With two months to go before the local elections on Nov. 26, the Taiwan Equality Campaign yesterday launched an updated Web site to document candidates’ opinions on gender equality.
Pridewatch.tw was created to urge the candidates to heed the needs of the public, provide gender-friendly services and promote human rights in Taiwan, the group said.
Taiwan Equality Campaign chief executive Jennifer Lu (呂欣潔) said that the organization also used Pridewatch.tw during the 2018 local elections to introduce candidates who advocated gender-friendly policies.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Equality Campaign
The site generates more than 100,000 views annually, she said.
The updated site includes candidates’ platforms and statements related to gender equality for voters to refer to, she said.
Mayors, county commissioners, city and county councilors, and township mayors and councilors can contribute their positions on gender equality and fill in a questionnaire on the Web site, she said.
Citing examples, Tainan Sprout secretary-general Su Lin-chi (蘇淋齊) said that the site details Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin I-chin’s (林宜瑾) participation in several Pride parades in Tainan, and New Power Party Tainan City Councilor Lin Yi-ying’s (林易瑩) efforts to review gender-equality education in the city.
Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association secretary-general Hang Yi-chen (韓宜臻) said that some anti-LGBTQ groups have in the past few years harassed teachers who tried to provide gender-equality education to their students.
Gender-friendly councilors looked into the issue and brought it to city and county councils, which was “a great help” to teachers, she added.
Humanistic Education Foundation secretary Chen Chih-yuan (陳志遠) said that the Web site shows whether a candidate understands the needs of their voters and is prepared to provide gender-friendly services.
Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association secretary-general Sean Du (杜思誠) said the Web site allows people to take political action.
Taiwan Youth Association for Democracy president Chang Yu-meng (張育萌) said that the Web site could prompt candidates to care more about such issues and make their positions known.
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