Comments on: D.C. Mayor Gray calls Catania remarks ‘nonsense’

By: brian

brian — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:17:12 +0000

Wow, Julius. That’s just flatly false. RU competing with Mitt Romney for tallest tale of the day???

All-in-all, Gray’s record– **excepting LGBT public safety**– averages out as merely OK re. LGBT issues. The best we can say is that is a “mixed bag” of accomplishments and failures. But the same can be said of former CM Harry Thomas, Jr.– and now, former CM Kwame Brown.

Mayor Gray started out his administration by outrageously breaking his campaign promise to the LGBT community to consult with LGBT activists regarding his selection of Chief of Police. Now, Chief Lanier’s recent hostile stance to the LGBT community has only been tempered by MPD’s not-credible, periodic PR efforts and photo-ops. It is clear that MPD’s ACTUAL policies and practices continues to be a critical FAILURE of Mayor Gray’s administration.

Justice for LGBT victims of homicides and violent assaults on DC’s mean streets continues to be ignored in Mayor Gray’s Washington. Nothing focuses the mind of LGBT residents and visitors to DC, than the prospect that they, their friends or their loved ones will be violently assaulted or killed, merely because they are LGBT.

Accordingly, most DC LGBT residents don’t give a fig what Mayor Gray’s LGBT record is compared to other mayors across the nation. You (and Jeff Richardson) ought stop making such lame, self-serving comparisons.

And, BTW, David Catania was WAAAY ahead of everyone on marriage equality. Likewise, Phil Mendelson, Jim Graham and … and yes, Mayor Fenty.

By: MPetrelis

MPetrelis — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:54:05 +0000

What a good example of democratic engagement through a town hall forum. The HRC leaders might follow this example and start holding open forums with the community. Why is HRC so afraid of town hall meetings?

By: Julius

Julius — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:56:13 +0000

To some people, it means nothing that Mayor Gray has done more for the GLBT community in DC than almost any other mayor in the country. They scream about “how late he arrives” and how “he looks” but fail to appreciate his long list of accomplishments, including spearheading Marriage Equality (something people erroneously give Fenty credit for) when he was Council Chair, as well as his very strong efforts to help the Transgender community, much of which will continue to save lives.
A dis-service to the great advocate that is Mayor Gray.

By: Chas.

Chas. — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 13:13:50 +0000

I attended this event. Gray arrived extremely late, keeping us waiting for an extended length of time, but he failed to apologize. He offered no concrete measures to combat DC’s extremely high HIV infection rate and seemed only vaguely concerned. He ingenuously claimed to be ‘stunned’ by Kwame Brown’s crimes. When asked about the extension of bar hours, he dismissed the concerns of law-abiding citizens who will be adversely affected by drunks pouring out of the bars into the streets in the middle of the night. In general, Gray came across as self-aggrandizing, smug and sleazy — the kind of politician who tarnishes DC’s image within and outside the District and who prevents DC from becoming first-class.

By: Laura

Laura — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:05:04 +0000

The homicide rate is lower? Doubt it. Maybe Lanier has doctored the data like they do with rapes to make it APPEAR that homicides are down, but there are no fewer homicides. As far Grey’s campaign activities, they weren’t any different than anyone before him. Kwame Brown was a close friend and associate but who knows if that means Grey was acting in concert. At least he isn’t Marion Barry!