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.
Every December, Grindr releases Grindr Unwrapped, an annual report drawing on data from its more than 15 million monthly users to reveal what LGBTQ people consider culturally relevant and how they behave on the app -- from pop-culture tastes to sexual habits, fetishes, and hookup styles.
"With Grindr Unwrapped, you get to see the real diversity in sexual activity, sexual desire, sexual appeal, and see some of the things that are more universal and some that differ culturally between different groups of gay and bisexual men and others using the app," says Zachary Zane, Grindr's sex-and-relationship expert.
The Capital Pride Alliance is moving the 2026 Capital Pride celebration to the third week of June -- one week later than usual -- to avoid overlapping with major events tied to President Donald Trump's June 14 birthday and preparations for the nation's 250th anniversary. Pride weekend will run June 20-21, with the parade on Saturday and the festival and concert on Sunday.
Last year, the Trump administration marked the president's birthday and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Armed Forces with a downtown military parade. This year, all national parks will offer free entry on June 14, and the White House is expected to host several Ultimate Fighting Championship matches on the White House lawn to draw large crowds for Trump's 80th birthday and the country's Semiquincentennial celebrations.
A New York City subway rider was slashed in the face earlier this month by an unidentified assailant who took offense to him kissing his transgender partner. The attack occurred around 7:50 p.m. on January 10 aboard a southbound No. 6 train as it traveled through Manhattan.
According to police, the 28-year-old victim was kissing his partner when the suspect began shouting anti-gay slurs. The verbal abuse quickly escalated into a physical confrontation. During the argument, the suspect struck the victim with a sharp object, causing a deep laceration on the right side of his face, according to New York CW affiliate WPIX.
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