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All 12 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced during Va. legislative session die

Democrat-controlled state Senate blocked all measures

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(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The Virginia General Assembly’s 2023 legislative session ended on Saturday without any of the 12 anti-LGBTQ bills that lawmakers introduced becoming law.

Republican lawmakers introduced measures that would have, among other things, banned transgender athletes from school teams that correspond with their gender identity and would have required school personnel to out trans students to their parents. Other bills sought to ban transition-related health care for minors in the state.

All of the measures died in the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate.

“This session, 12 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the Virginia legislature targeted young people ā€” specifically trans and nonbinary youth ā€” further stigmatizing them at home, at school and in their communities.Ā Schools should be safe spaces for all youth, and especially those who may face discrimination or feel singled out because of who they are.Ā But, we saw a groundswell of opposition to these bills.Ā We saw everyday Virginians show up in fierce opposition to all twelve bills and send a message that hate is not a Virginia value,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa S. Rahaman told the Washington Blade on Monday in a statement.Ā “To the trans youth in the commonwealth, I want to say: You are loved, you are perfect just the way you are, you are beautiful and you are worthy.Ā Donā€™t let anyone tell you otherwise.Ā While we have a long way to go to make our schools more equitable places for all youth, defeating these bills is a big deal.”Ā 

The Virginia House Amendment and Other Matters Subcommittee on Feb. 17 tabled state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)’s resolution that sought to repeal the state constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. The openly gay Alexandria Democrat’s bill that would have made affirmed marriage equality in Virginia did not advance in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

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Virginia

Queer Fairfax County students, allies rally against anti-transgender lawsuit

Stephen Millerā€™s America First Legal filed suit

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LGBTQ students demonstrate at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Va., in June 2023. A rally against a lawsuit that Stephen Miller's legal group filed took place at the same school on March 21, 2024. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Queer students and allies gathered at Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church on Thursday to rally against what they perceive as an attack on transgender rights in Fairfax County Public Schools. 

The rally, organized in response to a lawsuit filed by a legal group associated with former Trump administration official Stephen Miller, brought together members of the LGBTQ community and supporters who vehemently opposed the legal challenge.

The lawsuit, brought forth by America First Legal, alleges FCPS’s policies violated the rights of a female, “practicing Roman Catholic” student, by purportedly ā€œallowing transgender teenage boys access to female restrooms” and enforcing what the plaintiffs described as a “radical, government-sponsored gender indoctrination and approved-speech scheme.” 

Miller’s involvement in the lawsuit underscores the divisive nature of the legal challenge, with critics accusing the plaintiffs of targeting vulnerable students and attempting to roll back progress on LGBTQ rights. FCPS’ policies, particularly Regulation 2603, which affirms the rights of trans and nonbinary students, have been lauded by many in the LGBTQ community for providing a safe and inclusive environment for all students.

Reflecting on the importance of FCPS’s policies, Moth DiNizzo, a junior at McLean High School, emphasized how they had been life-saving for many students. 

“The fact that so many of my friends and teachers respect my pronouns and my name is life-saving to me,” DiNizzo stated. “Itā€™s wonderful, and I want everyone to experience that same joy of being known and trusted.”

Laura Troung, a senior at Falls Church High School, echoed DiNizzo’s sentiments, expressing concern over the potential harm caused by the lawsuit. 

“LGBTQ students are already disproportionately facing the youth mental health crisis in addition to bullying and harassment at schools, and this is just adding salt into the wound,” Troung said.

The Pride Liberation Project, comprising more than 500 queer and allied students in Virginia, has been actively involved in advocating for LGBTQ rights at both local and state levels. Despite the legal challenges and opposition faced by the LGBTQ community, organizations like the Pride Liberation Project remain steadfast in their commitment to promoting inclusivity and equality in schools.

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Virginia

Glenn Youngkin signs bill that codifies marriage equality in Va. law

Same-sex couples have been able to marry in state since 2014

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Va.) speaks at a CNN Town Hall on March 9, 2023. (Screen capture via CNN)

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday signed a bill that codifies marriage rights for same-sex couples in state law.

House Bill 174, which state Del. Rozia Henson (D-Prince William County) introduced, is among the dozens of measures that Youngkin signed.

ā€œTwo years into his term, Gov. Youngkin has shown leadership and inclusivity, and has finally listened to his constituents with his signing of HB 174,” said Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman in a statement. “The bill passed through the General Assembly with support from both parties, at a time when more than 70 percent of Virginians support marriage equality.ā€

Voters in 2006 approved an amendment to Virginiaā€™s constitution that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in the state since 2014.

The General Assembly in 2021 approved a resolution that seeks to repeal the marriage amendment. It must pass in two successive legislatures before it can go to the ballot.

Democrats control both houses of the General Assembly.

A Virginia Senate committee in January delayed consideration of state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria)’s resolution that would repeal the marriage amendment.

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Virginia

Va. lieutenant governor misgenders Danica Roem

Manassas Democrat is first trans person elected to state Senate

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at CPAC in 2023. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on Monday misgendered state Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) on the Virginia Senate floor.

WVTF Richmond Bureau Chief Brad Kutner in an X post said Earle-Sears, who is a Republican, referred to Roem, who is a transgender woman, as “sir” during a debate on House Bill 964, which would allow attorneys to serve as the executive director of the Virginia Board of Medicine.Ā 

Kutner said the Senate went “recess twice after reportedly ‘Sears refused to apologize.'”

“I’m not here to upset anyone, I’m here to do the job the people of Virginia have called me to do,” Earle-Sears later said, according to Kutner.

Roem in 2018 became the first trans person seated in a state legislature in the country when she assumed her seat in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Voters in the 30th Senate District last November elected her to the Senate. Roem is the first trans person seated in the chamber.

The Washington Blade on Monday reached out to Roem, but she declined comment.

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