Responses of John Fanning to GLAA 2000 Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 0 | 6.5 |
August 7, 2000
Dear GLAA Members:
I am honored by this opportunity to present to you my thoughts regarding your 2000 Questionnaire for Candidates. At the outset, I am acutely aware of the marvelous opportunity this represents both in our collective life together as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered People, and for me, personally as an openly gay man who loves his community and the community at-large in which we share our common humanity. It is clear that as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered (GLBT) people we have found alliances among our straight supporters for so much of the progress we have experienced to date. However, it is also clear that a straight person has carried our concerns about as far as a straight person can carry our concerns. Now comes the hard issues of making clear laws which knits us further into the fabric of this democratic experience we call America.
Now it will take a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgendered person to establish our presence, legally, in all the institutions of our great city. Particularly in Ward Two, the community which surrounds the major federal city icons, in which the President of the United States lives, and the ward which produces the majority of city's derived economic income; here we GLBT people have homes and neighborhoods in which we both count and contribute to that fantastic spirit and energy which we experience as residents.
It will take a Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered person whose personal passion and zeal for our issues, are lived, first-person experiences, to further our work. It will be fundamentally difficult for straight personnel to argue for our marriage and civil union concerns. In this election I represent our community's best possible chance at furthering our concerns regarding our many issues, and in those which will arise in the many months ahead. I will carry our concerns further than any other candidate will in this Ward Two race. I have lived a Gay lifestyle and am proud of my life's activities. I have the stamina to complete the work ahead and I understand our need to establish both receptive environments and venues where we can meet and enjoy and find mutual love and support for each other. I have a clear vision of where we as GLBT people are at in the beginning of this new millennium, and I know full well where we must go, if we are ever to see and experience an equal share in our common life with each other. I am delighted to speak to my choir. I am a brother who loves our community and forever is grateful for being a gay man, with a desire to politically ensure our full participation, here and now, in this time and this occasion, I ask for your support!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
John Fanning
Candidate, Ward 2 City Council
PUBLIC SAFETY
1. Will you vote for a budget for the new Citizen Complaint Review Board and the Office of Citizen Complaint Review large enough to prevent the development of a case backlog?
Yes, I have always been supportive of a Citizen Complaint Review Board. The police, as professionals, are no different than other professionals whose work requires review, citizen supervision and public scrutiny. Especially police work, with its added connotation of life-taking powers, needs supervision. The police are to operate for the benefit of District citizens and visitors in their life or death considerations.
The backlog problem highlights the ever-present tension for legislators when they address our common safety concerns, but fail to provide funding necessary to make the legislation actually work, in real-time for real-people. There is abundant legislation designed to appear helpful to our community, but because of funding shortcomings, lack of backbone and guts, the legislation is dysfunctional and empty. Public safety concerns are paramount in a Council member's work. Laws, which end up with backlogs and poor funding, are no laws at all. As a District Council member I will remain aware of funding basis for public safety issues on the Council. If the current review process is not satisfactory to the residents I would support an Independent Review Process.
2. Will you support legislation that will reverse the Council's recent enactment of a ban on moonlighting by members of the Metropolitan Police Department at bars and sexually oriented establishments?
Yes, However, we need to hire more retired Police Officers to assist with the moonlighting demands in our city. Moonlighting has been a crime deterrent in the entertainment districts and other parts of the city.
3. Will you support amending recently enacted Sexual Offenders Registration Act, "Megan's Law," so that those who can prove to the court that they no longer constitute a danger to the community will not be required to register as a sex offender?
Yes, Megan's Law is designed to assist communities in regulating knowledge of the presence of sex offenders in there midst. It is a powerful tool for communities truly fearful of egregious offenders of sex crimes. Too often communities have police present who interpret consensual, free will, adult decisions to engage in sex as unlawful when applied to absolutely anyone outside of the straight, heterosexual, marriage "norm." In our society persons should receive encouragement and support to be restored to their full community membership. There are therapies available with therapeutic professionals who are able to determine a person's functional return to society without risk for further harm in the community.
4. Will you support the full funding and full staffing of the Metropolitan Police Department's newly created Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) as currently proposed?
Yes, I have personally been involved over the past several years in lobbying for the creation of this special unit. I had conversations with Larry Soulsby, Chief of Police in 1995 about creating this unit. And then, again, with Chief Charles Ramsey.
Once again there is clear implication that District laws are being made with little or no attention to the fine details of obtaining funding to support this crucial public safety concern. Our Ward Two citizens demand and deserve better treatment than they have received by an incumbent who thinks such units should exist, but fails to make the unit exist in an economically feasible manner.
5. Will you demand mandatory gay male, lesbian, bisexual and transgender sensitivity and diversity training including gay and transgender community representative as a continuing part of the training for all members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Fire/EMS Department?
Yes, Not only should all members of the Metropolitan Police Department and the Fire/EMS Department personnel receive mandatory GLBT sensitivity training, but all the interacting federal policing agencies, which co-exist in our common space, should also receive mandatory sensitivity training. What I mean by this is that sensitivity training in GLBT and all diversity issues should be required by the intersecting police personnel connected with the U.S. Park Service Police, The Secret Service personnel, all National Security police, including the agents of the FBI and the CIA who regularly may interact with District Citizens. All military-associated police who interact with our citizens should also receive this same GLBT sensitivity and diversity training.
