Candidate Answers to JOLDC: James Felton Keith for US Congress NY-13

Candidate Name: James Felton Keith

Office Seeking Election for: US Congress, Congressional District 13 (Manhattan, Bronx)

Campaign Address: 650 Malcolm X Ave, 5K New York NY 10037

Campaign Website: www.JamesFeltonKeith.com

Campaign Telephone: 2125748151

Campaign Social Media Handles: (Facebook/Twitter): @JamesFeltonKeith / @JFKii

Campaign Contact (name/phone/email): Matt Ward 916-340-4262, matt@votejfk.org

Explain, based on life experiences and accomplishments, why you believe you are best qualified to represent your district
I have often sacrificed my career potential to take progressive political stances. My campaign represents the first time that a candidate has proposed a series of detailed plan, from before or after, being elected to office from this region (Northern Manhattan/ Northwest Bronx). After spending nearly 20 years working between international relations, local activism, and technology company design I’m the only candidate that has proposed a 21st Century vision for our district and nation to lead the international community while having the expertise to execute on that vision.

Do you now support or have you ever supported openly LGBTQ candidates for public office?
I have. I am this nation’s first Queer (LGBT) identifying federal candidate. I’ve supported more LGBT candidates than I can count across the globe. I’ve built political organizations to support LGBTQ power via candidates like the late Marielle Franco in Brazil, Tammy Baldwin for US Senate, Dana Nessel for Attorney General, Melissa Sklarz (who has also endorsed me) for NY State Assembly, and so many others. I’ve also supported via donations to the Jim Owles Club.

If applicable, what legislation directly affecting the LGBT community have you introduced or co-sponsored? (indicate accordingly).

What LGBT organizations have you been involved with, either on a volunteer basis or professionally?
as of 2019:
Board Member, World Pride Copehagen 2021
Board Member: Democratic National Committee, LGBT Advisory Board
Board Member: Out in Science Technology Engineering & Math (oSTEM)
Founder CEO, Detroit Regional LGBT Chamber of Commerce
Founder, Pride Nights America (established NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL Pride Nights)
Founder, Slay TV (Largest Queer Black TV Content Producer)
Founding Member: NY Black & Latino LGBT Coalition

If applicable, what LGBT organizations have you allocated funds to?

Do you consider yourself a member of the LGBT community?
I do. I identify as Bisexual and Queer. My husband identifies as Gay and GNC.

Have you marched in Pride? Which marches and for approximately how many years?
I’ve marched in dozens of Prides across the country and global and am on the board of the Copenhagen 2021, the next World Pride Location.

Have you employed openly LGBT individuals previously? Do you employ any currently?
I’ve created dozens of jobs for Queer People of Color and others through every institution that I’ve founded as well as institutions that I’ve worked for. I’ve hired LGBTQ people in South Africa, China, Canada, The USA and Israel over the years. When Slay TV came together, I looked at it as a labor union of Queer creatives that didn;t have good access to the advertising industry, so I designed it as an agency who could recieve outsourcing contracts in order to employ creatives that had been outcasts.

If you receive our endorsement, do you agree to identify the club on all literature and electronic materials where you list endorsements?
I do.

What press conferences, demonstrations, rallies and protests in support of LGBT issues, pro choice legislation, criminal justice issues and the Resist Trump Movement have you attended?
I’ve led every LGBT rally nother of Central Park in the past decade. See Link (https://www.instagram.com/tv/Bz0d0P8Bsdr/)
My company also planned the Trans March of Washington
I’ve also helped organize the March for Science, March for Our Lives NYC, I lead an annual March for the Victims of Police Violence with Black Lives Matter of Greater New York, who’ve endorsed our campaign.
I’ve attended every march in the resistance against Trump’s tyranny from the women’s march to the upcoming solidarity march for our Jewish family members.

If elected or re-elected will you become a member of the “Squad?"
😃Sure, if they’ll welcome a guy to the girls club.

Have you ever been arrested? If so please explain why and outcome of arrest.
I was arrested on MLK Weekend at 17 for larceny. I was heavily influenced by the wrong crowd as a teenager, and after my parents let me sit in jail to show their embarrassment, they rallied to ask a judge to expunge my record so that I attend college in at Tuskegee University. I was scared straight and never looked back. Aside from that I’ve been detained and fingerprinted for driving-while-black and mouthing off to police officers in a half dozen states, South Africa, and Canada.

Will you advocate for legislation to mandate the review of sentences of incarcerated individuals over the age of 55 who have served in excess of 15 years to determine if they warrant release?
I will.

Do you commit to visit constituents who are incarcerated in state prisons such as Bedford Correctional Facility?
Yes, our campaign has been endorsed by the leaders of Silent Cry and I personally support their efforts for outreach from what they all “Post Traumatic Prison Syndrome”.

Do you believe sincere remorse, risk of reoffending and actions taken while incarcerated should be considered over the original crime in determinations of parole?
Yes. I believe all actions should be considered.

