Kao Chia-yu

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Kao Chia-yu

| native_name = {{nobold|高嘉瑜}}

| native_name_lang = zh-tw

| honorific-suffix = MLY

| image = 立法委員高嘉瑜.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2020

| office1 =

| term_start1 =

| term_end1 =

| deputy1 =

| predecessor1 =

| successor1 =

| office2 = Member of the Legislative Yuan

| term_start2 = 1 February 2020

| term_end2 = 31 January 2024

| predecessor2 = Lee Yen-hsiu

| successor2 = Lee Yen-hsiu

| constituency2 = Taipei IV

| office3 = Taipei City Councillor

| term_start3 = 25 December 2010

| term_end3 = 31 January 2020

| constituency3 = Taipei City District 2
(Neihu, Nangang)

| office4 = Member of the National Assembly

| term_start4 = 30 May 2005

| term_end4 = 7 June 2005

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1980|10|17}}

| birth_place = Qidu District, Keelung, Taiwan

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Democratic Progressive Party

| education = National Taiwan University (LLB, MA)

}}

Kao Chia-yu ({{zh|c=高嘉瑜|p=Gāo Jiāyú}}; born 17 October 1980) is a Taiwanese politician and a member of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). She was elected to the National Assembly in 2005. Upon assuming office, she became the youngest person to ever be seated in that legislative body. Between 2010 and 2020, Kao was a Taipei City Councillor. She was elected to the Legislative Yuan in 2020.

Early life and education

Born in Keelung on 17 October 1980,{{cite news |title=5號高嘉瑜 |url=https://election.ltn.com.tw/2020/legislator/candidates/Taipei/99 |access-date=1 October 2022 |work=Liberty Times |language=zh}} Kao is the eldest in the family, with a sister and a brother. Her parents own a provision store.{{cite web|url=https://tw.appledaily.com/headline/daily/20181206/38198654/|title=孤鳥愛哈拉高嘉瑜|publisher=Apple Daily (Taiwan)|date=6 December 2018|author=Lin Yuan-ling}}{{cite web|url=https://udn.com/news/story/7323/3631369|author=Lai Yu-wei|title=高嘉瑜老家私房年夜飯曝光她指定要「這一味」|publisher=UDN|date=4 February 2019}}

Kao studied at the prestigious Taipei First Girls' High School, and then attended National Taiwan University (NTU), where she graduated with a LL.B. degree. She also earned a master's degree in cross-strait relations research from the NTU Graduate Institute of National Development. During her study in NTU, she became the 14th President of the NTU Student Association.{{cite web|url=http://www.tcc.gov.tw/Councilor_Content.aspx?s=1042#top|title=臺北市議會高嘉瑜議員介紹|publisher=Taipei City Council}}

Political career

Kao became an assistant of Legislative Yuan member Luo Wen-jia. She later won the 2005 National Assembly election and became the youngest member of the National Assembly in Republic of China history.

In the 2010 local elections, Kao was elected councillor of Taipei City, and was re-elected twice in 2014 and 2018.

She was initially nominated by the DPP to run for the 2008 legislative election, representing Taipei City District 6, but was replaced by Luo Wen-jia, after President Chen Shui-bian returned to lead the Democratic Progressive Party as chairman.{{cite web|url=https://news.cts.com.tw/cts/politics/200710/200710200232912.html|title=羅文嘉取代參選高嘉瑜委屈落淚|date=20 October 2007|publisher=CTS News}} In 2015, she protested DPP's decision not to nominate any candidate for the Neihu and Nangang district for the 2016 election.{{cite web|url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/1351642|title=民進黨暫不提名港湖區立委高嘉瑜今闖黨中央抗議|author=Chen Hui-ping|date=17 June 2015 |publisher=Liberty Times}} Kao defeated Lee Yen-hsiu in the 2020 legislative election, but lost to Lee in 2024.{{cite news |last1=Liu |first1=Tzu-hsuan |title=KMT wins 52 legislative seats, DPP bags 51 and TPP eight |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2024/01/14/2003812069 |access-date=13 January 2024 |work=Taipei Times}}

