Peter D. Rosenstein

Dr. Robert L. Spitzer recently apologized to the gay community for his poorly conceived 2003 investigation supporting the use of "reparative therapy" that has been widely quoted by homophobes and charlatans who used it in their efforts to say that you could "cure" homosexuality. What we will never know is...

President Obama has 'revolved' coming back to the position he had on marriage equality when he ran for Illinois State Senate in 1996. Since that time President Obama has kept his 2008 campaign promises and ended Don't Ask, Don't Tell, signed the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, actively advocated to...

There was an interesting juxtaposition of events last Thursday in the District of Columbia. It was the day the D.C. Bar held their annual Meet the Press event where they invite a number of local reporters to give their opinions on what is happening and what it means to the...

Considering what is happening to the Republican party today, Gerald Ford couldn't win a primary in his old congressional district. No one could hold views that are further away from Ford's than the current holder of that seat, Tea Party conservative Justin Amash.

Ford was a lifelong moderate who...

There are many people running to replace Harry Thomas, Jr. as the Councilmember for Ward 5. But only one will make a real difference as soon as he is elected to the Council. That person is Democrat Kenyan McDuffie. He will make the people of Ward 5 proud.

Kenyan...

Whether or not the mandate for health insurance in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), colloquially known as Obamacare, will pass muster with the Supreme Court many states including the District of Columbia are moving ahead with plans for their Insurance Exchanges. These are the plans that Congress...

It's always interesting when people find it hard to say "thank you" and then ask for more at the same time. Politicians don't have that problem. How many times do you get a request for more money either with the thank-you for your last donation or even before you got...

When it comes to the LGBT community and our civil and human rights, it is sometimes hard to know what to make of President Obama.

On Wednesday afternoon the White House summoned representatives of the LGBT community to a meeting with Presidential Counselor Valerie Jarrett and other administration officials...

Over the years I have come to admire and respect the work and ministry of Foundry, UMC in the District of Columbia. Under various leaders, it is a congregation that has practiced what the Bible says and helped their fellow man. Today, under the leadership of Senior Pastor Dean Snyder,...

Late at night or in the early hours of the morning when it's difficult to sleep because the mind won't shut down President Obama must often think to himself, "To be a moderate, or not to be? That is the question". I am not sure he has adequately answered that...

Communication, communication, communication; the key is giving people the opportunity to grasp their own reality of the over 2,000 pages of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is colloquially known as 'Obamacare'.

Between September 1993 and September 1994 there was an amazingly successful year-long ad campaign starring 'Harry and...

As Democrats approach their convention in Charlotte, there isn't much that will be left to chance. President Obama and his team will script things down to the last minute. But there are some things that can still be done related to the platform and how the people of D.C. get...

I had the opportunity and the honor of working for and with Congresswoman Bella S. Abzug (D-NY) during the height of the women's movement. The strong and outspoken women in that movement would never have stood by silently, or allowed the men that respected them to do so, if faced...

After relocating from New York City to Washington, D.C. for a position in the Carter Administration in 1978 one of the first things I did was have the Washington Post delivered to my door seven days a week. Not wanting to give up my connection to New York I...

In a well-crafted and well-delivered speech, Mayor Vincent Gray says the city has finally ascended to a fiscal vigor that is the envy of other mayors and laid out his vision for an even greater future.

The District is in good shape financially, the mayor said, and rightfully claimed in...

Mitt Romney got trounced in South Carolina by Newt Gingrich, so as of today there were three races and three winners, one worse than the next. With Perry and Huntsman out and everyone conceding that Ron Paul has no chance of becoming the Republican nominee, the slugfest continues between Romney,...

There are people whose sensibilities keep getting out of joint when Hillary's name is mentioned as a replacement for Biden on the ticket in 2012. They tend to think of it as purely a fantasy of Hillary supporters and an insult to Obama. A recent opinion piece in The Washington...

In the past month I have received hundreds of requests in each of my email accounts to donate money to candidates across the nation running for every possible office from city council to Congress. They were all trying to maximize their fundraising totals before their end of the year filings...

Whether or not ethics overshadow accomplishments is a question many in the District of Columbia are asking with regard to Vince Gray's first year as Mayor. There is no question that Gray got off to a bad start. Some unfortunate hires including his first Chief of Staff, who made things...

I have watched the growth of Americans Elect, the online movement to become a third party and secure a place on all 50 state ballots for the Presidential candidate they will select. This week David Gregory, moderator of Meet the Press, gave them airtime on his other program Press Pass....