A. Yes, particularly since the Virginia Court of Appeals ruled that the sexual orientation of the partners is irrelevant to their ability to raise children. Domestic Partnership are, in essence, families to each other. As such, they should not be excluded from granting consent to medical procedures, visiting their partner in the hospital or assuming power of attorney if necessary. I would support legislation to address these inequities in the law. The D.C. Human Rights Law is the only law that protects the rights of gays and lesbians.
Equal protection is important for all of the District's citizens.
Human rights and educational decisions relating to public policy toward gay students should not be set by the federal government. The District must maintain control of its own public school system. Given the hostile environment that many sexual minority youth face, these clubs have an important role. Yes, we failed miserably. However, I was the only Councilmember to vote against the unbalanced FY 95 budget.