What’s the best resolution to the ongoing Boy Scouts litigation: the current settlement; appeal of the verdict; evict the Scouts and put the building up for sale; or another option? Please explain your position. I think the current settlement. That doesn’t mean there is not more that can be done in the future. It’s not Cradle of Liberty that Philadelphia has problems with, it’s the discriminatory policy of the national Boy Scouts. I don’t see the sense of hurting the local branch more. It seems like this is a done deal legally and anything further could cost too much.
Do you support efforts to remove the gender markers from SEPTA’s transpasses? What would you do to work toward that goal? It’s a complicated issue. I don’t know enough about it right now but I do support the rights of transgender individuals. People should not have to be embarrassed or humiliated when they go on public transit. In general, it’s not a bad idea to take gender off but the problem is that we don’t have a cheap enough way to make sure that people don’t share the passes. The problem now is that people can still cheat. What I would like to see happen sooner than later is for each card to be assigned to an individual and have a way where we can authenticate that it’s being used by one person. That’s the real issue; it’s not about sexual orientation, it’s about people scamming the system and lending the card to their friends. But I would support a solution that would allow us to identify a new way to manage this.
Do you support Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s bill to require certain city contractors to provide domestic-partner benefits to employees? I have not seen the bill so I can’t comment but, in general, I believe people who do business with the city shouldn’t be discriminated against in any way.
What would you do to curb bullying in Philadelphia public schools? Do you think there needs to be additional actions to contend with anti-LGBT bullying? This is an area where I have some degree of expertise. I published a newsletter on privacy rights in the 1990s, and I still do some commentary on TV and writing about privacy rights. This issue certainly affects the LGBT community, but it’s beyond that; this affects people who are not good-looking or who are overweight or people who have handicaps. The answer is that there is so much more we can do, and not just in schools. While bullying exists in schools, it’s often now being done on the Internet, with the ability for someone to maintain an anonymous cloak, and that’s the worst kind of coward out there. While mayoral candidates and City Council candidates can address the issue from the bully pulpit, it really has to be addressed statewide and nationally. We saw the unfortunate case of the Rutgers student who was bullied online. I think the woman who was involved and who just the cut the deal with the prosecutors is getting off very easily; I think everyone involved should have to pay a hefty penalty for what they did. So this goes beyond Philadelphia public schools; in this case, it happened in a college, and there needs to be real penalties if someone bullies someone else and violates their privacy. I don’t think this is something that’s limited to the LGBT community, but I definitely believe there need to be hardcore penalties — and not just dollar amounts but jail time — for people who harass others.
Do you support city funding for housing opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS? What would you do to ensure proper funding? I support fair housing for people who qualify for it. Certainly, if someone is below a certain income level, I would support it. I want to see the government less involved in public housing and more involved in creating jobs so people can afford housing. I think it needs to be based mostly on income. If there’s someone who has HIV or AIDS and is low-income, then they should be treated the same as someone else who has low income. It should be income-based in general so we can move away from the current model and towards a model of helping people gain wealth so they can afford their own housing.
How would you work to ensure LGBT-owned businesses receive fair and equal opportunities? Just like anyone else: If there are people who are illegally discriminated against by companies, then we need to deal with that. I think this is a good opportunity for gay-owned businesses because I would like to see more private companies working to provide services that the city of Philadelphia does right now. As an example, the city spent $7.5 million on a snow-removal job this winter and many people felt they did a really lousy job. I would love to see jobs like that bid out to private companies. And when it comes to any kind of service, companies that are owned by gays and lesbians should be included in the process, and if someone on Council is preventing them from being included because of their orientation, that person needs to be ostracized because that’s a disgrace. I’ve learned from the real-estate business that you need to treat all people the same all the time.
What can be done to stem the tide of anti-LGBT violent crimes? I think everything we do to try to get rid of crimes in general. We need a sensitive police force, and I think we’re going in that direction. From what I understand, there were recently new requirements passed that raise the age required to become an officer, and they also now need to have at least an associate’s degree. So we’re going to have a more qualified and educated police force so when issues about the LGBT community come up, they will be better able to deal with them. In Philadelphia, we are one of the few cities that actually has a campaign to reach gay tourists, and I’m very much in favor of that and think we need to continue that because I think this issue goes far beyond the police — there needs to be a full complete understanding across the city of all the different people who live here and all the diversity we have. I think it’s critical people understand the diversity in Philadelphia and begin to celebrate that rather than using it to create any animosity.
Do you support the LGBT-friendly Senior Housing Project planned at the William Way LGBT Community Center? Yes, absolutely. I think it’s great that this is being done. If I’m elected mayor, I promise to attend one of the fundraising events and even give some of my own money toward it. I think it’s very important that as gay people get older that they have a place dedicated to them so that they feel comfortable and not discriminated against. In general, I’m not in favor of public funds being used for housing. I’ve taken a pledge that we have to get government out of our pockets and this is an important issue in Philadelphia because we’re on the cusp of bankruptcy. We can raise taxes, which I will refuse to do, we can cut spending, which I will do, or we can issue bonds and accrue debt, which has to be cut. So in general I’m not supportive of the government going in the direction of expanding funding for public housing, whether it’s for the LGBT community or anyone else, but I am in favor of the private sector and corporate partners making a commitment to this. Corporations can’t just come into the gay community and try to market to them but they need to put their money where their mouth is.
Do you support the Police Advisory Commission’s efforts to obtain Nizah Morris records from the District Attorney’s office? That’s a case where I believe the police did a lousy job of investigating the murder. I can’t prove it, but I believe it may have been because she was a black transgender individual. I’ve been following this case in PGN and many other sources, and I think the police department has come a long way but it was an absolute disgrace that this case has been handled with such slowness.
Why should the LGBT community vote for you? They should vote for me because they want to continue to live in a city that is not bankrupt. A lot of the LGBT community can’t vote for me in the primary because the community is overwhelmingly Democrat. But I would tell gay or gay-friendly Republicans that I’m conservative but I believe we need to treat all people the same and, for that reason, I support gay marriage and gay rights. I’ve put my reputation on the line and taken a metaphorical beating from people in my party for taking that stance, but I take that stance and I take it proudly. Even if Democrats can’t vote for me in the primary, I want them to know I am gay-friendly and want to save the city. Members of the LGBT community care just as much about keeping their money, having lower taxes and a safer city as the next person.