There are plenty of out candidates running in the General Election this month and we are profiling some you may not know well yet with a Q I'm a pretty private person by nature. But I can't just sit back and ignore the world's problems without trying to do anything about them. Why did you choose your party? I initially got involved in the wake of the invasion of Afghanistan (an ongoing issue even now); I was impressed by the way the party stuck to its principles in the face of betrayal by certain of its MPs. And the Alliance has the best policies all round, to reduce inequality and improve the standard of living for everyone. Fairer taxation, human rights, improved working conditions, protection for the environment, proper funding of health and education, full employment instead of free trade and privatisation... The Alliance might not have much support at the moment (something of a vicious circle) but it's still right. It's been campaigning for regulation of coastal shipping for years, for example, and its policies would have prevented the Rena disaster. I don't see the point in supporting a party with weaker policies. Who are some of your heroes? Democracy is very important to me, and I'm proud of NZ leading the world in women's suffrage. People like Kate Sheppard who fought to get women the vote are definitely worth admiring. To further democracy today, we should keep MMP, but enhance it with preferential voting for both party and electorate votes. When did you come out? Who did you first tell? At uni, to a queer friend. These days I'm much more relaxed about it all (and glad to live in a country where that's possible, albeit for some more than others). What do you think are the biggest issues for glbti New Zealanders right now? Adoption is the big one for queer-specific issues; not allowing both a child's parents to be legally recognised as such is ridiculous. But the most important issues are the same as for everyone else. Queer kiwis suffer at least as much as heterosexuals from unemployment and poverty, underfunded schools and hospitals, etc, and if we don't take drastic steps to respond to the threats of peak oil and climate catastrophe, we're all in trouble. What will you do, if elected, to change these situations? The Alliance is 100% in support of queer rights, including extending marriage to same-sex couples. And we advocate real change, not just slight variations on the status quo. Are you single or do you have a partner? If you have a partner tell us a little bit about them? Any kids? I've got a wonderful girlfriend who's put up with me for six years now, and we share the house with a couple of cats who want to know why I'm on the computer instead of feeding them. What will you be doing on election night? Spending the evening with a group of friends. How can people contact you if they want to chat about issues they are concerned about? Email me at kelly.buchanan@alliance.org.nz GayNZ.com - 20th November 2011