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Orange County, Va., Board revokes funding for arts center over drag design class

Equality Virginia calls action shameful retaliation

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Orange County Board of Supervisors (Photo public domain)

The Orange County, Va., Board of Supervisors last week released its proposed fiscal year 2024 budget that removes $9,000 in funding it approved last year for the nonprofit Arts Center In Orange in response to plans by the center to host a design class taught by a local drag performer.

According to Equality Virginia, the statewide LGBTQ rights organization, members of the Board of Supervisors ā€œhave specifically tied the revocation of funding to this planned event,ā€ an action that Equality Virginia calls ā€œharmful and insidiousā€ and that follows attacks on drag shows and drag performers surfacing in many other states.

ā€œEarlier this year, the same Board also voted to revoke a $4,500 matching grant from the Arts Center, which was allocated and approved in the prior year’s budget,ā€ Equality Virginia says in an April 5 statement. ā€œBoth of these actions happened after the Arts Center planned an event with a local drag performer who was scheduled to teach a class on makeup, costuming and hairstyling,ā€ the statement says.

News media outlets in the Orange County area have reported that the Arts Center in Orange ā€œindefinitelyā€ postponed the class by the drag performer after opposition by county board members and others first surfaced in January. A spokesperson for Equality Virginia, said the Board of Supervisors continued efforts to defund the Arts Center even though the ā€œdragā€ class has never taken place. Ā 

In an April 4 story, the Orange County Review reports that it obtained an email dated Jan. 18 in which Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman Mark Johnson expressed agreement with a constituent who requested that the county revoke its funding of the Arts Center because the planned class was to be taught by the drag performer.

The newspaper quoted the individual who wrote to Johnson asking that the funds be revoked as telling Johnson the revocation was needed to ā€œprotect children from adults who prey on them with sexually explicit agendas.ā€ The newspaper reported, ā€œJohnson said that he agreed with the individual’s comments and outlined the board’s plans to defund the center through the county’s budget process.ā€

The Orange County Review also reports that the Orange County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at its April 18 meeting and a vote on the proposed budget was scheduled to take place one week later on April 25. 

ā€œAs politicians across the country attack drag performers and drag shows, purposely spreading disinformation about what drag actually is, the Orange County Board of Supervisors is hopping on the political bandwagon,ā€ said Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman in the group’s statement.

ā€œIt’s disappointing and sad,ā€ Rahaman said. ā€œDrag is not inherently harmful. Drag is not inherently insidious. But yanking funding and suppressing programming because it doesn’t align with their narrow worldview is both harmful and insidious,ā€ she said. ā€œThe Board should be ashamed of itself.ā€

When asked about the board’s decision to revoke funding for the Arts Center in Orange, Board of  Supervisors Chair Johnson told the Orange County Review that the board has never attempted to tell any of the groups it funds how they should spend the funds they receive from the county.

But Johnson added, ā€œas with any discretionary spending, the Board can choose to increase, decrease, or eliminate funding to any specific entity.ā€

Rahaman, the Equality Virginia director, said in a statement that the organization will be encouraging supporters of the Arts Center to speak at the upcoming public hearing.

ā€œAhead of the April 18 meeting, Equality Virginia will be working to support community members and advocates who wish to give public comment in front of the Board of Supervisors,ā€ Rahaman said. ā€œOrange County residents deserve the opportunity to share their hopes and vision of the community they call home, and that includes supporting a culture in which art is accessible and inclusive for all,ā€ she said.

Orange County is located about 30 miles west of Fredericksburg, Va. and about 15 miles south of Culpeper.

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Virginia

EXCLUSIVE: HRC PAC to endorse Spanberger for Va. governor

Former congresswoman to face off against state’s GOP lieutenant governor

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Abigail Spanberger (Photo credit: Abigail Spanberger for Governor)

The Human Rights Campaign PAC on Tuesday will endorse Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger’s run for governor of Virginia, the organization told the Washington Blade.

The former CIA agent-turned-congresswoman, who represented her state’s 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025, will face off against Republican Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in this year’s gubernatorial race.

A Roanoke College survey in February found Spanberger in the lead with a comfortable margin, 39-24, while a trio of polls in January found her ahead by one, five, and 10 percentage points.

Virginia’s incumbent Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is prohibited from seeking a second term under the state’s constitution, has consistently restricted LGBTQ rights and attacked the transgender community since taking office in 2022.

HRC said Spanberger’s candidacy “offers Virginians renewed hope for a future rooted in equality,” with the group’s president, Kelley Robinson, calling her “a champion for the LGBTQ community.”

Noting the former congresswoman’s co-sponsorship of the Equality Act, legislation that would expand federal anti-discrimination protections to include LGBTQ people, Robinson said Spanberger “understands that Virginia’s future success depends on the full inclusion and protection of all its people.”

HRC’s president added, “As governor, she will work tirelessly to build a Virginia where everyone — regardless of who they are or who they love — can live, work, and go to school with dignity, safety, and opportunity. We are thrilled to support her and mobilize pro-equality Virginians to make her the commonwealth’s next governor.ā€Ā 

Responding to news of the endorsement, Spanberger said ā€œI’m honored to earn the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign, and I’m ready to work together to build on the progress we’ve made to secure equal protections for all Virginians under the law.”

