Can Cavusoglu is Turkey's first gay mayoral candidate, ANSA reports:
A Turkish man who studied in the United States is aiming to become the first open member of Turkey's LGBT community to hold public office when he runs to become mayor of a small town on Turkey's Black Sea coast, as daily Hurriyet reports. Can Cavusoglu has said he will run in Giresun's district of Bulancak in the March 2014 local elections in a bid to become the first-ever openly homosexual mayor in the country, while declaring himself a "gay, activist, writer, thinker, painter, humanist and women rights activist."
The 43-year-old, who was born in Istanbul, has looked to win votes by saying only he can bring American investment to the town thanks to his connections with the U.S., according to a written campaign bid released yesterday.
Said Cavusoglu, who is running as an independent: "The international values I possess, the representation skills and governmental accounting can be found only in a few people."
