Homosexuality in the party

The ChristianUnion, one of the three parties in the Dutch governing coalition, is currently discussing whether homosexuals may exercise political functions within the party. An internal commission has now presented a report on the subject. "The report reveals a major dilemma", writes De Volkskrant newspaper: "In a nutshell, homosexuality may exist, but it should be discreet. The paper's cumbersome wording is not least a consequence of the differences of opinion within the party's ranks. The commission does a good job of keeping the Church out of things. No one can maintain that the ChristianUnion excludes homosexual candidates a priori, while orthodox members will be happy with the parsimonious wording. ... If the party congress now refuses homosexual candidates, it could mean major difficulties for the ChristianUnion, which could lose its right to subsidies. ... In addition, a party that transgresses the ban on discrimination written into its constitution has no place in the government."

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