1. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between persons of the same-sex?
A. Yes, marriage is the foundation of the family in our culture. Sexual orientation should not be a deterrent to a loving relationship nor should it be an impediment in a court of law. There should be a value on all our citizens that make up our society. In DC, gay men and lesbian women have made enormous contributions to our city. We are a rainbow city and should welcome differences among all of our residents.
2. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to stop the District of Columbia from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii or other places?
A. Yes. If elected, I will work to remove legal impediments and barriers related to domestic partnerships.
3. Do you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to outlaw or restrict adoptions by unmarried couples in the District of Columbia?
A. Yes. The issue here is parenting, responsible parents whether married or unmarried should not be outlawed or restricted from adopting minors.
4. If Congress ever repeals the D.C. Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 that established the registration of domestic partnerships, will you vote to reenact the same law?
A. Yes. Why should we deprive same-sex partnerships of the legal and financial benefits that our society affords to heterosexual partners. Discrimination is illegal on the basis of sex and in any other form. I stand for fairness for individuals and persons of all walks of life. I salute the courageous activists that have stepped forward in support of legalizing same-sex marriages.
5. Do you support the re-establishment of the Office of Human Rights as an independent, Cabinet-level agency whose Director has direct access to the Mayor?
A. Yes. I support the reëstablishment of the Office of Human Rights as an independent, Cabinet-level agency whose Director has direct access to the Mayor. The real issue is one of selection for the department head, and the agency size based on the functions necessary to carry out the duties of this office. For example expeditious processing of complaints should drive organizational size and configuration.
6. Do you agree that the Boy Scouts of America is violating the D.C. Human Rights Law's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by excluding gays from participating either as scouts or as leaders?
A. Yes I agree that the Boy Scouts of America is violating the D.C. Human Rights Law's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by excluding gays from participating either as scouts or as leaders. It is my firm belief that there should not be an exemption for the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of being a private club.
7. Will you vote to repeal the Armstrong Amendment, which allows religiously-affiliated private educational institutions in the District to discriminate against student clubs that promote equal rights for lesbians and gay men?
A. Yes. The Armstrong Amendment smacks of first amendment violations which must be redressed. The issue is not one of private versus public educational institutions, rather protecting our 1st Amendment rights.
8. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to abolish or restrict the right of our public school students to form clubs that promote greater understanding between gays and others?
A. Yes, I will oppose any efforts by Congress or our Council to abolish or restrict the right of our public school students to form clubs that promote greater understanding between gays and others.
9. Do you support the designation of a third party to act as a fiscal agent for the distribution of federal AIDS money, such as the system recently adopted by the Financial Control Board?
A. Yes. I believe that it is important to designate a third party trustee/agent to distribute federal AIDS money due to the severity of the consequences of not having these funds when needed. Where might this society have been if over 43 years ago federal money designated for polio was grid-locked by failures of local government financial systems.
10. Do you agree that our own elected officials, past and present, bear much of the responsibility for the District's current financial plight because of their reluctance to make tough budgetary decisions, to establish priorities, and to demand maximum efficiency and productivity (rather than political loyalty) from all District government agencies and workers?
A. Yes I agree, however in order of importance I would rank responsibility for our plight as follows: reluctance to establish priorities, to demand maximum efficiency and productivity (rather than political loyalty) from all District government agencies and workers, and finally, when appropriate, make tough budgetary decisions. One of the key problems that has plagued our government is the fact that we grew a government without growing its people -- i.e. lack of training; sensitivity to cultural, religious and sexual preferences; professional recruitment; effective evaluation and advancement procedures based on a merit system.
11. Do you support the condom availability programs that have been established in the District's public schools and prisons?
A. Yes. Condom availability and programs that advocate their use are essential to the social development of our youth.
12. Will you support legislation that will establish an effective civilian complaint review system for our Metropolitan Police Department?
A. Yes. It is critically important that an effective civilian complaint review system for our Metropolitan Police Department be established.
13. Do you support sensitivity and community relations training for all elements of our public safety system (police, fire department, etc.) that includes strong recognition's of gay and lesbian community concerns, so that the District will never again tolerate the kind of insensitivity and incompetence reflected in the Fire Department's handling of the Tyra Hunter case?
A. Absolutely. All citizens should have every expectation that fair and equal treatment will be available to them from every department in our public safety system. Based on the Fire Department's handling of the Tyra Hunter case and other less publicized incidents, sensitivity and community relations training is necessary.
14. Do you oppose legislation or initiatives that would authorize organized prayers in our public schools, thereby encouraging the harassment of individuals who choose not to participate?
A. Yes. I am opposed to any form of organized prayers in our public schools that minimally would encourage harassment on non-participants.
15. Do you oppose efforts to abolish or drastically curtail the powers of our elected Board of Education?
A. Yes. The D.C. School Board represents our first vestige of home rule and should never be abolished. Incompetent board members should be judged by the ballot. The Mayor or City Council, both of whom have shown fiscal irresponsibility, should not have direct control of our school system. The importance of the Home Rule Act, in establishing the School Board as an independent agency, was to keep the politics out of education -- that was the case then, and a better argument can be made for that matter today!
(Signed,)
James O. Baxter II