Cover Letter for 2002 DC School Board Candidate Questionnaire

Cover Letter for 2002 DC School Board Candidate Questionnaire

September 10, 2002

Dear D.C. School Board Candidate:

In order to elicit your viewpoints on current issues of concern to lesbians and gay men in the District of Columbia, I am enclosing your copy of our questionnaire for all DC School Board candidates running in the November 5 elections.

We at GLAA are proud of our rank as the nation's oldest continuously operating gay and lesbian rights organization. In every election since our founding in 1971, we have sent out similar questionnaires to help educate our community about the choices facing us at the polls.

As you may know, GLAA does not endorse candidates. Rather, we give numerical ratings to all candidates on a scale from -10 to +10, based upon each candidate's written responses to our questionnaire, combined with our assessment of each candidate's past record on behalf of lesbians and gay men. Our candidate ratings are released to the media and are advertised and circulated widely, as well as posted on our website. We believe that our quarter century of nonpartisan service gives our candidate ratings considerable credibility.

We encourage you to do more than give a simple "yes" or "no" response to our questions; the depth and completeness of your answers play a major role in determining your final rating. I have taken the liberty of enclosing a copy of GLAA's up-to-date policy paper, "Agenda: 2002." Please take the time to read this for a summary of our perspectives on a wide variety of issues.

We must receive your answers to our questionnaire no later than Friday, October 4. Be sure to read the fine print at the bottom of the second page of your questionnaire for detailed instructions for submitting your answers.

Your record is part of your rating. Please feel free to submit any documents, letters, campaign literature, or other materials that may help illustrate your record on behalf of lesbians and gay men. Posting your responses to our questions on your campaign website will help demonstrate your commitment to our issues. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bob Summersgill
President
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC

Enclosure