Have you participated in any demonstrations or protests in relation to the issues of clemency and parole?
Yes.
Will you affirmatively seek to hire formerly incarcerated individuals?
Yes. I do currently.
Do you believe in the decriminalization of sex work?
Yes.
If an incumbent, did you vote for HR 1865 in 2018? Will you introduce and or support legislation to amend HR 1865 so that sex between consenting adults, with monetary exchange, is legalized? This would include the use of ads and on-line contact.
Yes.
Do you support a national law legalizing gestational surrogacy? Wii you introduce such legislation?
Yes.
What proposals will you advocate for the protection of immigrants and to further New York as a Sanctuary City?
I would advocate for Self Sovereignty and Personal Data Protection, Expanding the geolocation parameters of enforcement of those protections to NYC. This is a strategic legislative effort, because of how our personal data travels through governmental entities, it can export legal protections that further advance the argument about who is a citizen and who is not and who deserves protection and who does not. Legislation like these (which I have written and passed in dozens of nations) are the best way to eradicate formal discriminations.

Will you advocate, including introducing legislation, to remove public funding from religious schools?
Yes. My opportunity to win in Northern Manhattan has been as a result of the erosion of organized religion’s membership. I think that the state must decouple from religious ideology as it will always render conservatism.

Do you support the establishment of supervised drug consumption spaces?
Yes.

Have you ever endorsed any member of the IDC or any candidates who challenged IDC members? Please identify all candidates
No,
I have not. My opponent on the other hand, in NY-13 was instrumental in organizing and funding the IDC. He is a conservative, an opportunist, and a relic.

Will you commit to hiring a member of the LGBT community to serve as a liaison to the community?
Yes.

Will you commit to ensuring diverse LGBT representation among your staff?
Yes.

Who did you support for office in the following races A) mayor and Public Advocate in 2014 B) President in 2016 C) Governor and Attorney General 2018?
I voted for Jumaane Williams, Hillary Clinton, Cynthia Nixon & Tish James.

Describe any federal legislation and policy changes that you support in order to address the ongoing effects of slavery, racism, colonialism, and discrimination Reparations, Universal Basic Income, Enhanced Voting Rights, & The Movement for Black LIves Platform.

What legislation or other policy changes do you support in order to make college and graduate school affordable for poor, working-class, and middle-class Americans and to alleviate the crushing loan debt that many students and alumni are facing?
I support loan forgiveness and I also support a Universal Basic Income as a dividend on corporate productivity. It could be argues that the price of Education (health & real estate) has risen because of its ties to land over the past 50 years, meanwhile Americans haven’t had a pay raise in 50 years. So I want to decrease the debt burden of the Education while increasing the incomes (different than wages) of people in a 21st century sustainable way.

Do you support a single-payer universal health care system? Please elaborate.
Yes. I think that single payer sounds like someone who couldn’t find a date to the prom😄, but I’ve seen it work on other nations and in order to change the legislative reality for healthcare, I think that we need to change the rhetoric to be about how we evaluate health. We need to use the “sustainability language” of climate activists and stop looking at healthcare as a product in order to get to a point where we can pass bills that are truly universal and inexpensive as they crowdsource quality of life through solving health not responding to health shoppers.

I think it is important to state that I believe all people have an intrinsic value, and think that this philosophical ethos that I call inclusionism is a great way to set the table for our economic outlook on healthcare or anything else. If we start with value, we can’t afford to lose any of it; so to be clear, solving health problems is the effort of sustain life as an omni-valuable thing.

Discuss your stance on reproductive rights, including access to contraceptives and abortion services.
Here is a link to how I think about every issue before the policy details are presented.
https://www.jamesfeltonkeith.com/inclusionism
How to think about Reproductive Rights: Procreative Liberty, Equality and Beneficence: Trust parents to act in children's best interest, stop them if they don't, give them equal access to germinal choice technology, and encourage them to create children with the best life opportunities.
• vs Conservatives:
Procreative Liberty Trumped by Religious Rights: Reproductive rights trumped by religious prohibitions or the need for radical population reduction.
• vs Liberals:
Limited Procreative Liberty: Reproductive rights, but not extended to germinal choice and reproductive technology.
• vs Libertarians:
Procreative Liberty: Trust parents to act in children's best interests, and let them buy germinal choice in the market.

Will you refuse money from individuals or Political Action Committees representing the real estate?
Yes.
Will you refuse and refund any contributions from executives at corporations complicit in the Trump agenda?
No.
What additional information would you like Jim Owles to consider when we are making our endorsements decisions?
I have been in this fight for equality. I have created more unity community and opportunity for Queer and LGBT identifying people than any other candidate who has ever run for office before being elected. I plan to lead with that moral work to inform my economic duties to the people of this district and this nation. I truly believe that individuals are at their best when they identify with a community and communities are only at their best when they identify all of their individuals. That’s the inclusionism that I say #WeOweUS