“Affirming that Virginia is a welcoming home for all families goes beyond protecting marriage equality — it means defending Virginians’ right to live without fear of discrimination or harm,” she said. “As governor, I will work to make sure that no Virginian is denied government services, loses a job, or faces any other form of discrimination because of who they love or who they are.ā€

HRC further noted that Spanberger fought to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which was signed into law in 2022 and codified legal protections for married same-sex and interracial couples, as well as her promise to “defend marriage equality and work with the General Assembly to enshrine marriage equality in Virginia’s constitution.”

Spanberger has also committed to “signing legislation guaranteeing Virginians’ right to access contraception and birth control,” HRC wrote, “and protecting against attempts by extreme judges and politicians to roll back Virginians’ reproductive freedoms.”

By contrast, the organization criticized Sears’s LGBTQ rights record — noting that in 2004, she pledged to “emphatically support a constitutional amendment” banning same-sex marriage, in 2021, she campaigned with a gubernatorial candidate who said homosexuality was the “work of the devil,” and in 2022, she “dodged questions” about her position on marriage equality and “attempted to rewrite her hateful history.”

Since 1977, with only one exception, Virginia has elected governors who belong to the party that is out of power at the presidential level. The state’s upcoming off-year gubernatorial contest presents an opportunity for Democrats who are eager for a major electoral victory to channel momentum against President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in Congress.

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Fairfax County School Board issues Trans Day of Visibility proclamation

Activists hold rally supporting measure

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Fairfax County School Board members, students, parents and other supporters gather on the stage at Luther Jackson Middle School auditorium on Thursday, March 27 following the passage of a proclamation recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility in Fairfax County Public Schools. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

A group of more than 100 supporters gathered outside of Luther Jackson Middle School in Falls Church, Va., on Thursday, March 27 to show appreciation for the passage of a Transgender Day of Visibility proclamation by the Fairfax County School Board. The board unanimously passed the proclamation in its general meeting held in the auditorium of the middle school that evening.

Karl Frisch, Fairfax County School Board chair, introduced the proclamation recognizing March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility in Fairfax County Public Schools.

The Fairfax County School Board passed the proclamation, which “encourages all to promote a caring culture of equity, inclusivity and respect for transgender people, not only on this special day but throughout the entire year as well.”

Vanessa Hall, co-chair of FCPS Pride, was among the speakers and organizers of the Transgender Day of Visibility rally preceding the school board meeting.

“In this world right now, this world which feels so chaotic and threatening — which really seems to be overly focused on trans children, removing their rights — we need to take this opportunity to gather our community, to celebrate joy, to see each other and to gather our strength for the next attack, frankly,” Hall told the Blade.

Activists gather outside of Luther Jackson Middle School on Thursday, March 27 before the Fairfax County School Board meeting. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Rev. Emma Chattin of the Metropolitan Community Church of Northern Virginia was among the speakers at the rally.

“We have to be visible — all of us — friends, family, allies, speak up!” Chattin called out to the crowd. “To do otherwise does a disservice to the strong souls that came before us. For the struggles that they faced are now ours. The spirits of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera look to us now. Because liberation is a long, long struggle. We are not helpless and we cannot be hopeless. Our time is now. We are a powerful people. We leave a mark and we will not be erased.”

A rally is held outside of Luther Jackson Middle School on Thursday, March 27 in support of LGBTQ students. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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Virginia governor vetoes bill barring discrimination against PrEP users

Youngkin’s move disproportionately impacts LGBTQ community

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PrEP reduces the risk of acquiring HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal for health and life insurance companies to discriminate against individuals who have taken pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.

House Bill 2769, titled Life or Health Insurances; Unfair Discrimination, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Prevention of HIV, was passed by both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. The bill cleared the Virginia House of Delegates with 53 yeas and 44 nays and the Senate of Virginia with 24 yeas and 15 nays.

Under the Affordable Care Act, PrEP is covered by most insurance companies, meaning the medication should be available through employer-sponsored private health insurance plans, individual healthcare plans purchased via HealthCare.gov or state-based marketplaces, as well as Medicaid expansion coverage.

If the Virginia General Assembly fails to override Youngkin’s veto, insurance companies operating in Virginia will be allowed to continue discriminating against PrEP users by charging them higher premiums or even denying them coverage altogether.

According to recent data from UNAIDS, gay men and other men who have sex with men are 7.7 times more likely to contract HIV. Since the first cases of HIV were reported, 78 million people have been infected with the virus, and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses.

Currently, there are three FDA-approved forms of PrEP: Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), available for individuals of all genders; Descovy (emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide), approved for use by individuals assigned male at birth; and Apretude (cabotegravir), an injectable PrEP administered every other month by a healthcare professional.

According to the FDA, PrEP reduces the risk of acquiring HIV from sex by about 99% when taken as prescribed and lowers the risk by at least 74% among people who inject drugs. Since its approval, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 3.5 million people received PrEP at least once in 2023.

Despite the bill’s passage in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, Youngkin vetoed the legislation, a move that disproportionately impacts the LGBTQ community and others at higher risk of HIV.

The Washington Blade reached out to Youngkin’s office for comment but has not received a response.

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