Responses of Sekou Biddle to GLAA 2011 Special Election Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 1.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 5.5 |
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
1. In the event of congressional action leading to a ballot initiative in the District that would take away the civil marriage rights now enjoyed by same-sex couples, will you oppose the initiative and publicly campaign for the preservation of civil marriage equality?
As I have publicly stated, I am a strong supporter of marriage equality. Now that the Supreme Court has refused to hear Harry Jackson’s lawsuit, we should be prepared for our opponents to look to Congress to intervene. I will vigorously oppose any attempts to attach unwanted riders, including attacks on marriage equality, that our opponents may seek to attach to the District’s budget or other federal legislation. I co-sponsored a DC Council resolution, PR 19-108, calling upon Congress to not interfere with local District of Columbia affairs. The Council, the Mayor, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton must stand united and together with the residents of the District of Columbia to oppose efforts to undermine Home Rule and the District’s long commitment to human rights and equality for all and I will publicly campaign to preserve marriage equality.
I have contacted the Campaign for All DC Families, the group founded with the support of GLAA and others to help secure and protect marriage-equality in the District and pledged my support to their continuing efforts. I attended the one year anniversary celebration of marriage-equality in the District and am committed to working with the nearly 200 gay-affirming DC clergy who signed a marriage equality pledge last year to bring a better understanding of civil marriage-equality to all the people of the District.
However if for some reason we lose the battle and are forced into an initiative or referendum situation I am committed to being a leader in the campaign to protect marriage-equality in such an election. I will speak out forcefully to every community and faith based group that I visit and I will make my stand for marriage-equality known at every opportunity and in front of every audience. I will also assist groups such as the Campaign for All DC Families to raise the funds needed to fight such an initiative.
PUBLIC HEALTH
2. Will you support legislation giving the directors of the Office of GLBT Affairs and the Office of African Affairs the authority to issue competitive grants as other minority constituent offices have, that will be open to organizations serving the populations within the offices’ purview?
Yes, I would be supportive of the Mayor’s Office of LGBT Affairs having grant making authority. Currently, the city is going through some very challenging economic times but I would generally support, when funds are sufficient, an increased budget to provide needed services to the LGBT community. I am particularly concerned about the HIV/AIDS epidemic and will work to make sure we have the funding to adequately address that crisis.
We have to move government away from the cronyism we have seen in the awarding of grants across the board and we need to make sure that the policies in place at all the offices will avoid any favoritism but ensure that the LGBT and African communities and the many small organizations otherwise overlooked will be funded and can serve their communities.
Now the reality of our budget crisis may mean that many of these grant programs will be put on hold or curtailed. But as the economy recovers and our budget is right-sized we need to look at the groups providing programs to the LGBT community and ensure that they are effectively run and funded. Groups that have been models of service to the community include the Crystal Meth Working Group, the Wanda Alston House, Rainbow Response Coalition, GLOV and SMYAL.
3. Describe steps you will support to improve performance at the HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Administration (HAHSTA), including in HIV prevention, HIV/AIDS surveillance, and mental health services.
I think it is important that the Gray Administration and the Council’s Committee on Health work to align the District’s response to HIV/AIDS with President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS strategy. This includes added resources to underserved and hard to reach communities, particularly MSM of color and members of the transgender community. I further support efforts to disseminate HIV prevention messages and materials such as the work of HIPS, Transgender Health Empowerment, and the DC Center’s ToolKit project, and the current “Join the Rubber Revolution” campaign that HAHSTA has launched.
I support making HIV testing standard in all DC run health facilities and working with the hospital association of DC and other medical groups to encourage it to become routine in all private facilities as well. This still will not prevent patients from saying they don’t want to be tested. For those patients we should have an anonymous testing site if that makes them feel more comfortable. I do support mandatory testing in DC Jails.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for HIV should be provided at all D.C. emergency rooms, urgent care centers and health clinics. The availability of PEP should be publicized and included in student health classes. PEP needs to be started within 72 hours after exposure to HIV to be effective, so people must not be forced to wait for a doctor’s office appointment. Studies in animals have shown PEP to be up to 100% effective if given within 24 hours and a course of medications is taken for four weeks.
I think that Mayor Gray has made great selections in Dr. Aktar at DOH and Dr. Pappas at HAHSTA. I agree with the approach outlined by Dr. Pappas at the inaugural meeting of the new Mayoral Commission on HIV/AIDS that getting people into treatment is also a prevention activity. Finally, while I agree that holding HAHSTA and DOH accountable is essential, I believe that accountability is needed across other Districts agencies as well, including DCPS and charter schools, the Department of Corrections, APRA, DHCD and the many other agencies involved in HIV/AIDS treatment and care. I was encouraged to see that Mayor Gray has included the director of the Department of Mental Health and other key cabinet members on his commission. We must also ensure that the organizations that the District contracts with actually provide quality services.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE JUDICIARY
4. Will you support a budget for the Office of Police Complaints large enough to avoid developing a backlog of cases?
Yes. I think that a strong Office of Police Complaints is necessary to ensure public accountability of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Director Eure has provided excellent leadership for this office and efforts should be made to ensure that they have adequate resources.
It was in 2007 that the OPC took in the most complaints and mediated the most complaints of any year since it opened. I believe that independent oversight is a key to holding our public servants accountable. The staff of the OPC have shown patience, persistence, thoroughness and scrupulousness in pursuing their mission. They have brought integrity, and a commitment to fairness for all—not just those who file complaints, but those against whom they are filed, and the wider community from which both are drawn.
