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. Well I would hope that there’s a better option. I’m not completely familiar with what the settlement was, but what I’d like to do is sit down with both sides and come to a resolution that is acceptable to both sides. I think reasonable people can agree on something. Every time there’s a dispute we run to the courts and, from my experience, when people don’t want to talk, they cast the responsibility on someone else to make the decision and then hide behind that decision. I don’t subscribe to that but in this case, I would have to look and see where it is and see if we can have the city solicitor rethink this and bring both sides together.
Do you support efforts to remove the gender markers from SEPTA’s transpasses? What would you do to work toward that goal? That’s an interesting question. Number one, I don’t understand [the need for the gender markers]. Number two, a transpass is a transpass. If someone pays for a transpass, you give it to them, and then they use it. As long as it’s paid for, it’s not like people can be using it at the same time. I like to boil things down to the least common denominator. I think most things are pretty basic if you look at them from a realistic point of view. If I’m SEPTA and I sell passes, only one person can use them at a time, so I don’t see the need for these stickers.
Do you support Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown’s bill to require certain city contractors to provide domestic-partner benefits to employees? Well I haven’t read it, but I always agree with domestic-partner benefits. I don’t know exactly how she has it set aside in her bill, but I do believe domestic partners should have the same benefits as others.
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? I think what needs is to happen is the administration should create a situation — even if they need to create new jobs — that puts parents as the custodians of children to monitor the halls and be in the schools constantly to have an influence on these young people. As soon as they see bullying, they need to go up to the students and talk to them. We need more parental guidance on these situations. We pay $30,000 a year to keep people in prison, and that’s not the way we deal with violence — it’s not cost-effective. So I think we need to transfer some of that money from the prison system to work for safety in schools and hire people who have children in the school system to serve as monitors and address this, not just in the hallways but also in playgrounds and in front of schools.
Do you support city funding for housing opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS? What would you do to ensure proper funding? Without question. I support housing for everybody. I would go in and set up an office for this situation, and if people didn’t like it, they could take me to court and try to stop it. The mayor has certain administrative authority. We need to go in and get housing laid aside for specific purposes, have the zoning board zone for it and let the people who don’t like it challenge us. In terms of AIDS or any other reason, people need homes, and the city can provide that for them.
How would you work to ensure LGBT-owned businesses receive fair and equal opportunities? Again, what we need to do is a direct-action type of thing. I’m familiar with the Procurement Department and right now we have in the bidding process people getting contracts as disadvantaged people but then there are people who are truly disadvantaged but who aren’t able to get these certifications. So I’d work to get certifications for the people who are really disadvantaged and need these opportunities.
What can be done to stem the tide of anti-LGBT violent crimes? Increased surveillance reduces crime. It could be from whatever community, people paid by the administration to patrol just like they do at the University of Pennsylvania where they have people from the community working as a security team riding around on bikes and on the corners with walkie-talkies. When they see a burglary, homicide, abuse, robbery or a hate crime, then that structure allows them to report it right to the police department and the mayor’s office, and we’re on top of it right away. You can’t say you’re going to reduce crime unless you’re able to have enough people in the community who are willing to watch it and patrol and report crimes without fear.
Do you support the LGBT-friendly Senior Housing Project planned at the William Way LGBT Community Center? I have to review it, but if it’s about housing, chances are I would because my whole political career I’ve worked for housing for the disadvantaged. If a family needs a house, no matter if they’re LGBT or not, we need to be sensitive to their needs and do everything we can to provide housing.
Do you support the Police Advisory Commission’s efforts to obtain Nizah Morris records from the District Attorney’s office? Yes, absolutely. I think we should try to solve all cases. I don’t know how much work the police department has done on this or whether it’s been put in a file and not been bothered with, but we need to keep working on all types of crimes.
Why should the LGBT community vote for you? They should vote for me because I’m going to be sensitive to all of their issues. I’ve always been an individual who knows about human rights, and the community would be treated fairly under my administration. And they’d have access. I’d have people from the community in my administration, at the table, to bring their issues before the mayor, and I’d have someone in the administration who was there to make direct contact with the community.