Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance Endorsements for
September 12, 2000, Primary Election

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Five Council candidates excel in GLAA ratings:
Evans, Jarvis, Schwartz, Fanning, and Griffiths dominate field

For Immediate release, August 10, 2000

Contact: Bob Summersgill, GLAA President, 202-265-8425
summersgill@yahoo.com

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, DC announced its ratings for candidates in the Primary election for DC Council on September 12, 2000. Five candidates earned high ratings, well above the rest. Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) received an almost perfect score of 9.5 out of a maximum 10. Carol Schwartz (R-At Large) and Charlene Drew Jarvis (D-Ward 4) each earned an 8. Challengers John Fanning (D) running in Ward 2 and Arturo Griffiths (Statehood Green) running At-large were the only candidates to agree with all 18 questions. Fanning received a 6.5 rating and Griffiths received a 6.

"Jack Evans, Carol Schwartz and Charlene Drew Jarvis are three of our best friends on the DC Council, and their ratings and questionnaires reflect their commitments to our community and issues," said GLAA President Bob Summersgill.

"It is also important to note that three Democrats, a Republicans, and a Statehood Green candidate were all rated very highly, said Summersgill, "Incumbents and challengers alike rated very well."

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 has rated candidates for office in DC every election since 1971.

In addition to the questionnaire, candidate ratings include points for how substantive their answers are and on their record on gay issues. One point, plus or minus, is also given to candidates who champion an issue and champion it. Jack Evans and Carol Schwartz received positive championship points and Harold Brazil (D-At Large) received a negative point.

"We were disappointed to see incumbents Harold Brazil, Kevin Chavous and Sandy Allen do so poorly," said Summersgill. Allen (D-Ward 8) and Chavous (D-Ward 7) did not return questionnaires and were rated only on the basis of their records. Brazil received a negative championship for his promotion of an extraordinarily poorly written Megan's Law which initially would have required registration of people convicted of consensual oral sex in private. Consensual oral sex is not illegal in DC, but anti-gay sting operations are routinely conducted in Virginia and other states. "Harold Brazil's bill was the most homophobic piece of legislation to be introduced in DC for more than a decade," said Summersgill, "Brazil fought every amendment and pushed through a bill that is unconstitutional and fails to protect citizens from rapists and child molesters."

Jack Evans received a championship point based on his advocacy in support of a unique identifiers program to track the spread of HIV and preserve confidentiality of people who get tested for HIV. Evans was also a strong supporter of Prevention Works, which operates a clean syringe exchange program to reduce HIV transmission in DC.

Carol Schwartz was recognized with a championship point for her extensive lobbying of Congressional Republicans on behalf of DC and the gay community. The US Congress has been extremely hostile to DC, restricting our voting rights, take over of the DC Government, mandating legislation that they would not attempt in their own states, and prohibiting DC from spending its own funds on critical health care programs including needle exchanges, medical marijuana, insurance for domestic partnerships and many other areas. 

Other issues raised in the GLAA questionnaire include:

• Recognizing equal marriage rights
• Use of marijuana for medical purposes
• Diversity training of Police and Fire fighters
• Removing the backlog of 700 cases at the Office of Human Rights
• Protecting Students from harassment in DC schools

All candidates were provided with the detailed agenda on the range of issues of concern to GLAA and an opportunity for a briefing on the issues. The GLAA agenda, questionnaire and complete candidate responses are available online at www.glaa.org. Ratings should not be interpreted as endorsements. GLAA does not endorse candidates in partisan elections.

GLAA Ratings for Primary Election Candidates

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 +/- 1 point of concern to gay men and lesbians
Total available: +/- 10 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.