There will be an election on December 29 for a position on the Long Beach School Board, and two of the candidates met recently with the Long Beach Lambda Democratic Club to discuss issues of concern to GLBT students and voters.

John McGinnis was a teacher and librarian at the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in Orange County for 20 years. This school district is no stranger to controversy regarding gay issues. Earlier this year, Fal Asrani, the principal of Corona Del Mar High School, attempted to cancel the drama department’s production of Rent because of its depiction of gay characters and people with AIDS. And while McGinnis was a teacher in the district, another teacher in the same school was prevented from inviting gay speakers to his classroom until the ACLU intervened on their behalf. Although I don’t have information on his responses to those controversies, I assume his willingness to speak to the Lambda Democratic Club suggests a pro-GLBT stance.

Richard Lewis is a financial consultant, and is an out gay man with two preschool aged children. He’s also a board member of the Long Beach Gay and Lesbian Center. He’s been endorsed by several Long Beach City Council members, the Long Beach Press-Telegram (a moderately pro-gay publication), including another out gay politician, Robert Garcia, and by Suja Lowenthal, who pushed the city to unanimously endorse marriage equality.

Candidate Raymond Chavarria could not attend because of illness. He’s affiliated with the United Cambodian Community and used to be a staffer for late US Representative Juanita Millender-McDonald. Kate Conrath, a middle school teacher in the LA Unified School District, also did not attend because of illness. Candidate Pauline Gonzalez Stenberg did not respond to the invitation to talk to Lambda.

If you haven’t registered to vote, you can do so here.