Councilmember Charlene Drew Jarvis

Chairman Pro Tempore
Democrat, Ward 4

Council of the District of Columbia
441 4th Street, NW, Room 708
Washington, DC 20001

Email: cdjarvis@dccouncil.washington.dc.us

1. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between persons of the same-sex?

A. Yes. This is an issue that has generated significant discussion in which many different opinions have been exchanged. I believe that these discussions are going to foster an environment in which citizens and elected officials will understand and accept the concept of same-sex marriages.

2. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to stop the District of Columbia from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in Hawaii or other places?

A. I would oppose efforts to prohibit the District from recognizing same-sex marriages which have been performed in other jurisdictions.

3. Do you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to outlaw or restrict adoptions by unmarried couples in the District of Columbia?

A. Unmarried couples may adopt children jointly in the District as a result of a recent court decision. I would oppose efforts to outlaw or restrict such adoptions. The best interest of the child should always be the guiding principle.

4. If Congress ever repeals the D.C. Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992 that established the registration of domestic partnerships, will you vote to reenact the same law?

A. I supported the DC Health Care Benefits Expansion Act of 1992. While the law has not been overturned, Congress has voted to defund the District's domestic partnership law. I would vote to re-enact it, if it were repealed.

5. Do you support the re-establishment of the Office of Human Rights as an independent, Cabinet-level agency whose Director has direct access to the Mayor?

A. The District's Human Rights Law has been so effective in protecting human rights in the District and has indeed served as a model for jurisdictions across the nation. Therefore, I believe that the Office of Human Rights should be reconsidered in terms of its organizational structure, staffing, and policy. I support giving priority to complaints involving allegations of HIV- or AIDS-related discrimination.

6. Do you agree that the Boy Scouts of America is violating the D.C. Human Rights Law's ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation by excluding gays from participating either as scouts or as leaders?

A. Yes. I do not believe that organizations that receive government funding or benefits can then seek exemption from government policy.

7. Will you vote to repeal the Armstrong Amendment, which allows religiously-affiliated private educational institutions in the District to discriminate against student clubs that promote equal rights for lesbians and gay men?

A. Yes. See response to question 6.

8. Will you oppose efforts by Congress or other parties to abolish or restrict the right of our public school students to form clubs that promote greater understanding between gays and others?

A. Yes. In fact, I initiated discussions with the DC Public Schools on behalf of SMYAL to facilitate the establishment of SMYAL activities in the school system.

9. Do you support the designation of a third party to act as a fiscal agent for the distribution of federal AIDS money, such as the system recently adopted by the Financial Control Board?

A. There was a major crisis in the provider community because funds were not being transferred from the District to service providers. The impact on the AIDS service provider community was severely devastating. Many of the small providers folded as a result of not getting funds from the District that were due them.

I supported the establishment of a payment system that would authorize the disbursement of federal funds, including funds for AIDS service providers, through a third-party. Such a system has been established by the Chief Executive Officer [sic], Anthony Williams, and I have not recently received calls that were made to my office last year and earlier this year.

10. Do you agree that our own elected officials, past and present, bear much of the responsibility for the District's current financial plight because of their reluctance to make tough budgetary decisions, to establish priorities, and to demand maximum efficiency and productivity (rather than political loyalty) from all District government agencies and workers?

A. While I believe that there is enough blame to go around for the District's current financial condition, the more important question is what should be done to address it. Economic growth is key to improving the District's financial condition. Business retention and attraction and job creation are absolutely necessary to expand the District's revenue base.

11. Do you support the condom availability programs that have been established in the District's public schools and prisons?

A. Yes. I have not only supported the distribution of condoms, but also the District's needle exchange program.

12. Will you support legislation that will establish an effective civilian complaint review system for our Metropolitan Police Department?

A. Yes. Like action taken to the Office of Human Rights merger, this is a decision that I believe should be reconsidered.

13. Do you support sensitivity and community relations training for all elements of our public safety system (police, fire department, etc.) that includes strong recognition's of gay and lesbian community concerns, so that the District will never again tolerate the kind of insensitivity and incompetence reflected in the Fire Department's handling of the Tyra Hunter case?

A. Yes. I deplore any display of insensitivity on the part of District government employees. Because of the lack of sensitivity displayed by the Fire Department toward members of the gay community who have requested service, I have written the Mayor a letter expressing my outrage and the need for sensitivity training and full enforcement of the Hate Crimes Act which I voted for and fully support.

14. Do you oppose legislation or initiatives that would authorize organized prayers in our public schools, thereby encouraging the harassment of individuals who choose not to participate?

A. Yes. I believe that legislative proposals which would authorize organized prayers in public schools are in direct violation of our Constitution.

15. Do you oppose efforts to abolish or drastically curtail the powers of our elected Board of Education?

A. Yes. I have never supported or proposed the curtailment of an elected Board of Education.

Signed,

Charlene Drew Jarvis
August 15, 1996