Responses of Stephane Baldi to GLAA 2006 Questionnaire
for D.C. Board of Education Candidates
| Yes/No | Substance | Record | Championship | Total |
| 2 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 |
1. Do you recognize the right of our public school students to organize clubs to promote gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights, to combat homophobic and transphobic violence and prejudice, and to provide socializing opportunities for GLBT youth?
Yes. Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender persons should have the right to organize within our public schools to promote understanding of GLBT issues and should feel supported by school leadership and school policy.
2. Do you recognize the right of students to bring dates of the same sex to school proms and other official public school social functions?
Yes. Any individual, regardless of sexual orientation, should feel free to bring dates of the same sex to school proms and other official public school functions. The school board should put in place policies to ensure that school leadership is sensitive and supportive of this.
3. Will you oppose efforts to restrict or censor books or other materials in our public school libraries that discuss homosexuality in a positive and supportive manner?
No. I do not support censorship and believe that such books should be part of our libraries so that all students understand that they have access to supportive resources should they need them.
4. Do you support the right of non-profit groups to provide DCPS school libraries with gay-positive books which are openly displayed and freely available to all students?
Yes. As indicated above, it is important for all students to be able to have access to gay-positive books so that we send a message that sexual orientation is a choice that one can feel comfortable with rather than stigmatized.
5. Do you support efforts by Metro DC PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) to work constructively with our local public schools to provide support groups and to help implement anti-harassment policies?
Yes. In fact, I think it is critical that DCPS work in partnership with DC PFLAG to sensitize all students to GBLT issues and make everyone understand that harassment against individuals based on sexual orientation has no place in DCPS.
6. Do you favor training programs for professional development of teachers, counselors, and other school system staff, such as those offered by the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), to help these professionals nurture positive identity formation for GLBT students and prevent harassment and bullying in the classroom?
Yes. I believe that such training needs to be an integral part of teachers and other school staff’s professional development. As school leaders they have a responsibility to model supportive behavior and nurture positive identity formation for GLBT students and prevent harassment.
7. From time to time, D.C. public school teachers have invited openly gay men and women to speak in their classes and to answer students’ questions about homosexuality. Do you support the right of our teachers to continue inviting such speakers?
Yes. Again, I see this as part of sensitizing all of our youth to the issues faced by GLBT students and teaching acceptance of sexual preference.
8. The recent report by the Appleseed Foundation detailed many shortcomings in the District’s condom distribution program, as only 125,000 condoms were distributed in 2005, far below the goal of 600,000. Will you support a reinvigoration of the DCPS condom availability program, operated by the Department of Health?
Yes. In light of recent reports documenting increasing trends in HIV infection and other sexually-transmitted diseases in the District, it is critically important that we do a better job as part of DCPS to educate students on the risks associated with unprotected sex, as well as do a better job of giving them the means to protect themselves through facilitating the distribution of condoms.
9. Will you work to implement a comprehensive sex education program in the D.C. Public Schools that teaches that homosexuality is part of the normal range of human sexuality, consistent with existing DCPS policy?
Yes. A comprehensive sex education program that teaches students that homosexuality is part of the normal range of human sexuality, combined with supportive texts and videos should be an integral part of the DCPS curriculum. This program should also educate students on the risks associated with unprotected sex, and incorporate the distribution of condoms.
10. Will you oppose the use of either federal or District taxpayer funds to promote so-called “abstinence only until marriage” sex education that undermines safer-sex programs by discouraging the use of condoms and that effectively tells lesbian and gay male students that they must be celibate forever because they may not legally marry?
Yes. Evidence from several recent studies indicates that “abstinence only” programs are not effective, and often lead to increased rates of sexually-transmitted diseases. We have a responsibility to provide our students with strategies that work (e.g., information combined with protection) and that does not marginalize individuals based on their sexual orientation or preference.
11. Do you support the full implementation of the DCPS Sexual Harassment and Harassment Policy, which protects public school students from physical and verbal abuse based on their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity (DCMR Title 5, Education: 2503.2.g-h)?
Yes. I take the protection of students against sexual harassment and other forms of harassment very seriously, and as a school board member will reiterate my commitment to enforcing it through a zero-tolerance policy. I support the regular training and retraining of school personnel on our policy on sexual harassment, combined with a supportive environment that sensitizes all students to issues of sexual orientation and choice.
12. Will you oppose both federally and locally funded voucher programs that fund students in religious schools that are beyond the protections of the D.C. Human Rights Act?
Yes. But to the extent that the school board can do this legally. I believe that all students should be subject to the same protection and freedom guaranteed by the DC Human Rights Act, and be free to express their sexual orientation without fear of reprisal or harassment.
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.
As an education policy and research professional who has a Ph.D. in Sociology, I have dedicated my career to improving social justice and equality for all, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. My publication record in various leading refereed journals and national reports document this commitment.
