Both Hales and Smith agreed to provide a
statement for transgender readers of Just Out
at Courtney O'Donnell's request. (Edited for
length.)
CHARLIE HALES
I am proud to have been involved in the LGBT
movement for years. When I was City Commis-
sioner, I joined my colleagues in establishing one
of the nation’s early domestic partner registries.
This was at the time when the first anti-gay ballot
measures were sweeping our state around issues
of local anti-discrimination laws. I volunteered
on both the first Measure 9 and Measure 13 op-
position campaigns. I have long supported mar-
riage equality. In addition, I fully support the
City Council's action last year to extend health
benefits to city workers to include sexual reas-
signment surgery.
Looking forward, I will be an active part of the
public education campaign and advocacy cam-
paign to bring marriage equality to our state, and
will be an outspoken advocate as Mayor for the
freedom to marry for all caring and committed
couples. I will take steps to combat HIv-related
stigma — we still live in a city where 1 in 4 peo-
ple living with HIv don’t know they are infected,
in large part because of attitudes attached to a
positive diagnosis. I will use the public nature of
the Mayor’s office to bring awareness and help
direct the public towards available testing ser-
vices. I will advocate for continued state fund-
ing for state health programs that support HIv/
AIDS patients.
I will also work with our public safety bureaus
to continue to better reflect our community, in-
cluding LGBT members of the force. We need to
continue to ensure safety of openly gay couples
and social interactions by acting definitively
when hate crimes have been committed, threats
are issued or safety is at all in question. The City,
as an employer and a provider of services, will
be a welcoming culture for GLBT persons where
workplace discrimination will not be tolerated
and high quality customer service will be pro-
vided to every resident alike.
JEFFERSON SMITH
Look to the issues (where we'll both be pretty
good) and to who's been in the trenches with
you for the last decade. I stood with the LGBTQ
community in my work in the house, support-
ing anti-bullying legislation. The organization I
founded, the Bus Project, has knocked on tens
of thousands of doors for marriage equality, sup-
ported safe spaces on college campuses & trans-
inclusive health care. Leaders I've mentored &
developed have gone on to service in local and
national LGBTQ advocacy organizations and
campaigns. I'll be more than a supporter for your
community - I'll be a champion.
September 2012
Justout.com
15