Mayor Vincent Gray and Council Chair Phil Mendelson received perfect primary ratings from a local LGBT activist group.

The Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance gave both politicians a score of 10, citing their legislative records. “Mr. Gray’s accessibility, responsiveness, and follow-through have made him highly effective on LGBT issues,” GLAA said of the mayor. “He has been a champion for transgender people, including with Project Empowerment job training. Our few differences were swamped by his total record of accomplishment.”

In the mayoral race, Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) was closest to Gray with a rating of 9.5.

Mr. Wells has an excellent voting record going back to his days on the School Board. Recently, as Chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, Mr. Wells has shepherded through the Marriage Officiant Act, and the JaParker Deoni Jones Birth Certificate Equality Amendment Act of 2013 and has a number of bills for us in development. Unlike most other councilmembers, Mr. Wells opposed delaying the Attorney General election and signed onto a letter to Congress in 2011 opposing plans to impose school vouchers on D.C.

Councilmember Jack Evans was next with a score of 8, followed by Andy Shallal (6), Councilmember Muriel Bowser (5.5) and Reta Jo Lewis (4.5). With a rating of 3.5, some of the toughest words were saved for Councilmember Vincent Orange who “agrees with GLAA on every issue but showed no understanding of the issues in his questionnaire. His record is mixed.” (For many of the questions, Orange replied with only “Yes.”)

The ratings were based, in part, on the candidates’ answers to a questionnaire. Questions, of which there were 12, included “Will you act to ensure improved services and treatment for LGBT homeless youth and seniors, including expanding transitional housing and emergency shelter space?” and “What will you do to provide alternatives to incarceration for marginalized and at-risk populations like homeless youth and transgender people who resort to sex work for survival?”

In addition to the mayoral race, ratings were also given to candidates in the six Council races. See all the ratings here.