Feb 23, 2007  | COMMENTS     

Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty’s nominee for director of the Office of Human Rights met this month with local gay groups, assuring them that he will aggressively enforce city laws banning discrimination against gays and transgender people. In testimony before a City Council hearing on Feb. 9, Gustavo Velasquez characterized as unfounded concerns by some activists that his lack of specific experience in civil rights law enforcement could hinder his ability to operate the office. Velasquez served as head of the city’s Office of Latino Affairs under former Mayor Anthony Williams. He told Councilmember Carol Schwartz (R-At-Large), who chaired the Feb. 9 hearing, that he has more than 10 years of management and administrative experience in local government and the private sector. “He seems to have been shoved from his former position as director of the Office of Latino Affairs into OHR as merely one outcome of some Byzantine machinations by Mayor Fenty’s people,” said Craig Howell, in testimony on behalf of the Gay & Lesbian Activists Alliance. Howell noted that Velasquez’s lack of background in civil rights law was in marked contrast to the person he is to replace, Kenneth Saunders, an attorney with extensive experience in the field of discrimination law. “But dissatisfied as we are,” Howell said, “we must confess that we have been favorably impressed by Mr. Velasquez over the last few weeks … He strikes us as energetic, conscientious, eager to learn and dedicated to establishing and maintaining good communications with anyone with a stake in the vigorous enforcement of our landmark D.C. Human Rights Law.” Howell said GLAA would neither support nor oppose Velasquez’s confirmation. Among those supporting Velasquez’s nomination at the hearing was Jay Haddock, the openly gay chair of the city’s Commission on Latino Affairs. Haddock said he was favorably impressed with Velasquez’s accomplishments at the Latino affairs office.

LOU CHIBBARO JR.

Virginia lesbian claims
discrimination in custody case

A homeless Virginia lesbian battling with her parents and the state’s Child Protection Services over custody of her 2-year-old son says she’s being portrayed as a bad mother because she’s gay. Christina Cimino, 21, hopes to get custody of her son, Justin, so she and her girlfriend, Heather Ward, 26, can raise him together. Justin is now in the care of Cimino’s parents, Carol and Dominick Cimino of Fairfax, Va. Until December, Christina Cimino lived at her parent’s house with her son but CPS, a division of the state’s Department of Social Services, was notified around that time that Justin was not being cared for properly. They investigated and, according to Christina, declared her a “level one” threat to her son. “It’s preposterous,” Christina says. “I never knew it was a crime to be a lesbian.” Dominick Cimino, 63, says the story is not that simple. He and Carol, 50, say Christina suffers from bipolar disorder, refuses to take appropriate medication and showed no interest in Justin. “She came and went as she pleased,” Dominick says. “She never bonded with him.” He claims his daughter is using her homosexuality as an excuse. “She’s grasping for straws, but that’s not the issue. It’s more neglect.” A hearing last week in Juvenile & Domestic Relations District Court of Fairfax County determined that Christina is not fit to care for her son, though she was granted a one-hour visit with him on his birthday last week. Carol and Dominick Cimino are seeking full custody of Justin in hopes, they say, of keeping him out of foster care. Neither Christina nor her parents claim to know who notified CPS. Belinda Buescher, public information officer for CPS, said she was not at liberty to discuss specifics and wouldn’t say who notified her agency to look into the case, but confirmed that “sexual orientation is not a criteria for CPS involvement.” The Ciminos say that although Christina’s status as a lesbian was a shock to them, they don’t have a problem with it. Christina says she doesn’t know whom Justin’s father is.

JOEY DiGUGLIELMO

Montgomery County to consider
transgender discrimination bill

Montgomery County may soon become the second Maryland jurisdiction to outlaw discrimination based on gender identify and expression. A proposal expected to be unveiled early next month would bar discrimination against transgender people within the county in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations. It’s similar to existing rules in Baltimore and comes as state lawmakers consider enacting similar protections ...