinions and policies. "Gay, bisexual and transgender communities welcome any support, but they are not fools. They know very well who are for real and who are not. Candidates cannot expect to win votes by simply participating in gay pride parades and offering vocal support," he said. Gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Taiwan have been establishing "observation groups" in past elections to examine candidates' opinions and positions on gay rights, Gofyy said. "Some candidates who have shown support for gay, bisexual and transgender groups during their campaigns never did anything after being elected. Some did push for new legislation or amendments, but in the end they were stuck in the Legislative Yuan because of opposition from conservative legislators, " he said. The legislative elections are scheduled to be held at the end of the year, and the presidential election is set for next March. An gay, bisexual and transgender parade has been scheduled for next Saturday in downtown Taipei to showcase the "rainbow power" of these communities, whose members are often discriminated against, parade organizers said yesterday. The parade, which is entering its fifth year and is expected to draw over 10,000 participants, will make its way down Zhongxiao E Road and end in the square behind Taipei City Hall, where a stage will be set up for music performances, said Wang Ping (王苹), chief convener of the parade. The goal of the parade is to promote equality, diversity, respect and an end to discrimination against gay, bisexual and transgender people, and it can also be seen as a platform for discussion with other citizens, Wang said. From a humble beginning of only 1,000 participants in the inaugural 2003 parade to more than 10,000 participants last year, the parade has established itself as the biggest of its kind in Asia, Gofyy said. "It's true that the movement in Taiwan still has a long way to go, but at the same time we are very proud to say that it plays a leading example compared to other Asian countries, such as Japan and Thailand," he said. To boost the visibility of the event, popular local singer A-Mei (阿妹) has been named the rainbow ambassador of the parade, Gofyy said. (原报导中文翻译) 标题：同志人权 政客多半口惠不实 「同志社群欢迎大家的支持，但同志社群也不是笨蛋。」同志谘询热线理事长喀飞说。 同性恋、双性恋与跨性别社群的代表昨天表示，候选人应该拿出具体行动，而非仅是 为了巩固同志票源，光靠嘴巴说支持同志。 「台湾社会逐渐注意到同志人权，很多候选人也开始向同志争取选票。但他们必须用 行动来证明自己，而不只是说些好听话而已。」台湾同志谘询热线理事长喀飞表示。 美国金赛研究中心估计，同性恋、双性恋、跨性别占总人口的10%，喀飞补充说，同志 的人口，让同志社群成为政客无法忽视的重要票仓。但喀飞也分析，政客和民代候选 人经常说自己支持同志，却无能提出具体的政策。 「同志社群欢迎大家的支持，但同志社群也不是笨蛋。他们很清楚谁才是玩真的。如 果只是想来参加游行、喊喊口号，这样的民代候选人是别想指望赢得同志的选票。」 台湾同志社群早有建立「观举察察团」的经验，藉此检视候选人对同志人权的态度。 喀飞表示，「有些候选人在选举的时候会声称自己支持同志，但选上後却丝毫没有作 为。也有些政治人物，则真的着手推动立法或法律修正案，不过因为保守立委的阻挠 ，重要法案往往卡在立法院无法过关。」 立法委员选举预定於今年底、总统大选预定於明年三月举办，而经常受歧视的LGBT同 志，下周六将走上台北街头。游行策划者昨天（2日）表示，一年一度的同志游行， 今年的主题是「彩虹有够力」。 游行联盟总召王苹表示，台湾的同志游行已迈入第五年，这次可望吸引上万人潮。今 年的游行路线将穿过忠孝东路，抵达市政府广场，终点还会有舞台及音乐表演。 同志游行的目标是宣扬平等、多元、尊重，并消除对同性恋、双性恋与跨性别的歧视 。王苹说，同志游行也将成为同志与台北市民彼此交流的平台。 喀飞指出，从2003年的1000人参与，到去年游行超过10000人，台湾同志游行的规模 已经是亚洲第一。「同志运动在台湾还有一段路要走，但我们可以很骄傲地说，相比 於日本、泰国等亚洲国家的同志游行，我们是走在前端的表率。」 喀飞表示，流行歌手阿妹获选为同志游行的「彩虹大使」，将增进本次活动的能见度。 （本篇英文报导的中文，是由同志游行联盟义工Vaconn翻译） 台湾同志游行联盟 htt://twpride.net --

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