Responses of Theresa Conroy to GLAA 2006 Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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?
I would urge the Council to conduct hearings to determine whether insensitivity tthe GLBT community is in fact widespread and endemic to the Fire/EMS Department or whether this is an isolated problem of only a few of its members. Clearly, all employees of city government, including those in the Fire Department, should be firmly reminded that behavior which suggests discrimination or intolerance toward any group or segment of the District’s citizens cannot be tolerated
2. Will you call on the new Mayor to appoint a new Fire/EMS Department Chief who is committed to rooting out the Department’s deeply entrenched homophobia and transphobia?
If in fact homophobia is present in any city agency, it should not be permitted. As a general matter, many city agencies require better training for customer services and for more efficient delivery of services. The news of Mr. David Rosenbaum’s negligent treatment by the EMS suggests serious training and management issues in the Fire Dept. and EMS. I would support across the board improvements in the delivery of services and customer relations in DC agencies.
3. Will you support a budget for the Office of Police Complaints large enough to continue to avoid developing a backlog of cases?
I would certainly consider addressing the problem, especially if certain complaints seemed to take longer than others.
4. 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?
Pressure should be brought on the MPD to prevent this kind of harassment. Especially, if as stated in the GLAA Agenda 2006, that Chief Ramsey has made progress in other areas of community and diversity training, this issue could be improved.
AIDS and Public Health
5. Do you agree that the drive to make HIV testing routine among District residents should include funding for counseling and referrals to treatment facilities for those testing positive?
Yes, I would consider such an allocation of resources
6. Are you committed to continuing and expanding the District’s condom distribution program?
According to the DC Appleseed’s “HIV/AIDs in the Nation’s Capitol” (March 2006)report, it is not clear if this is a bureaucratic problem or a funding issue. I would need more information to assess the situation.
7. 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?
I believe that every American has a fundamental right to privacy under the Constitution. I would thoroughly investigate this issue, determine what the District’s realistic options are, and, from there, develop and promote a policy which grants individuals maximum privacy in their personal lives while also reasonably satisfying any legitimate public health concerns.
Human Rights
8. Will you support 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?
I would consider training and new OHR policies and strategies to reduce the backlog of cases.
9. Will you block ceremonial resolutions and otherwise decline to honor individuals or organizations that promote any sort of bigotry?
I am not familiar with individuals who have been honored by the District who promote bigotry. I believe that each person’s dignity, freedom and ability must be respected.
10. Are you committed to publicizing and enforcing the provisions of the D.C. Human Rights Act forbidding discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression?
Of course, all District laws must be enforced, and that is especially of those which preserve and protect the rights of all individuals to be free from harassment, prejudice and bigotry in any form.
Marriage and Family
11. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
The legal issues regarding the family and marriage are the responsibility of the states and should not be addressed in the United States Constitution.
12. 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?
It depends on what is permissible under the DC Home Rule charter.
13. 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?
I would seek the advice of the District’s Attorney General as to what is possible and advisable concerning any new legislation on this point.
Public Education and Youth
14. 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?
I support a parent’s right to choice.
15. 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?
There are a variety of sex education programs that have proven successful among different demographic groups.
Consumers and Businesses
16. 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?
The District’s zoning laws are clear about the location of public facilities in commercial and residential areas. The problem is that there are serious weaknesses in the District’s BZA process and that is something that the residents of Ward 3 would like to see addressed. Many of the ANCs work closely with the ABC Board to develop workable situations in neighborhoods.
17. 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?
The ANCs work very hard with the ABC Board to accommodate the residents and business interests. I would need more information about the NIMBY’s and the complaints. There is adequate legislation regarding the zoning process.
18. 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?
The First Amendment freedom of free speech has been the subject of many articles and books. The nature of video violence and obscenity and the resulting impact on young people is a major concern for parents. Repeated exposure to violence has been proven to have an adverse impact on young people. However, the Attorney General of the District of Columbia has written an opinion on this legislation stating that the law conflicts with First Amendment rights.
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.
I have met with the Log Cabin Republicans on several occasions and I have sought their support for my candidacy. I have been a volunteer for the Missionaries of Charity sisters supporting their efforts to help the homeless and mothers in need.
