This year marks the 30th anniversary of Equality Virginia. It also marks a golden opportunity to move equality forward in the commonwealth. I serve as the executive director of Equality Virginia, the state’s leading advocacy organization that works every day on behalf of the 220,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people who call Virginia home. I’m proud of the momentum we’ve built over the past 30 years to make sure 2019 is the year we move equality forward in Virginia and pass nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people in public employment and housing.
Many people are surprised to learn that in this day and age, it is actually still legal under our state’s laws to fire a hardworking employee, or deny someone an apartment or service in a restaurant, and otherwise discriminate against people simply because they’re gay or transgender. That’s wrong, and Virginia’s lawmakers can do something about it. They can pass commonsense, bipartisan legislation to finally protect LGBT people in public employment and housing and move equality forward in the commonwealth.
Our golden opportunity is only weeks away. For the past three legislative sessions, the Republican-controlled state Senate has passed both the Fair Housing Law to protect LGBT Virginians from discrimination in housing and legislation to ban discrimination in state and local government public employment. Elected officials from all political parties and Virginians from all walks of life have come to understand that we need to update our laws to explicitly protect LGBT Virginians from discrimination.
Passing this legislation would protect more than 220,000 LGBT Virginians from facing discrimination while finding a new home for themselves and their families. It would also ensure that Virginia sets an example as an employer that no employee should be denied opportunities based on who they are or who they love. Gay and transgender people are our friends, neighbors, family and co-workers. What’s more — many of us are small business owners, people of faith, teachers, and firefighters. When it comes to being able to earn a living, having a place to live, or simply going about our daily lives, we should be treated like anyone else and not be discriminated against.
Virginia’s LGBT community and our friends and families are ready to move forward. Just this past year, we have collected thousands of postcards addressed to Speaker Kirk Cox and signed by Virginians from all walks of life, sharing their stories of discrimination and why these protections are necessary. We launched a campaign called Virginia Beach for Fairness that brought together faith leaders, veterans, and business leaders highlighting the Republican communities who support protecting gay and transgender people from discrimination. We hosted community town halls and encouraged supporters to contact their legislators about these bills. We hit the ground running — and I’m proud of the momentum we’ve built to make sure 2019 is the year we take our next step toward equality in the commonwealth.
Virginia is ready to move past the politics of division. This issue has been decided by Virginia voters who, since 2009, have only elected officials to statewide office who proudly and explicitly support nondiscrimination protections for gay and transgender people. It has been decided by a bipartisan supermajority in the Virginia Senate, who have approved LGBT nondiscrimination legislation for three years in a row. It has been decided by the business community, where over 80 percent of all Fortune 500 companies include nondiscrimination protections for their gay and transgender employees. And it has been decided in the hearts of many Virginians who are proud to call LGBT people their children, siblings, friends, loved ones, co-workers, and neighbors.
As I reflect on the 30 years since Equality Virginia was founded, I’m so proud of how far we’ve come as a commonwealth and as a nation. Every day, I wake up ready to do everything in my power to create a Virginia where all young people know they will be safe, successful, and protected under the law — no matter who they grow up to be or who they grow up to marry. I know in my heart that the commonwealth is at its strongest when we’re all free to work hard, earn a decent living, and go about our lives without fear of discrimination. 2019 is the year we can send a message to all Virginians — and all Americans — that discrimination has no place in our state. Together, let’s make this happen.
James Parrish is executive director of Equality Virginia. Contact him at jparrish@equalityvirginia.org.
Virginia’s lawmakers can pass commonsense, bipartisan legislation to finally protect LGBT people in public employment and housing and move equality forward in the commonwealth.
