STONEWALL DEMOCRATS of Western New York

PO Box 857, Buffalo, NY 14205 Website:

www.sdwny.org

OFFICERS April 3, 2010

Bryan Ball
President Dear New York State Legislature Candidate,

Kitty Lambert Stonewall Democrats of Western New York is the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
Vice President
Community Outreach
transgender (LGBT) Democratic voice in western New York working to elect
Democrats who are supportive on LGBT and other progressive issues important
Bruce Kogan to our community.
Vice President
Party Outreach
We are beginning our endorsement process for the 2010 election season. Among
Ronald Groth the issues most important to our community are three bills—Marriage Equality,
Treasurer the Gender Non-Discrimination Act and Dignity for All Students—which we are
Thomas Peglowski looking to have passed in the state legislature. As you know, the Marriage
Secretary Equality bill failed in the NYS Senate late last year. As a candidate for the NYS
Legislature, we are interested in your candidacy, which would provide you with
an opportunity to vote on these important measures. We would like to provide you
with the opportunity to engage in our process for endorsement by Stonewall
Democrats of WNY. As you may know, an endorsement from Stonewall
Democrats of WNY is important to many local LGBT community members, as
well as our family, friends and supporters, as they decide whether to volunteer for
particular campaigns and as they prepare to head for the polls to cast their vote.

To be considered for endorsement, please complete and return the enclosed

questionnaire to us by Friday, April 23, 2010, so that we may consider
endorsement for the NYS Legislature at our next meeting. In addition, you will be
asked to appear in front of the organization during the meeting on Tuesday, April
27; please contact Bruce Kogan or Tom Gleed to schedule a time for your
interview.

The completed questionnaire should be either emailed to

stonewalldemocratswny@gmail.com, faxed to (716) 853-2448 (Attention:
Bryan Ball, Stonewall Democrats of WNY) or mailed to:
Attention: Endorsement/GOTV Committee
Stonewall Democrats of WNY
PO Box 857
Buffalo, NY 14205

You should also be aware that our revised endorsement process is attached.
Should you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact
us. We thank you and look forward to receiving your completed questionnaire for
consideration for endorsement by Stonewall Democrats of WNY.

Sincerely,

Bruce Kogan Tom Gleed

 Vice-President for Party Affairs Endorsement/GOTV Committee
(716) 886-7283 (716) 510-5507

Stonewall Democrats of Western New York Endorsement Process

Candidates for elected office who wish to be considered for endorsement must complete our
questionnaire and schedule an interview appointment with the membership at a general meeting.

Endorsement of a candidate requires a vote of sixty percent of the membership present at that meeting. If
no candidate receives the required sixty percent vote for endorsement, subsequent ballots shall be taken
deleting the candidate receiving the least number of votes or no votes on the previous ballot.

If, after the completion of balloting, no candidate has received the sixty percent of the vote required,
candidates may be rated as “acceptable,” “unacceptable,” or “no position,” depending upon the
candidate’s record and/or position statements. If sixty percent of those voting cannot agree on a rating,
the candidate will be assigned the rating of “no consensus.”

If a candidate is endorsed, the remaining candidates will not be rated.

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 2

STONEWALL DEMOCRATS of Western New York
PO Box 857, Buffalo, NY 14205 Website:
www.stonewalldemocratswny.com

2010 ENDORSEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE – NYS SENATE/ASSEMBLY

Name:______________________________________________________________________

Campaign Address:___________________________________________________________

Daytime Phone:_________________________ Evening Phone:________________________

Fax Number:____________________________ E-mail:_______________________________

Office Sought:________________________________________________________________

Party Affiliation:_______________________________________________________________
Before you continue, please understand that:
• Stonewall Democrats of WNY may publicize your responses in press releases and voters’ guides, on our
web site, and via other channels of communication. Stonewall Democrats of WNY will also identify
candidates who fail to respond to this questionnaire.
• Stonewall Democrats of WNY will hold you publicly accountable for actions inconsistent with your
responses during your campaign and if elected during your term in office.
• Stonewall Democrats of WNY will not consider endorsement of any candidate if they support any state or
national version of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) legislation.
• Stonewall Democrats of WNY will not consider endorsement of any candidate if they advertise on or
support any homophobic website, including but not limited to, politicswny.com/politicsny.net.

Part 1:

Please submit your typewritten responses to the following questions on a separate sheet.

1) Why are you seeking this office?

2) Why are you seeking the endorsement of the Stonewall Democrats of WNY?

3) What three issues do you consider to be most important to the people served by the office you seek? For each
issue:
a) Provide an example of specific action you have previously taken--either as a public official or as a private
citizen--to bring about positive change relative to this issue; and
b) Specify what additional action in regard to this issue you intend to propose if elected to the office you seek.

4) What three civil rights issues do you perceive to be the most important to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) community? For each issue:

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 3

a) Provide an example of specific action(s) you have previously taken--either as a public official or as a private
citizen--to bring about positive change relative to this issue; and
b) Specify what additional action(s) in regard to this issue you intend to propose if elected to the office you seek.

