Gay Christian party official sees no future in politics

The Dutch orthodox Christian party ChristenUnie accepts homosexuals as rank-and-file members, but when Sander Chan has a gay relationship it is “too great an obstacle” for him to hold a party function. The CU currently has six seats in parliament and is the junior partner in the Netherlands' governing coalition.

The position of gay members continues to plague the Dutch orthodox Christian party ChristenUnie (CU). It was not until four months ago that the party adopted a 'code of behaviour' which declared that practising homosexuals would not necessarily be excluded from party functions.

But with the resignation of a board member of the party's Amsterdam branch on Monday the issue is likely to reopen the debate on what for a Calvinist party is an extremely sensitive issue.

Sander Chan says he will continue to remain a member of the CU but does not see a future for himself within the party. “The obstacles are too great,” he said.

Chan: “The chairman of the board made it clear. He accepted the fact that I was gay but made it clear that if I was to have a relationship, I would no longer be able to serve on the board or become a councillor.” Chan says he is not willing to lead a life of celibacy for the sake of the party.

Gays within the church

But he has another motive for leaving the party. Chan wants to draw attention to the position of gays within the church and feels he can do this more effectively from outside the party.

“This issue is more important to me than party politics, or any other question discussed in The Hague [seat of government]. There are approximately a million Christians in the Netherlands. Let's say that five percent of them are gay. That's 50,000 Christian homosexuals. Neither the secular nor the religious community has any interest in their position. I want to change that.”

Chan is disappointed by what he says are the half-hearted attempts by his party’s leadership to discuss the position of gay people within the church. He says the 'code of behaviour' adopted in June has not had any effect.

Fundamental principles

A commission headed by former party leader Janco Cnossen decided against an explicit ban on homosexuality. It also decided that the question of whether a member’s way of life is in accordance with the party's fundamental principles should be left to the local nomination committees.

“To the outside world this seemed like an acceptable compromise,” says Chan. “The party did not exclude gays from holding political functions. The secular world considered this as the adoption of a liberal position. But within the party this only meant that the local branches locked the door and threw away the key.”

Chris van Andel, chairman of Amsterdam CU party, sympathises with Chan's decision. He emphasises that the party's position concerning practising homosexuality “is no secret”. During the party congress, the Amsterdam branch presented a motion advising local organisations not to put candidates with a gay relationship high enough to be elected on voting lists.

The party's national secretary, Peter Blokhuis, “respects” Chan's decision, but regrets that he did not engage in an “open discussion about his candidacy”.

Crossing lines

Blokhuis says that Chan's sexuality was no reason to step down from his function on the board. However, he also added that the CU considers sexuality as something that belongs within a marriage between a man and a woman. “If Chan considers this too restrictive, he is starting to cross the lines set by the party.”

Even though the CU only has one seat in one Amsterdam district council, the issue has led to fierce debate in the local branch in the past. Yvette Lont, a former prostitute who now holds a leading position in a Pentecostal church, was a CU district councillor last year.

She said “homosexual practises” are a sin deserving “spiritual death”. This led to a row within the party. Chan says he was present at the debate and “saw how ugly things got”. When Chan first came out of the closet in January he did not inform Lont.

Chan has, he says, tried to “cure himself” in the past. Now he considers gay emancipation as part of the message of redemption spread by Christ.

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