PUBLIC HEALTH & HIV
6. Last year, a unique identifier system for tracking the spread of HIV was approved by the Council and Mayor, rather than a names reporting system that would deter some people from being tested in the first place. Will you insist that unique identifier system be implemented without delay and fairly evaluated?
Yes. We all know that anonymity is crucial to free-will patient participation in HIV health-care. No person wants to be cornered by a culture needing to deal with an epidemic in meaningful ways, while trampling on the rights and liberties of some in our society under the guise of "public good," for "everyone." Privacy concerns are very important and necessary for our GLBT community. If all parties responsible for the unique-identifier system can validate that anonymity is 100% achievable, and no one person will be harmed at society's expense, then yes, we must implement ASAP. If confidentiality and a person's anonymous status cannot be protected then we must yield until such time as privacy concerns are not breached. We must not create "criminality" as a consequence of withdrawing privacy and anonymity from people's lives. The public could well go where it should not go, and people are harmed.
7. Will you oppose Bill 13-240 which would make possession and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes a felony?
Yes. It is rare that society asks physicians to take authority in an area where the powers that be have squelched discussion and dialogue. The decision of whether or not any physician should be able to honestly recommend the medicinal role of marijuana should be a sacred, inviolate decision between a patient and his or her physician. It is an issue of free-will decision-making and cannot be disallowed, made illegal, or placed in the realm of penalty legislation.
If any citizen is not allowed to seek a physician's unabridged help on any personal health issue, then all of us, all of society suffers. Where the hell can any of us go to get non-biased, untampered, unabridged, and unaffected information with which to make free-will medical decisions for one, if we cannot go to our doctors? There are too many opportunities for legislators to act unsolicitely as "big brothers" for our people. We need to have Council members who primarily respect citizen's freedom to associate and make consensual decisions. We should become a zone of tolerance for consensual decisions made by our neighbors and citizens. In all our healthcare opportunities we must insure that physicians are able to freely recommend any treatment without being hampered by fears of reprisals by the larger society. Clinical decisions must always remain as private sacred communications between a physician and his or her patient. No avenue of relief of human pain and suffering should be declared off limits in a free society with freedom to think and live.
We are all angry with a Congress, which continues to sarcastically forbid us District citizens to express our free will, representative voice, in votes. The tyranny of Congress, which forbids us to count our Medical marijuana vote, is a tragic commentary against the passion of our congress to insure our District citizens, our voting voice. It is abject tyranny by a greater power against us.
8. Will you support the use of District taxpayer funds to implement a needle exchange program?
Yes. Once again GLAA has addressed a question to candidates which marvelously reveals the concern of creating legislation designed to protect our people, but being incapable of being made real due to under funding, or no funding! Its as though we are saying in our collective heart that we mean to help, but our will and our muscle are not really able to pull it off. Nice idea, but no real, palpable substance to the effort of needle exchange. People unfortunately die because our society is ideologically and idiotically obsessed with intolerance at any discussion of drug use. Society would rather be involved with the mechanisms of incarceration and death, then with kind, sensible discussions of addressing drug concerns. HIV must be banished from our physical lives with each other. Needle-exchanges prevent the spread of HIV. What evil we do by prohibiting needle-exchange.
9. The Administration for HIV/AIDS (AHA) is still unable to account for its spending. Will you ask the Inspector General to audit AHA contracting.
Yes. The auditing must also involve proactive vigilance toward insuring that the District meets all deadlines in order to obtain all funds for HIV and other public health issues.
Look at the reality of our life in the District. We have fabulous medical institutions in our midst. Our health statistics are terrible. We can and must do better. We cannot afford to miss deadlines for grants and funding aimed at helping our HIV patient needs. We must account for what spending we have done, and what spending which is still available.
10. Will you support earmarking funds to combat mental health problems and homelessness among sexual minority youth?
Yes. The District of Columbia Hospital Association reported last summer that following Heart Failure and Shock and surgical procedures related to heart disease, that Psychoses accounted for the third most common hospital discharge diagnosis under Medicare payments. Psychoses accounted for the third highest discharge diagnosis for Medicaid payments, too. Clearly, cognitive, mood and thinking problems plague our community from childhood through older age. Problems of mental health is inherent among our people and it is no surprise that GLBT youth can experience these type of clinical problems. Our GLBT/Queer youth need extra protection. Nearly two-thirds of homeless youth are thrown out of their biological homes because they are GLBT offspring or siblings. Over one-half of our younger GLBT brothers and sisters attempt suicide because they are GLBT persons, and are at odds with the intolerance of their homes.
We must do better for these youth. They are we, only writ young! They move and groove to the same fears, terrors, and hopes and desires which we experienced in our interpersonal worlds. Only the whole world now puts up larger blocks against their dynamic and fabulous natures. We must do better for these delightful progeny of our rhythms, our spirits and our souls.
