Responses of Linda Cropp to GLAA 2006 Questionnaire
for DC Mayoral Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 2 | 4 | 2.5 | 1 | 9.5 |
Public Safety
1. Will you support funding for mandatory gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) sensitivity and diversity training for all members of the Fire/EMS Department, starting with the first budget you submit to the Council?
Yes, I will include specific funding in the operating budget of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department for sensitivity and diversity training within the department – which could be funded in either or both of the Training and Employee Development or the Risk Management lines of the department’s budget. I think we should also look at the model provided by the MPD’s LGBT Liaison Unit and see if there are applicable lessons from that we can adapt and use for improving the community responsiveness of Fire and EMS in many areas, but particularly in dealing with sensitivity issues in relating to the LGBT community, and particularly the very troublesome problems the department has faced in providing services to people living with HIV/AIDS and to the transgendered community. I will specifically make sure the department in fact does fully implement the Tyra Hunter Human Diversity Training series, and I will continue to solicit the feedback and input of GLAA and other community stakeholders in making sure this department moves forward in constructive ways. Upon taking office as Mayor, I will also order the department to drop its appeal of the grooming policy case and instruct them to adopt an appropriate safety gear policy which is based on safety, period.
2. Will you appoint a new Fire/EMS Department Chief who is committed to rooting out the Department’s deeply entrenched homophobia and transphobia?
Yes, in fact I have called for the resignation of the Chief Thompson for this and a wide variety of other reasons. The case of Kenda Kirba is but one example of the nascent culture of homophobia and discrimination which exists in the department and I want a Chief who is not only committed to rooting that out, but who also has a track record of demonstrated leadership and commitment in these areas. In short, I want someone with a known ability in this regard.
3. Will you include representatives of the GLBT community in the search process when you appoint a new Police Chief and a new Fire/EMS Chief?
Yes, absolutely. I think it is very helpful somewhere in the search process to gain community input of this sort, not only from the GLBT community but from other stakeholders as well. The District is a very diverse jurisdiction with a wide variety of public safety problems and concerns. It is wholly appropriate to involve communities and make the prospective candidates for the Chiefs jobs aware of the problems and concerns we all face.
4. Are you committed to continuing the Gay & Lesbian Liaison Unit within the Metropolitan Police Department?
Yes, and I would very much like the continued input of the community on expanding the unit as needed, as well as stepping up our recruiting of GLBT members for the Reserve Officers Corp. I think these kinds of outreach have been invaluable, not only in terms of improving our outreach to the GLBT community but also in providing a positive example to the rest of the force of the commitment, ability, and professionalism of the GLBT members of the MPD – in short, we’re fighting stereotypes here and combating homophobia which still exists on the force.
5. Will you submit a budget request for the Office of Police Complaints that will be large enough to continue to avoid developing a backlog of cases?
Yes, in fact in the most recent FY 2007 budget the Council under my leadership proactively restored funding which Mayor Williams did not include for this function. I received GLAA’s letter on this issue during the budget process this spring and I personally assured the Chairman of the Police Complaints Board of my personnel commitment to making this happen. I am glad we did and I thank GLAA for your continued vigilance on this issue.
6. Will you ensure that the Department of Corrections enforces the District’s Human Rights Act against contractors who discriminate against transgender visitors to correctional facilities?
Yes. As you well know, the District has a very inclusive Human Rights Act, and I actively supported its expansion under the “Human Rights Clarification Amendment Act of 2005”, which became law this past March. That law added specific coverage under the Human Rights Act for gender identity and expression. I will work to guarantee that District contractor adheres to the Human Rights Act by making this an explicit part of their contracts with our government. Additionally, it would be wise to provide training in this regard to contracting and procurement staff both in that department and at the Office of Contracting and Procurement to ensure this type of contract adherence monitoring is routine.
7. Will you oppose legislation creating so-called “prostitution-free zones,” which would give the police, who routinely assume that every transgendered person is a prostitute until proven otherwise, virtually unlimited power to harass our transgendered residents?
