P.O. Box 75265, Washington, DC 20013
http://www.glaa.org
October 14, 2004 (Revised October 19 and 27, 2004)
For Immediate ReleaseContact: Rick Rosendall, Political Vice President
202-667-5139
Keller and Allen Stand Out in GLAA’s
School Board Candidate Ratings
Two D.C. School Board candidates stand out in the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C. (GLAA) ratings for the November 2 general election. District 1 (Wards 1 and 2) candidate Keenan R. Keller earned +8 and District 2 (Wards 3 and 4) candidate Hugh Allen earned +6.5, far ahead of their competitors. Both Keller and Allen agreed with GLAA on all twelve issues in the questionnaire.Candidates are rated on a scale of -10 to +10, based on their answers to GLAA's questionnaire and their record on behalf of the gay and lesbian community. GLAA's questionnaire for School Board candidates raised issues such as the right of students to form Gay/Straight Alliances, support for the condom availability program operated by the Department of Health for D.C. public schools, opposition to "abstinence-only-until-marriage" sex education programs, and opposition to taxpayer-funded voucher programs for religious schools that discriminate against gay and lesbian students, teachers, and staff. GLAA’s comprehensive Agenda: 2004, School Board and Council questionnaires, and complete candidate responses are available online at http://www.glaa.org. GLAA has rated candidates for office in every D.C. primary and general election since 1971.
District 2 School Board candidate Victor Reinoso earned +3.5. While he also agreed with GLAA on every issue, the substance of his responses was weaker and his record on the issues is not as strong as Keller and Allen.
District 1 School Board candidate Christopher McKeon submitted an extremely anti-gay questionnaire response; that and his involvement with the virulently anti-gay Unification Church (he has a master's degree in divinity from Unification Theological Seminary) earned him a -7. District 2 School Board candidate Laura Slover agreed with most of the issues and earned +2. District 2 School Board member Dwight Singleton failed to return the questionnaire but was rated +2 on the basis on his record alone. No other school board candidate returned a questionnaire or has a known record on gay issues.
GLAA reaffirmed the primary ratings for the D.C. Council candidates. None of the successful candidates was re-rated for the general election.
In the At-Large race, Republican Councilmember Carol Schwartz earned +9.5, Statehood-Green challenger Laurent Ross earned +2.5 and Democratic challenger Kwame Brown earned +1.5. Direct Access candidate Tony Dominguez chose not to return a questionnaire, but was rated -2 for his record based on a report in the Current newspapers on October 20 that he opposes both marriage and civil unions for same-sex couples. The top two At-Large vote getters will win in the At-Large race.
Ward 2 Democratic Councilmember Jack Evans earned a perfect +10. Ward 2 Republican Council candidate Jesse James Price, Sr. won his party’s nomination through a write-in effort. He received a +1.5 rating based largely on a positive record of community involvement with Parents Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Their Statehood-Green opponent did not respond to the questionnaire.
Ward 4 Democratic Councilmember Adrian Fenty earned +8.5. He has no opposition.
Ward 7 Statehood-Green Council candidate Michele Tingling-Clemmons and Republican Council candidate Jerold Tolson each earned +4. Democratic Council candidate Vincent C. Gray chose not to submit a questionnaire and earned 0 on a mixed record.
Ward 8 Democratic Council candidate Marion Barry did not submit a questionnaire and earned +1 on his record which had been very strong in his early political career. Republican Council candidate W. Cardell Shelton chose not to submit a questionnaire. He has no record on gay issues.
All candidates were provided with the detailed agenda on the range of issues of concern to GLAA. Ratings should not be interpreted as endorsements. GLAA does not endorse candidates in partisan elections, and did not make endorsements in the non-partisan school board races.
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC, is a local, all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization, founded in 1971 to advance the equal rights of gay men and lesbians in Washington, DC. We are the nation's oldest continuously active gay and lesbian civil rights organization.
GLAA Ratings for 2004 General Election
To see the full text of a candidate's questionnaire responses, click on his or her name below.
(All questionnaires posted have been signed by the candidates
to verify their personal commitment to their answers.)School Board races are non-partisan.
We reserve the right to re-rate candidates based on additional information received during the campaign.
School Board District 1 (Wards 1 and 2)
School Board District 2 (Wards 3 and 4)
At-Large D.C. Councilmember
Ward 2 D.C. Councilmember
Ward 4 D.C. Councilmember
Ward 7 D.C. Councilmember
Ward 8 D.C. Councilmember
Note: Ratings marked with an asterisk (*) indicate a candidate who did not return a
questionnaire
and was therefore rated solely on his or her known record on GLAA’s issues.
Breakdown of available ratings points
| Questionnaire: yes/no | +/- 2 points |
| Questionnaire: substantive grasp of issues | +/- 4 points |
| Record: | +/- 3 points |
| Championship: taking the lead on an issue of concern to gay men and lesbians | +/- 1 point |
| Total available: | +/- 10 points |
Click here to view a detailed breakdown of all candidates' ratings points.
The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC is a local, all-volunteer, non-partisan, non-profit political organization, founded in 1971 to advance the equal rights of gay men and lesbians in Washington, DC. We are the nation’s oldest continuously active gay and lesbian civil rights organization.