Responses of Cathy Wiss to GLAA 2006 Questionnaire
for DC Council Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
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?
Yes. I will support funding for mandatory GLBT sensitivity and diversity training for all Fire/EMS personnel, in particular because of the number of incidents of mistreated and endangered member of the GLBT community. Such incidents are unacceptable.
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?
Yes. We need a new Fire/EMS chief for many reasons. I will commit to questioning the nominee about his/her commitment to rooting out homophobia and transphobia.
3. Will you support a budget for the Office of Police Complaints large enough to continue to avoid developing a backlog of cases?
Yes. Adequate funding should be provided to follow up promptly on complaints so that the police can be more responsive and effective in the future.
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?
I believe that transgendered people have the same right to be free from harassment as anyone else and that all police personnel, as well as other District employees, should treat all residents with respect and be subject to sanctions if they do not behave properly. I would oppose legislation that would have the effect of treating transgendered people differently from others.
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 support routine HIV testing. Funding for counseling and referral for treatment for citizens who test positive for HIV is a critical component of this. Learning that one is HIV positive is devastating news. Counseling and follow up are vitally important both for individuals, so that they know how to manage their illness, and for public health.
6. Are you committed to continuing and expanding the District’s condom distribution program?
Yes. The District’s current condom distribution is clearly inadequate. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the most serious health problems facing the District; condom distribution is an important element of fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. Condoms, obviously, are also important in protecting against STDs other than AIDS and in protecting against unwanted pregnancies. I support distribution of condoms in the schools.
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 support strong medical privacy laws, but this is an area where I need to know more. I am not an expert on the current medical privacy laws and I would want to hear expert evidence about the likely increased liability for the District if a private right of action were allowed.
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 believe that 270 days is long enough to investigate a complaint. If current delays are caused by a lack of funding and not some other reason, I would support increasing the budget for OHR so that it can reduce the length of time needed to investigate and issue a finding of probable cause.
9. Will you block ceremonial resolutions and otherwise decline to honor individuals or organizations that promote any sort of bigotry?
Yes. As someone who worked for 8 years as a civil rights specialist for the federal government, I am opposed to all forms of discrimination.
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?
Yes. I am fully committed to spreading the word about these provisions of the D.C. Human Rights Act and to making sure that these provisions are properly enforced. The D.C. Human Rights Act is probably among the most comprehensive civil rights legislation in the country – something for D.C. to be justifiably proud of.
Marriage and Family
11. Do you support legal recognition of marriages between partners of the same sex?
Yes. I support legal recognition of same-sex marriages. I will also support GLAA’s strategy of incremental steps towards this goal given the potential for problems with Congressional intervention.
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?
Yes. Again, I will also support GLAA’s strategy on how to continue this expansion to minimize federal interference.
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?
Yes. Just as District law recognizes marriages performed in other states, it should require recognition of civil unions, domestic partnerships and other similar legal relationships established in other jurisdictions. I will support whatever legislative and/or regulatory changes are necessary to accomplish this goal. Again, I will follow GLAA’s lead on strategy for accomplishing this goal and avoiding federal interference.
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 opposed the voucher program when it was introduced, but now that it has been in operation for several years, I would hesitate to abolish it. Instead, I would look for ways to make the program nondiscriminatory by requiring schools that accept the vouchers to make a commitment not to discriminate or to foster discrimination.
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?
Yes. I oppose abstinence only programs on several grounds. Such programs are unrealistic, as students want to know about their sexuality and should be taught about contraception and making personal decisions. I am opposed to the implied message that gay and lesbian students must remain celibate forever because they cannot marry legally. Students also must be taught about HIV/AIDS, other STDs, and pregnancy. I applaud DC Appleseed for pushing the District to promote health education standards which include HIV education. I note (July 13 Washington Post byline Audrey Edwards) that the DC Public School system is starting a new HIV education program.
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?
Yes. I support the relocation of gay businesses displaced by the new ballpark, although finding the right locations could be challenging for some businesses like nightclubs because of late hours.
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?
Businesses should be free from harassment. On the other hand, depending upon where a bar or restaurant is located, neighbors may have legitimate complaints about noise late at night, just as they might for noise from other sources.
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?
If this bill is similar to laws already struck down by other courts, I would oppose it. Generally, I oppose censorship, although certain sexually explicit or violent materials should be kept from becoming easily accessible to minors.
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.