Yes, I would oppose legislation which would single out transgendered persons in any way. As you know, the recent Omnibus Crime bill contains provisions regarding the establishment of prostitution-free zones by the Chief of Police. There is a defined term in the legislation regarding “known participants” in prostitution – which specifically refers to persons who have been convicted in a court of law. The very real concern you are expressing, and which I share, is the odious assumption that somehow transgendered people are automatically regarded as prostitutes by members of the MPD. This is a very immediate and compelling sensitivity training issue that I will personally take up with the Chief and with the relevant District Commanders. I will continue to work with the Office of LGBT Affairs so that we continue such awareness efforts down to the PSA officer level and cops on the beats in areas where prostitution is a concern. Additionally, I was very impressed by the recent effort of the Office to hold a job fair for transgendered persons – this is the type of creativity and “making government work” for all residents that I will foster when I am Mayor.
AIDS and Public Health
8. Will you ensure that the drive to make HIV testing routine among District residents includes funding for counseling and referrals to treatment facilities for those who test positive?
Yes. As you know, a good testing program also requires good counseling and meaningful referrals for medical treatment if warranted. For persons who test negative, it’s important to reinforce safer sex and harm reduction behaviors. For persons who test positive, referring them to medical treatment is important – especially with the advent of effective new medications which can delay and/or prevent more serious medical ramifications of the infection. I also believe in leading by example – I myself have been tested as part of recent efforts to promote the District’s aggressive new testing program. As a former Chair of the Committee on Human Services, as Chairman of the Council, and as Mayor, I have been and will always be a champion of programs for the awareness of, prevention of, sensitivity to, and treatment and care for HIV/AIDS. I began the first real oversight of HIV/AIDS programs and funding in this city. I have publicly and effectively fought for condom availability and needle exchange programs. I have fought to expand medical care, access to pharmaceuticals and just about every other thing one can think of – and I will continue to fight alongside the community on this. The prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV/AIDS needs to be as commonplace as that of cancer, diabetes, or asthma – and every day we need to work together to break down the walls of social stigma and discrimination which continue to surround this public health crisis.
9. Are you committed to continuing and strengthening the District’s condom distribution program?
Yes. I think we all owe a debt of gratitude to the DC Appleseed Center for their report on HIV/AIDS in the District. It is quite clear our condom distribution efforts have been falling apart. GLAA is quite right that we need a comprehensive plan to make condoms available not only in health centers, but in our high schools, nightlife establishments, health clubs, and even hair salons. The accessibility of condoms is one of the chief guarantors of their use and people need to have free access to them – they are an absolutely essential prevention tool. Additionally, when I am Mayor I will declare a medical state of emergency regarding HIV/AIDS and I will work to ensure the District coordinates every resource and program, leverages every dollar we can get our hands on, and leaves no stone unturned to help identify every positive person in the District and get them into meaningful treatment. As you rightly cited in your agenda document, the numbers and statistics are staggering. Most importantly, these are people we are talking about. Taking an extremely aggressive tact in this fight on HIV/AIDS will in fact be using our dollars in the most resourceful way possible as treatment also has a preventative effect as studies have shown. Getting positive persons into treatment can help greatly reduce their viral load and assist in preventing additional infections in other people. In short, it’s a lot of bang for the buck. There are many examples I can cite from my tenure on the Council on my involvement in this fight – some of the most recent of course being fighting for our needle exchange program on Capitol Hill; I created the new Committee on Health which has focused the Council’s activity and oversight of this important area. I have fought to insure the District gets DOD pricing on HIV/AIDS medications and having that pharmacy network include such specialty operations as Whitman Walker’s own pharmacy, as well as two prominent private sector pharmacies known for their level of HIV/AIDS care and expertise. In short, I am not a person to toot my own horn, but I have been a champion in the area of fighting HIV/AIDS and as Mayor I will continue to soldier on.
10. The District is being forced by the federal government to switch from a unique identifier system to a names reporting system for people testing positive for HIV. Will you support legislation to strengthen our medical privacy laws, such as by creating a private right of action for those whose confidentiality is violated by District government employees or contractors?