She would occasionally sing in the public, but some netizens found her singing voice being terrible.{{Cite web|title=被虧唱歌難聽！高嘉瑜飆歌反擊…下秒走音萌翻：我歌路廣啦|url=https://www.setn.com/News.aspx?NewsID=536599|access-date=2020-01-14|date=2019-05-04|last=李宜蕙、李文勝|work=三立新聞網|language=zh-TW|archive-date=2019-06-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620142720/https://www.setn.com/News.aspx?NewsID=536599|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title=影／高嘉瑜唱歌大破音…台下阿北好無奈阿姨急跑上台「幫拍拍」|url=https://www.ettoday.net/news/20191107/1574580.htm|date=2019-11-07|access-date=2020-01-14|last=|work=ETtoday|language=zh-tw|archive-date=2020-01-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114102459/https://www.ettoday.net/news/20191107/1574580.htm}} During the 2024 Taiwan general elections, she was even requested by William Lai (The presidential candidate of DPP) not to sing during the election campaign.https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E7%82%BA%E9%AB%98%E5%98%89%E7%91%9C%E7%AB%99%E5%8F%B0-%E8%B3%B4%E6%B8%85%E5%BE%B7-%E7%9B%B4%E5%94%B1%E6%AD%8C%E6%89%8D%E9%80%A0%E6%88%90%E9%81%B8%E6%B0%91%E8%AA%A4%E6%9C%83-010200082.html

Personal life

Kao dated her boyfriend, Ma Wen-yu, for more than a decade. Ma was her assistant and was her junior when they were both studying in NTU.{{cite web|url=https://www.chinatimes.com/cn/realtimenews/20150716002759-260407?chdtv|title=高嘉瑜同居男友柯文哲说他剩10年可活|author=Chang Ta-chih|date=16 July 2015|publisher=China Times}} In November 2021, Kao reported that her partner, {{ill|Raphael Lin|zh|林秉樞}},{{cite news |last1=Pan |first1=Jason |title=Kao's ex-boyfriend held after assault claim |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/12/03/2003768941 |access-date=3 December 2021 |work=Taipei Times |date=3 December 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Ting-chuan |last2=Chien |first2=Hui-ju |title=Boyfriend questioned over lawmaker's abuse claim |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/12/02/2003768880 |access-date=3 December 2021 |work=Taipei Times |date=2 December 2021}} physically assaulted her during an argument.{{cite news |last1=Chen |first1=Yu-ting |last2=Chen |first2=Chien-ling |last3=Wang |first3=Yang-yu |last4=Fan |first4=Cheng-hsiang |last5=Ko |first5=Lin |title=DPP lawmaker reports boyfriend to police for alleged physical assault |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202111300017 |access-date=30 November 2021 |agency=Central News Agency |date=30 November 2021}}{{cite news |last1=Madjar |first1=Kayleigh |title=Lawmaker thanks public for concern over abuse reports |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2021/12/01/2003768817 |access-date=1 December 2021 |work=Taipei Times |date=1 December 2021}} Lin was formally arrested in December 2021,{{cite news |title=Boyfriend of DPP lawmaker arrested for alleged assault |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202112010011 |access-date=1 October 2022 |agency=Central News Agency |date=1 December 2021}}{{cite news |title=Court detains man arrested over DPP lawmaker hotel room attack |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202112020007 |access-date=1 October 2022 |agency=Central News Agency |date=2 December 2021}} and indicted on eight criminal charges in January 2022.{{cite news |title=Ex-boyfriend of DPP lawmaker indicted on 8 charges |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202201260007 |access-date=1 October 2022 |agency=Central News Agency |date=26 January 2022}} Charges against Lin included violations of privacy and personal freedom, bodily harm, coercion, intimidation, and slander targeting Kao, dissemination of malicious texts while using her computer, as well as the falsification of his own financial documents. In September 2022, the New Taipei District Court sentenced Lin to two years and ten months in prison.{{cite news |last1=Wang |first1=Yang-yu |last2=Kao |first2=Hua-chien |last3=Ko |first3=Lin |title=Ex-boyfriend of DPP lawmaker handed jail sentence over abuse |url=https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202209300020 |access-date=1 October 2022 |agency=Central News Agency |date=30 September 2022 |quote=Lin was indicted earlier this year on eight criminal charges, including committing bodily harm against Kao, coercion and intimidation, slander and maliciously spreading texts using her computer. He was also charged with falsifying his bank records and violating Kao's privacy and personal freedoms while they were dating. ... According to the court, the two years and 10 month jail sentence included four months for violations of privacy, six months for slander, eight months for bodily harm, five months for maliciously sending texts using her computer, six months for coercion, four months for intimidation and a charge of forgery was also added.}}