The two candidates running against D.C. Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton in the city’s June 21 Democratic primary urged LGBTQ voters to vote for them on grounds that they will provide new leadership and innovative ideas as the city’s non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rev. Wendy Hamilton, a longtime community activist and former official with the NAACP, and Kelly Mikel Williams, a former D.C. Council staff official and longtime advocate for the homeless, presented their views on a wide range of issues, including support for the LGBTQ community, during an April 28 virtual candidates’ forum organized by the Capital Stonewall Democrats.

Norton, a longtime outspoken supporter for LGBTQ rights, did not attend the forum. Jacqueline Pelt, her campaign spokesperson, said Norton informed the group that a scheduling conflict prevented her from attending.

The event was the second in a series of five LGBTQ candidate forums scheduled to take place from April 25 to May 11 organized by Capital Stonewall Democrats, the city’s largest local LGBTQ political group formerly known as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. The group’s next forum is scheduled for May 2, when candidates for D.C. Mayor and D.C. Attorney General were expected to participate.

In addition to hosting candidates for the D.C. Congressional Delegate race, the Thursday night, April 28, forum included the two candidates running in the primary for the position of U.S. Representative, known as the so-called D.C. “shadow” representative to the U.S. House – incumbent Rep. Oye Owolewa and challenger Linda L. Gray.

The position has no congressional powers or voting privileges and was created to serve as a non-paid lobbying post for D.C. statehood. Both Oye and Gray said they have been supportive of LGBTQ equality for many years. They said they will push hard for the passage of the Equality Act, the LGBTQ nondiscrimination bill that has passed in the House and remains stalled in the U.S. Senate.

During the April 28 forum for Congressional Delegate, neither candidate Hamilton or Williams nor the LGBTQ Democratic group’s moderators at the event, trans Democratic activist and ANC commissioner Monika Nemeth and the LGBTQ event organizer who identifies as Krylios, mentioned Norton by name.

Most political observers consider Norton, a beloved figure in D.C. politics, to be the strong favorite to win re-election to her 17th term in office in both the primary and the November general election.  

Hamilton and Williams offered no criticism of Norton and instead, in response to questions asked by Nemeth and Krylios, presented proposals on both local and national issues they said would improve the lives of all D.C. residents.

Among her various career positions, which included working on Capitol Hill and serving as an adjunct professor of communications at Baltimore County Community College, Hamilton served as a part-time pastor at the Open Door Metropolitan Community Church in Germantown, Md., which is one of the nationwide churches affiliated with the LGBTQ Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. Hamilton said her service at the MCC church strengthened her role as a committed LGBTQ ally.

Williams told the forum he has helped LGBTQ people along with other population groups in need of housing, substance abuse services, and education and job training to gain access to various city programs in his role as constituent services director for former at-large D.C. Councilmember Vincent Orange.  

A video recording of the April 28 virtual Capital Stonewall Democrats forum can be accessed here.

A Washington Blade transcript of the closing statements by Hamilton and Williams can be read below:

Kelly Mikel Williams

Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. And I enjoyed the conversation and the questions. And so, thank you for moderating and I thank the Capital Stonewall Democrats. As I mentioned in my opening statement, the disparities in our communities socially, economically, and politically will continue to divide us if we are not willing to address them. And what I would like to do as your representative is to address those issues from a holistic perspective, from a specific perspective, and from an economic perspective, a legislative perspective, and from a social perspective.

So, as I said earlier, the same issues that I dealt with as an individual – homeless, unemployment are the same issues intimately that I’m familiar with that I’m going to address as your elected leader. We have a real opportunity to ignite change in our city. And the question for us is when. When do we want it? And if not now, when are we going to get it and can we afford to wait that long to achieve it.

I’m a fresh voice with different ideas to try to address those issues. And my heart and passion to usher in a new generation of thinking is what I want to do. The primary issues that I’m addressing — homelessness, jobs, public safety — are issues that I’ve lived with and dealt with. And they always say that if you want someone to be able to satisfy an issue that you have, find someone who has actually lived and experienced it.

And what I’m going to do is bring together my personal and my professional experiences and merge those together. And I’m confident that when I do that, I can be the change that you want to see, and I can be the change that the District needs. So, I want to thank the Stonewall Democrats and say to you, we can’t keep doing the same things over and over again, expecting different results. We have to have the courage, and it’s time to have the courage to change course. And I’m asking you to change course on June 21 this year, Tuesday, June 21, and elect me as your next representative, Kelly Mikel Williams. And I’ll be the change and you’ll have the courage and we’ll do this together going into the next year. Thank you very much.    

Rev. Wendy Hamilton

Thank you all so much. We have covered a lot of ground tonight discussing the issues that are pertinent to Capital Stonewall Democrats and D.C. and just to our country as a whole, because D.C. is a microcosm of America. What goes on in D.C. impacts the rest of the country. So, I know we barely scratched the surface. We might not have all the answers today. But my hope is to continue these discussions as your new delegate, as we work together to figure out the best way forward for D.C.

We need to end the wrongful and dangerous workplace discrimination of our LGBTQ colleagues in the workplace. I would support the LGBTQ community in passing the Equality Act, HR 5. I mentioned earlier that 40 percent of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide over the past year. And over 40 percent of homeless youth in D.C. are LGBTQ+. These numbers are rising, and we need to establish robust mental health and shelter systems responsive to LGBTQ+ and GMV youth and their needs.

My inspiration for running for this role comes from my faith in God, as I mentioned earlier, my experience as a servant leader, and my deep love for D.C. Over these past 15 months on the campaign trail, that decision has only been reinforced by the thousands of conversations I’ve had with residents all over the city who want to see us thrive and succeed together.

I’m not a politician, and that’s a good thing I believe. I’m just running. I’m a regular, everyday woman. I’m not just running to represent you, I am you. So, I’m asking for your vote on June 21 for D.C. Delegate. Capital Stonewall Democrats, I believe it’s time, time for a new voice and vision and new possibilities. I’m ready. We’re ready. All I need is your vote. I believe we can do this because it’s time. Thank you.