Yes. The federal HIPPA statute has very strong privacy protections, but I seek your advice and suggestions on model legislation on a local level as well to make sure we have every guarantee that medical records are absolutely private – please be in touch with me about this. If a District employee violates our medical records privacy policies they will be fired. With respect to contractors, as you know, our community based service providers routinely work with such sensitive information. With your assistance and with expert help on the issue of medical privacy I would pursue strong privacy policies with contractors which are both legally enforceable and meaningful without putting the CBO’s at a huge legal liability risk which they may not be able to insure against – in short, it’s most likely an issue we will need to work together on, but I am confident there can be a fitting solution.
Human Rights
11. Will you submit a budget for the Office of Human Rights (OHR) large enough to allow it to reduce to 270 days the average gap between the time that a discrimination complaint is filed and the time OHR issues a finding of probable cause?
Yes. Although great strides have been made in reducing the caseload, it should both be a performance measure for the Office, and appropriate levels of funding provided to ensure that the time period between the filing of a complaint and OHR’s issuance of a finding of probable cause is reduced to 9 months.
12. Will you refuse to issue proclamations and otherwise decline to honor individuals or organizations that promote any sort of bigotry?
Yes. As Mayor I will not promote measures commending persons or groups that promote bigotry. There is no place in our diverse city for such those who try to divide us with fear, hatred, and discrimination and I think I have been an example in terms of both my council and campaign staffs as a model of inclusiveness and tolerance.
13. Will you refuse to appoint to your Interfaith Council ministers such as Bishop Owens and Rev. Willie Wilson who have publicly hurled vile language against members of the District’s GLBT community?
Yes. In fact as Mayor, I will utilize the Interfaith Council to involve the faith community to break down barriers of discrimination and bigotry and will of course appointment members of the GLBT faith community, such as the Metropolitan Community Church, to the Council.
14. Will you invite representatives of GLAA to participate in the search process when you appoint a new Director of the Office of Human Rights, as Mayor Williams did in 2003?
Yes, I will invite members of GLAA and other GLBT community stakeholders to participate in the search and selection process, as was done for the last Director and as I will do for the Chiefs of Police and Fire/EMS. This type of inclusiveness on search committees will be a routine matter in a Cropp administration.
15. Are you committed to enforcing the provisions of the D.C. Human Rights Act forbidding discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression?
Yes, I supported the recent legislation to add gender identity or expression to the Act, and I will work with GLAA and others to monitor the rule making process to ensure that we implement in the way in which it needs to be done – with particular focus on certain agencies such as MPD, Fire/EMS, Corrections and Health.
Marriage and Family
16. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
Yes, I support legal recognition of same sex marriages. As I stated 4 years ago in my questionnaire response to you – I promised to remain open to exploring the issue further with you and with my friends and supporters in the community – and I have listened and learned and believed that treating all people equally in the eyes of the law is a civil rights issue of paramount importance. As you well know, we face tremendous strategic challenges in pursuing this legal equality here in the District at this time.
17. Will your Administration publicize and enforce the recently enacted laws that have significantly expanded the rights and responsibilities of domestic partners?
Yes, in fact, I have been a champion of the District’s domestic partnership laws (as we have evolved them constructively piece by piece) and I have either co-introduced or cosponsored every single piece of legislation introduced in the past decade to expand these rights and responsibilities. I have fought on Capitol Hill to protect our law from Congressional interference. In fact, I am the only candidate for Mayor who has a constructive, working relationship with Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle on this and many other issues of importance to the community and to our city. It is not enough for a candidate for public office to say they support an issue -- judge me by what I have done and what I will continue to do. I take my commitments and responsibilities very seriously, and when our policies come under attack, I have and will continue to fight back. Because of my years of involvement with the community I know why we did certain things, why we pursued certain strategies, why we structured programs certain ways. No one else in this race brings that kind of depth and breadth of experience that I do to issues facing the GLBT community, and when I make a commitment you know that I mean it!
18. Will you support legislation in the District to continue expanding the existing domestic partnership program to include all relevant rights and responsibilities of marriage in D.C. law?