HUMAN RIGHTS
11. Will you support a temporary increase in the annual budget for the Office of Human Rights (OHR) over the next several years until its persistent 700-case backlog has been eliminated?
Yes! Once again we have legislation created by District incumbents who lack economic backbone and muscle. We can and must do better at making certain that funding be established to allow the work of the OHR to be well done. I think any Council member voting for ideas without considering funding sources is fiscally irresponsible. There is no law set in stone, which says that, we Democrats must act without fiscal responsibility. Social outreach with a strong economic grounding is the only effective mode for our Council work in this new millennium.
12. Will you support legislation that will codify OHR's former practice of giving top priority to discrimination complaints filed by people with AIDS or other major life- threatening diseases?
Yes! Justice must be delivered with swiftness for people with AIDS or other life-threatening disease. Justice for discrimination cases must be especially swift. Sloth adds cruelty to the discriminatory activity. We must be vigilant in our care of the frail among us. Legal justice for frail citizens requires an absolute degree of swiftness. It is the right and good thing to do.
13. DC's rate of HIV infections among teenagers is significantly higher than the national average. Will you support legislation to increase HIV prevention efforts targeted towards sexual minority youth?
Yes! We must protect and love our GLBT youth by our prevention efforts. There are so many mixed messages about the rise, crisis, and treatment possibilities for HIV disease. Gay youth need focused prevention efforts designed to reach them, designed to inspire them, designed to keep them healthy. We must be vigilant in promoting free-will efforts to prevent and stem HIV infection among GLBT youth.
DEFENDING OUR FAMILIES
14. Will you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
Yes! On this issue it will require the resolute passions of GLBT Council members to carry this concern into legislative reality. No straight person can be expected to argue the case for our full demand to be included in all the benefits of our common citizenship and democratic participation which each other. It would be political suicide for them. And especially on this point, straight legislators have done about as much as they possibly can. We need to move this action in our common political life. I am deeply aware of the discrepancies in legal rights afforded to straight, heterosexual couples via marriage, which by major error is unavailable to us, GLBT people. This cannot continue in our common life with each other.
15. Will you agree that the District should recognize the same-sex civil unions established in Vermont or other jurisdictions?
Yes! It would be a horrendous slap in our face if we failed to achieve reciprocity with other jurisdictions that offer equal marriage treatment for their GLBT citizens. All human decisions to consensually relate with whomever we choose must be made available to all our citizens. It is essential, it is basic, and it is an issue of our country sense of fairness to achieve true equality for all our people.
16. Will you support legislation in the District similar to Vermont's civil unions law?
Yes! Now is the time to do this. There is no other time better suited for this to occur. Why wait? Any attempt to put this off is cowardly, and derived from the political control of the political and religious right. Common sense and a deep respect for our common American pursuit of happiness requires us to act now. Not later!
17. Will you support the well-established decision by D.C. Courts, which recognize the right of unmarried couples to adopt children jointly?
Yes! We are a family too. GLBT people experience the same breathtaking need to form free-will families. Love comes from all quadrants in our society. We GLBT not only love deeply, but we care enormously about the well being of youth (and older persons, too). When we choose to adopt children we enter into our common commitment as human beings that we recognize and dutifully attend to the cries and needs of the abandoned, of the unloved, of the frail and helpless among us. GLBT people are among society's greatest reservoirs of love. We reach out to human need, and we demand to be respected in our decisions to adopt and share the extra resources which life sometimes provides us. We demand and deserve the right to adopt.
YOUTH AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
18. Will you support legislation prohibiting harassment of students in the District schools (both public and charter) on the basis of any of the protected categories enumerated in the D.C. Human Rights Law?
Yes! Again, an excellent question from GLAA. And once again this is our GLBT concern to protect the lives our precious GLBT youth resource. The richness and beauty of our human family depends upon the valued and loved contributions from all members of our District, including Ward Two. GLBT youth need to experience environments free of harassment. GLBT youth thrive better when they are loved and celebrated as essential elements in our common life together. We can do nothing more importantly as GLBT adults than to ensure that this generation of GLBT youth, and all the generations yet to become, are free to be themselves, to be loved, valued, and cherished as dynamite participants in our life in this District.
Postscript
For us GLBT candidates it is important we be able to point out two roads available to us in this election. Now is the time for us to move from the appearances of association with and the accessing of power, to actually becoming power. We are a huge voting base in Ward Two, and I truly hope that all my GLBT brothers and sisters recognize that their greatest and best hope for achieving further progress in our concerns hinges upon us carrying the ball to completion. We can effect our issues in good, socially and fiscally responsible ways better and more heart felt then our straight alliances are able to do so. It is the moment for our rise into the body of politics. It is time for our voice too not only be heard but be found to lead us in this new millennium.
Thanks for this opportunity to share your vision of the District of Columbia with me in this format. I trust you will never fail to talk with me about elaborating upon these concerns or opening up new venues for progress for all our GLBT lives with each other.
Best Wishes,
John Fanning,
Candidate,
Ward Two City Council