Ward 8 candidate Sheila Bunn earned GLAA’s top rating
On Wednesday, the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA) of Washington, D.C. released its ratings for candidates running in the April 28 special elections for the Ward 4 and Ward 8 seats on the D.C. Council, with few standouts amid the crowded field in each race.
Topping the list of overall ratings was Ward 8 D.C. Council candidate Sheila Bunn, a Democrat who previously served as the deputy chief of staff to former Mayor Vincent Gray (D) and to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D). Bunn earned a +9 on a scale of -10 to +10. The next two highest-rated candidates were Ward 4 Council candidates Dwayne Toliver and Edwin Powell, who received a rating of +7 and +6.5, respectively.
A nonpartisan political civil rights organization that lobbies on behalf of pro-LGBT legislation GLAA’s ratings are determined based on a candidates’ political history, their advocacy, and their responses to a LGBT-issue related questionnaire. The questionnaire is largely based on GLAA’s policy brief, Building on Victory, which outlines the organization’s priorities. All candidates are urged to read the policy brief prior to responding to GLAA’s questionnaire. Points are awarded for being in agreement with GLAA, the substance of answers explaining the candidates’ position, a candidates’ prior record on LGBT rights, and a championship point for demonstrating leadership in fighting for a priority of the LGBT community. Of all 25 candidates running in the special elections, not a single one was able to earn the championship point.
Seven of 12 candidates for Ward 4 and five of 13 candidates for Ward 8 did not return GLAA’s questionnaire, which was previously mailed to candidates, nor did they provide any information on their support of pro-LGBT policies. As a result, those five candidates were awarded a rating of zero. Of the 13 candidates who did respond, most agreed with the bulk of GLAA’s positions. However, they were not awarded points for substance.
In Ward 4, presumptive favorite Brandon Todd, who previously served as Mayor Muriel Bowser’s constituent services director during her time as a councilmember, earned a +5.5 for what GLAA referred to as a “solid questionnaire,” but demonstrated little in way of a record of support for LGBT issues. Acquanetta Anderson (+3) and Renee Bowser (+2.5) also received similar evaluations. All five candidates who returned questionnaires in that race are Democrats.
In Ward 8, there was a steeper drop-off after Bunn, with Democrats Marion C. Barry, the son of the former mayor, and “S.S.” Sandra Seegers both earning +4.5 for agreeing with GLAA’s positions on most issues but demonstrating little in the way of a record on those issues. Bowser-endorsed Democrat LaRuby May was next, with a rating of +4, followed by Democrat Eugene Kinlow and Independent Keita Vanterpool, who both earned +3.5. Democrat Stuart Anderson earned +3 and Jauhar Abraham earned +2.
According to a news release from GLAA, most candidates hedged on their answer to whether they would support the “Death with Dignity Act of 2015,” a bill sponsored by Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) that would essentially allow people with terminal illnesses to engage in physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia by taking controlled medication to end their lives. Many candidates said they would want proper safeguards or would defer to their constituents on whether to support the bill, with Powell and Barry giving the most substantial explanations.
While GLAA does not endorse candidates in partisan elections, this is not the last candidates will hear of the rating, as some candidates choose to campaign on their rating as evidence of their support for LGBT rights, particularly in front of groups like the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the city’s top LGBT partisan political organization, which will offer its own endorsement of candidates later this month.
For more information on GLAA, or to read candidates’ responses to the GLAA questionnaire, visit glaa.org.
Christina Aguilera has partnered with Grindr as part of the promotion for her upcoming headlining set at San Francisco’s Portola Music Festival on September 20. According to a September 15 announcement from the LGBTQ app, Aguilera -- dubbed Grindr's new “wingwoman” -- will lend her voice as a notification alert, letting users know they’ve got a message from a potential match.
From September 15 to 22, Grindr will swap its iconic “bloop” notification for the opening notes of Aguilera’s 1999 No. 1 hit “Come On Over Baby (All I Want Is You),” promoting her Portola performance in the process.
Harvard University has drawn criticism from conservatives after announcing that Tufts professor Kareem Khubchandani -- who performs and occasionally lectures in drag as "LaWhore Vagistan" -- will serve as a visiting associate professor in its Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality department.
The visiting professorship was established through an endowment from members of the Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus, the university's LGBTQ alumni group. It was created to bring in scholars focused on issues related to sexual minorities and sexuality.
Khubchandani is scheduled to teach two courses during the 2025-2026 academic year: "Queer Ethnography," in the fall semester, and "RuPaulitics: Drag, Race, and Desire" in the spring semester, focusing on the cultural influence of the show RuPaul's Drag Race.
The Capital Pride Alliance and WorldPride DC organizers hosted a "wrap-up party" on September 30 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to unveil the WorldPride 2025 Impact Report, highlighting the celebration's economic and cultural reach.
The event, featuring food, drinks, and live performances, celebrated WorldPride’s success while giving LGBTQ community members a chance to reflect on the experience and the lessons learned from hosting a large-scale festival in D.C., helping build an infrastructure the city can use for future events.
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