5) Stonewall Democrats of WNY strongly believes that candidates have a responsibility to provide voters with
truthful, fair and clean campaigns for public office and to conduct themselves in a manner conducive to a civil,
issue-oriented debate with their fellow candidates. Will you sign a written pledge to conduct your campaign
accordingly?

6) If endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of WNY, will you list the endorsement on all applicable campaign
literature (i.e., all literature listing any other endorsements)?

7) If endorsed by the Stonewall Democrats of WNY, will you attend a LGBT community forum to introduce
endorsed candidates?

8) What are you doing or what will you do to advocate for greater LGBT representation and empowerment at the
ballot box and in elected office locally?

9) Would you seek endorsement of or advertise on any homophobic websites, including but not limited to,
politicswny.com/politicsny.net?

Yes No

10) Have you advertised on, supported or intend to advertise on such websites for your election or reelection?

Yes No

Part 2:

Please indicate your level of support or non-support for the state legislative priorities listed below based on the
following rating system:
Sponsor: I will sponsor (or am a sponsor of) and will vote for this legislation
Cosponsor: I will cosponsor (or am a cosponsor of) and will vote for this legislation.
Vote For: I am not a sponsor or cosponsor of this legislation, but I will vote for this legislation
Oppose: I will actively oppose this legislation

Legislation Sponsor Cosponsor Vote for Oppose

A 3645- SAFETY Act: Authorizes the
office of children and family services to
establish policies and procedures affording
all children in OCFS facilities an
environment free of harassment and
discrimination based on actual or perceived
race, national origin, ethnic group, religion,
disability, sexual orientation, gender or
sex; requires reporting harassment and
discrimination.
A5165- Provides accidental death benefits
to domestic partners and the children of
domestic partners.

A 2128 | S5196 - Includes domestic

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 4
partners in certain provisions concerning
disability benefits and defines the term
domestic partner. State disability law
affords certain benefits to the spouse
survivors of covered employees, but does
not extend these benefits to surviving
domestic partners. This bill would extend
survivor benefits available under the state
disability law, as administered by the
workers' compensation board, to domestic
partners.

A 2563 | S6177- Provides that employers

who provide funeral leave for family
members of deceased shall not deny such
leave for same-sex committed partners of
the deceased.

A 3372 | S2278- Requires a patient

hospital admissions form to allow a
patient to designate a domestic partner
with the same privileges as a next-of-
kin respecting authorizing surgery

A 3661-B | S1987-A “Dignity For All

Students Act": Authorizes the
commissioner of education to establish
policies and procedures affording all
students in public schools an
environment free of harassment and
discrimination; requires reporting
harassment and discrimination to such
commission.

A 3956 | S1385- Requires the state

office for the aging to report on the
delivery of services to and needs of
traditionally underserved populations in
their annual report to the governor. This
measure will require the State Office of
the Aging to assess the needs of and
delivery of services to traditionally
under served populations and to
provide technical assistance to
organizations that provide services to
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender senior populations.

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 5

A 4089-A | S1422-A- Expands
eligibility for crime victims'
compensation to include domestic
partners

A5710-A | S 2406-A – “Gender

Expression Non-Discrimination Act
(GENDA)”: Prohibits discrimination
based on gender identity or expression;
defines "gender identity or expression"
as having or being perceived as having
a gender identity, self image,
appearance, behavior or expression
whether or not that gender identity, self
image, appearance, behavior or
expression is different from that
traditionally associated with the sex
assigned to that person at birth; further
includes offenses regarding gender
identity or expression within the list of
offenses subject to treatment as hate
crimes.

A 7732 | S4401- “Marriage Equality

Bill”: Relates to an individual’s ability
to marry. This bill provides same-sex
couples the same opportunity to enter
into civil marriages as opposite-sex
couples. The bill also provides that no
member of the clergy may be
compelled to perform any marriage
ceremony.

A 3261 | S1985- Requires a course of

instruction in the awareness of hate
crimes, to educate every child in New
York State on the issue of hate crimes.

A 9220 | S6701- Relates to the issuance

of protective orders during the
disposition of cases involving hate
crimes and upon release of a convicted
hate crime perpetrator, and authorizes
the imposition of additional sentencing
conditions.

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 6

New York State Defense of Marriage
Act (DOMA): Makes a marriage
absolutely void if contracted by two
persons of the same sex. Last
introduced during the 2008 session.

I attest that this questionnaire represents my opinion of the issues on this questionnaire:

Candidate’s Signature:_________________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________

Please complete the attached issues surveys, sign below and return questionnaire, surveys and your resume by
Friday, April 23, 2010 by either by email to stonewalldemocratswny@gmail.com, faxed to (716) 853-
2448 (Attention: Bryan Ball, Stonewall Democrats of WNY) or mailed to:
Attention: Endorsement/GOTV Committee
Stonewall Democrats of WNY
PO Box 857
Buffalo, NY 14205

Stonewall Democrats WNY – NYS Legislature Questionnaire 2010, page 7