5. Will you support efforts to rein in police officials who respond to legitimate crime concerns with unsustainable, media-centric quick fixes that infringe constitutionally protected civil liberties? And will you do so without waiting for courts to overturn them, as the U.S. Court of Appeals did to the Neighborhood Safety Zone initiative in 2009?
I will work with my colleagues on the Committee of Public Safety to provide oversight if the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) attempts to circumnavigate the constitution. Rather than resorting to unsustainable one-time approaches, the city should recommit itself toimproving basic policing and to consulting with the community.
One solution may be to reactivate the Fair and Inclusive Policing Task Force, There are many officers in the MPD who are working in our communities and being effective on a day-to-day basis. We need to ensure that the leadership of the MPD look at how these officers are being successful.
6. Will you press for increased oversight of the Metropolitan Police Department’s gathering and analysis of crime statistics to ensure greater comprehensiveness and objectivity, including transgender-related hate crime data?
Yes. I was pleased to see that as a result of GLAA and other’s advocacy, the MPD issued a revised “Hate Crimes” report that included transgender-related hate crime data. I am also aware of the good work that GLOV has done to work with the MPD to improve their hate crime data collection but I believe that there is still room for improvement and will strongly support the need for more training by MPD on the collection of hate crime data. I support better oversight by the Council and working closely with the new Deputy Mayor for Public Safety as well as the Police Chief to ensure that statistics are reported accurately and on a timely basis.
HUMAN RIGHTS
7. Will you support a budget for the Office of Human Rights large enough to allow it to keep the backlog at below 70 aged cases; keep below 210 days the average time it takes to issue a probable cause finding; and expand education, prevention, and language access efforts?
Yes. The Office of Human Rights has done a great job in the past few years in reducing its backlog. I support a continuation of funding for the office but believe that the office should be able to improve its performance beyond GLAA’s recommendations.
The District government has made great strides in recent years both in strengthening the D.C. Human Rights Act of 1977 (DCHRA) and in enforcing it through the Office of Human Rights (OHR). Among the notable improvements are legislation outlawing the use of genetic information as a basis for discriminatory treatment; legislation expanding the definition of “marital status” within DCHRA to prohibit discrimination against registered domestic partners; and clarifying legislation explicitly prohibiting discrimination based on “gender identity or expression.”
8. Are you committed to including a transgender representative on the D.C. Commission on Human Rights?
Yes. I will work with the Mayor and Ron Collins who heads the Office of Boards and Commissions during the next round of appointments to the DC Commission on Human Rights so that there is a transgender representative among them. I am committed to consulting with the transgender community when I am considering legislation that can impact in anyway the LGBT community. This includes everything from healthcare, to education, to economic development issues, workforce development and public safety.
9. Do you agree that the Director of the Office of Human Rights should be required to have professional training and experience in civil rights law enforcement?
While it would be ideal that the Director of the Office of Human Rights should have a background in civil rights law enforcement, there is always room for some exceptions. When looking to fill positions in the cabinet one should look for those who have the most experience in the areas that they will be dealing with. If there isn’t a qualified candidate with such professional training and experience in civil rights law enforcement that is one thing but one must look for people with that background and in the District of Columbia we are fortunate to have people that are qualified in so many areas. I know that there have been questions concerning the background of the current Director of the Office and I will look into those as that person comes before the Council for confirmation.
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND YOUTH
10. Will 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, However, I believe that the voucher program can be an effective tool for giving low-income students educational opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t have had. Unlike Speak John Boehner, I don’t believe that vouchers should be used as a subsidy for religious institutions.
11. Will 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 excluding more comprehensive information?
Yes. One of my more proud achievements was passing a set of comprehensive health standards that included modules on HIV/STD and pregnancy prevention. There is a considerable body of evidence that shows that “abstinence only” programs simply don’t work and we shouldn’t be using funds that promote this.
CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES
12. Do you support the right of adults in the District to choose adult-oriented entertainment for themselves, and the right of appropriately licensed and zoned businesses to provide it?
Yes. Adults have the right to entertain themselves within the limits authorized by law and businesses should be able to locate within the appropriate zones. As with many other business ventures, such as new restaurants, development projects or others, there must be consultation with the community.
13. Will you support legislation to curb abuses by NIMBYs who are now allowed to file an endless series of baseless complaints to harass or extort bars and restaurants?
Community input is essential to creating a thriving economy but no business should be subjected to endless red tape or harassment. If there are specific recommendations for improving the way complaints are filed and reviewed, I will consider them in consultation with the LGBT resident and business community.
14. What are your thoughts regarding GLAA’s proposal, explained in Agenda: 2010, to mitigate the problems associated with prostitution by legalizing and regulating it? What will you do to provide alternatives to survival sex for at-risk populations like homeless youth and transgenders?
I am not currently in favor of legalizing prostitution however, I agree with GLAA that there needs to be more done to provide alternatives for at-risk populations. Some of these alternatives could include a strengthening and expansion of programs like the Wanda Alston house that provides transitional housing for LGBT youth. The Department of Employment Services should increase its capacity to adequately serve transgender job seekers and the Department of Corrections can expand its work with Earlene Budd and engage HIPS in pre-release counseling and job placement.
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.
- As a member of the DC Board of Education, I voted for and helped pass comprehensive health standards that included modules on sexual orientation.
- As Chairperson of the Special Committee on School Safety and Truancy, I will continue to hold hearings and push for an improved, more welcoming school culture that values and respects all students. I will work with my colleagues on the Council to pass legislation that increases accountability for these agencies to ensure a safe school environment.
- Furthermore, I am a co-sponsor of B19-142, The Marriage Officiant Amendment Act of 2011.
- Several members of my Council and campaign staff are openly gay and lesbian members of the community.