Yes. As I stated above, I have been a champion of this program. I will continue to work closely with GLAA and other stakeholders to put forth legislation to accomplish this goal. While the goal of marriage equality faces strategic difficulties with the Congress, we absolutely must do each and every thing we can do to promote equal rights and responsibilities at every level in the law. GLAA and the Council under my leadership have worked hand and hand on implementing this approach and as Mayor I will continue to do so. Please feel very free to bring to me legislation which I as Mayor may introduce – I fully intend to be a more pro-active Mayor in this regard. These benefits are very real and we must do everything we can to bring them to people as soon as possible while keeping Congress out of the District’s business. We have succeeded far more than I ever dreamed we could – and it’s because of the level of political and policy sophistication with which we have pursued this strategy. Our work is not done and I will continue to fight side by side with you until it is.
19. Will you support the legislative and/or regulatory changes necessary to ensure that the District recognizes civil unions, domestic partnerships and similar legal relationships established in other jurisdictions?
Yes, I would be happy to introduce such legislation or promulgate such regulations necessary to achieve this.
Public Education and Youth
20. Do you oppose both federal and local voucher programs that fund students in religious schools that are beyond the protections of the D.C. Human Rights Act?
Yes. I am against spending District money on school vouchers. Given the Hill’s power over us, I cannot guarantee that I can stop, for example, their direct appropriation of funds for such a purpose. However, given my working relationship, I will work very hard to convince the Congress that while we all welcome a federal investment in the education of the District’s young people I would strongly urge them and express our preference that such an investment be made in educational programs which reflect the priorities determined by the people of the District of Columbia.
21. Do you oppose the use of either federal or District taxpayer funds to promote “abstinence-only-until-marriage” sex education that undermines safer-sex programs by discouraging the use of condoms and that effectively tells gay and lesbian students that they must remain celibate forever because they may not legally marry?
Yes. Gay and questioning youth cannot relate to this type of education program, and it sends a very confusing message, since legal marriage does not yet exist in the District. I believe abstinence programs can have value as they promote mature discussions about sex; however, they need to take place in an appropriate and sensitive context, and as part of a much larger HIV/AIDS education and prevention effort.
Consumers and Businesses
22. Do you support the relocation of the many gay bars and businesses that were displaced by the new ballpark, even if local NIMBYs and homophobes oppose them?
Yes. I cosponsored Councilmember Graham’s relocation legislation, the “One-Time Relocation of Licensees Displace by the Ballpark Amendment Act of 2006” and hope we can continue work on that shortly. There are a number of both ABC and zoning issues to be addressed – which in part change depending on the exact location one is exploring for a possible relocation. I will continue to work closely with Councilmember Graham and others to facilitate this legislation. Back in 2001 I worked with Councilmember Sharon Ambrose to write some parameters into the law as we knew one day (long before the advent of baseball) that these businesses might be displaced. We gave it as good a shot as we could get at that time, but clearly at this time more will need to be done.
23. Will you support legislation to curb the abuses of NIMBYs who are now allowed to file an endless series of baseless complaints to harass or extort bars and restaurants?
Yes, I would be willing to discuss legislation or process changes to make this process work better. I am proud to mention I have been endorsed by the Restaurant Association as well as by the owners of Be Bar. There is no place whatsoever in the ABC Board’s deliberations for bigotry and discrimination. In fact, the ABC Board can rule only on the basis of the law – both the Human Rights Act and specific provisions of the ABC code. I think their timely and decisive ruling in the Be Bar case was cause for optimism. I will note my principal opponent in this election established quite a reputation as an ANC Commissioner as a NIMBY-enabler. I take a more balanced view, as one should, and I believe that bringing members of the business community together with residents to resolve concerns is the best approach to these issues.
24. Do you oppose the Youth Protection from Obscene Video Games Act (B16-0125), a clone of other laws that have consistently been struck down by the courts on constitutional grounds?
When this legislation was originally proposed by Councilmember Fenty last year, I co-introduced it, as did 12 of the 13 members of the Council. Since that time I have listened to input from various stakeholders on the constitutional fitness of such laws and I have reconsidered my support. I will not support moving this legislation through the Council.
Record
Your record is part of your rating. Please list any actions that you have taken that may help illustrate your record on behalf of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders.