Oct 28, 2005  |  By: EARTHA JANE MELZE  | COMMENTS     

Voters in Virginia head to the polls on Nov. 8 and gay partisan groups are issuing endorsements in some of the local contests, including the races for Alexandria sheriff and Arlington County school board.

In Alexandria, the sheriff’s office is responsible for maintaining the jail facility, securing the courthouse and serving papers.

The Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club has endorsed the Democratic candidate for Alexandria, Dana Lawhorne.

“He’s a strong supporter of equality and has a long record of fighting to protect every citizen,” said Josh Israel, president of the Virginia Partisans.

Lawhorne is a 26-year veteran of the Alexandria Police Department. His career has included detective work, development of community policing initiatives and leadership of the Alexandria police department’s hostage negotiation team. He is endorsed by Alexandria Police & Firefighters, Mayor Bill Euille and Rep. Jim Moran. He has not been elected to public office before.

Lawhorne answered a 12-part questionnaire from the Virginia Partisans, in which he spoke about meeting with the Alexandria Gay & Lesbian Community Association to discuss sex crimes and Virginia’s “infamous sodomy law,” and said that he’d sought help from the Whitman-Walker Clinic to train officers on issues important to people living with HIV/AIDS.

“I think it is important to note that I don’t view the world in terms of cultural, racial, gender or sexual difference,” Lawhorne wrote. “… It would never occur to me to include or exclude someone because of a perceived or obvious difference.”

Lawhorne also stated that as sheriff he would ask Alexandria’s representatives to add “sexual orientation” to hate crimes statutes and that he opposes any attempt to amend the U.S. or Virginia constitution to discriminate against minorities.

Split over Alexandria sheriff

Bill Cleveland, a former vice mayor and longtime city councilmember in Alexandria, is endorsed by the Log Cabin Republicans of Virginia. Cleveland is a retired member of the U.S. Capitol Police.

David Lampo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans of Virginia, said Cleveland is a “great friend” of Log Cabin and that the group has conducted numerous fund-raisers on his behalf.

“There is no question where he stands on fairness for gays and lesbians in hiring,” Lampo said.

Lampo said that Cleveland has supported domestic partnership benefits for public employees.

“I’m not sure where he stands on various state gay and lesbian issues,” Lampo said. “But these don’t have relevance in terms of the office he is running for.”

In 1988, while serving on the Alexandria City Council, Cleveland voted against adding sexual orientation to the city’s human rights code. That measure passed 5-2, and made Alexandria among the first jurisdictions to include sexual orientation in anti-discrimination legislation.

Lampo said he was unaware of Cleveland’s vote against the non-discrimination measure, but suggested that Cleveland’s views on the matter may have changed.

Cleveland did not respond to Blade inquiries by press time.

Split on Arlington School Board

Three candidates are vying for an open seat on the Arlington County School Board, one of the few contested races in Arlington.

The Log Cabin Republicans have endorsed Bill Barker.

Barker said that he has a gay child who went through the Arlington school system, and that he would have “zero tolerance for discrimination.”

Arlington County spends the second highest amount per student in the country, Barker said, yet students are falling behind those in neighboring jurisdictions.

Barker said that his 28 years of experience in federal and county government management would be useful in creating greater accountability in the management of the school system’s finances.

In response to activist concerns about a seminar he organized featuring Virginia Sen. Kenneth Cuccinelli (R-Fairfax) — who has sponsored several anti-gay measures in the Virginia Assembly — Barker said that he had invited Cuccinelli because of his libertarian views on promoting smaller government.

“I don’t agree with his views on gay issues,” Barker said.

The Virginia Partisans endorsed Ed Fendley for Arlington County School Board.

Israel called Fendley, “a longtime Partisans straight-ally member and a civic activist.”

Fendley has four children in Arlington County public schools and works as a consultant for the Department of State’s Bureau of Resource Management. He lists support for gay and lesbian equality in the schools as a top priority on his campaign Web site, and he posted his responses to the Virginia Partisans questionnaire on his campaign site.

Fendley said he supports the Family Life Education curriculum and the inclusion of age-appropriate, non-judgmental information on sexuality, tolerance, homosexuality and sexually transmitted diseases.

“I would fully support gay-straight alliances in our schools,” Fendley wrote. “These organizations provide important support and avenues for communication for our GLBT students. ...