More good news from the Democratic-majority Virginia State Senate, in this case passage of Sen. Adam Ebbin’s SB868 (incorporating Sen. Jennifer McClellan’s SB66) – “Prohibited discrimination; public accommodations, employment, credit, and housing: causes of action; sexual orientation and gender identity.” It’s also great to see the overwhelming (30-9) vote in favor, with the only members voting against it being nine of the most far-right Republicans (e.g., Amanda Chase, Bryce Reeves, Mark Obenshain). Heck, even several right-wing Republicans voted for this, including John Cosgrove!
Cosgrove, you ask?!? That’s right, the same guy who in 2005 sponsored a constitutional amendment forbidding same-sex marriage; and who in 2015 voted ”to reject bills aimed at repealing the Marshall-Newman Amendment that banned marriage equality” and who, in 2016, voted for a so-called “religious freedom” bill that aimed to protect anyone refusing to conduct a same-sex marriage ceremony; and who voted to kill Sen. Surovell’s bill outlawing discredited, disgraceful “conversion therapy” on LGBT youth. I mean, wow, the times they really do appear to be a changin’ with regard to attitudes towards LGBT people.
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