Adrian Fenty, the mayor of Washington D.C., may have signed the city’s same-sex marriage bill into law, but the gays (namely, activist Lane Hudson) haven’t exactly been impressed with his otherwise lacking record with queers. Enter Jared Polis.
The gay congressman was on hand last night at the club Halo, where some 100 LGBTs gathered for a chance to hear Fenty speak (and donate to his re-election campaign). And it’s there that Polis gave the mayor his endorsement, side-stepping gay issues besides marriage and focusing on Fenty’s other achievements, like education — which, of course, Fenty has also been called out on.
Is one gay elected representative’s cheerleading enough to turn the tides? Certainly not. But that Polis was even on hand is an indication Fenty has heard the criticism from the capital’s LGBTs and, as politicians are wont to do, is mounting an offensive defense.
Cam
Weird,
You say Fenty has been called on on education, but DC is one of the only major metropolitan areas to have their test scores go up. So much so that other cities like Detroit are asking for DC’s help to revamp their systems. Additionally, according to the Washington Blade, Fenty is polling in heavily gay neighborhoods 3 to 1 against his opponent.
Baxter
The only people calling Fenty out on education are union hacks who think that terrible teachers should keep their jobs and probably get raises too.
hephaestion
Fenty is incredibly unpopular city-wide today. He doesn’t have a chance of winning. And I live in the gayborhood and know no one who supports him. Fortunately his opponent is also very pro-gay.
Fenty gets boo-ed everywhere he goes. And he cancelled out on the education debate last week because he knew he’d get slaughtered.
Cam
@hephaestion:
A Washington Blade poll of neighborhoods with a high gay population show Fenty leading Gray 3 to 1 so I’m wondering just which “Gayborhood” you live in. Additinally, Gray, went in for some late night, backroom dealing to kill a trolly program in DC, most of which had already been paid for to offer some payouts to constituencies, the city responded with thousands of angry calls and mysteriously Gray found the money in the budget a day later and restored the program, causing even Marion Barry to attack him as shady. DC had plenty of that kind of leadership in the past and it nearly killed the city.
Chris
I have this hunch that the comment section became the playground of paid campaign people posing innocently as readers.
TonyD
I’m going with Polis’s support on this; tenure and teacher unions tend to favor teachers with tenure with out-dated teaching methods, willing to sabotage the career potentials of younger teachers that out shine them (I’ve seen this too many times), and the union will back the senior member’s authority without question. For the sake of children, this has to change, including the approach of LGBTQ or questioning youth. Not all unions protect the “working man,” from the big bad boss anymore.
Jason
Contrary to Jared, the world does not revolve around Polis.
He is not THAT good of a Congressman.
He could be knocked off by a good primary opponent, but will NEVER lose a general election, as he has more money than god.
Oh well.
Jason
BTW, I live in Boulder and he is my Congressman. So I say that with SOME experience.
Cam
@Chris:
Hi Chris, I know it sounds that way, but I just live in the city, and for years have seen parents leave as soon as their kids reached school age. I just think that having schools that actually function is the last hurdle in DC becoming a functioning city again, and yet people keep attacking Fenty because his schools chancellor wasn’t making nicey nicey with the teachers union. Ignorin of course that the schools actually jumped up their scores much higher under her term.
Charlie
No.
And unlike Jared Polis, I can vote in the primary.
Jon
The only people opposing Fenty are the hood rats east of the river. His main opponent, Vincent Gray, is trying to won over the leeches and welfare receivers with his “keepin it real” attitude. Gray, also killed the street car line for a hot minute before going back on it once word got out. I also know many people who are still supporting Fenty. I have no idea what Hep. is talking about…
Eric
Hell no will I be voting for Fenty. There is tons of opposition to Fenty throughout the city, Jon, so just pick up a newspaper. He is indeed getting booed. And he did fail to show up to a debate with Gray… heard him on the radio and he claimed that he hadn’t been “confirmed” for the event…yeah right. The man speaks out of both sides of his mouth. Even in his own ward, Ward 4, Gray signs FAR outnumber the Fenty signs. Fenty is on his way out.
Jon
@Eric:
I never once said he had any opposition. But to say someone knows NOBODY who will be voting for Fenty is a bit much. You must seriously be hanging out in Gray’s inner circle if you know no one on Fenty’s side. On the bailing out on the education debate, even I think Fenty missed out on that one..
Bob
Gray was endorsed by the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. He received over 60% of the vote of the members (who were present). As the official LGBT adjunct of the DC Dems, that is a surprise. I expected neither candidate to reach 60%. So clearly Gray has strong LGBT support, but I suspect most of each candidate’s support is based on non-LGBT issues since they are both fairly good (by DC standards, great by national standards).
Gray seems to have support for not being Fenty. Fenty has an attitude problem.Their positions are largely identical.
Bill Perdue
They’re both Democrats and therefore worthless.
SSM on a local level is pretty much just for show. Without repeal of Clinton’s DOMA it’s value is more sentimental than substantial.
jeffree
@Bile Perdue: which teaparty candidate do you suggest we vote for ?
Bill Perdue
@jeffree: I don’t know jeffie.
I’m a socialist, you’re the rightwing Democrat. Who do you suggest?
Bill Perdue
@jI don’t know jeffie.
I’m a socialist, you’re the rightwing Democrat. Who do you suggest?
Bill Perdue
@jeffree: jeffiepo, bearing in mind that I’m a socialist and that you’re the rightwing Democrat, I’ll have to ask who do you suggest?
Bill Perdue
@Baxter: Anti-union piglets like Baxter don’t like unions much because unions are the heavy infantry of social change.
Bill Perdue
@Bill Perdue: In reply to ‘jeffree’ I’m a socialist, you’re the rightwing Democrat. Who do you suggest?
Bill Perdue
@Jason: In reply to Jeffree – I can’t say. I’m a socialist do I don’t care if a right wing Democrat or a rightwing Republican gets in. They’re the same animal with different stripes.
DCBoy
Just what we need. Another Congressman telling DC what to do. Has Polis ever heard of Home Rule?