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MCLEAN, VA – Terry for Virginia today released a new video, “Renee & Katherine,” spotlighting the story of Renee Bradley and Katherine Bradley-Black whose wedding Terry McAuliffe officiated in 2014 after same-sex marriages were legally recognized in Virginia. By officiating Renee and Katherine’s marriage, Terry made history by becoming the first governor in Virginia history and the first Southern governor to officiate a same-sex wedding. As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry worked tirelessly to build an inclusive Commonwealth that was open and welcoming to all. On his first day in office, he signed Executive Order 1, which prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ+ state employees.
In the video, Katherine Bradley-Black says: “I think the thing that we appreciate probably the most, not so much for us, [is] for our children to have somebody like the governor of your state come and perform a ceremony. Our children being able to experience that, to shape their futures and hopefully shape the futures of their peers and the generations that they are growing up with.”
And Renee Bradley says: “I don’t think folks realize that a little over six years ago that [same-sex marriage] was still pretty controversial at the time… [Terry] stood by us six and a half years ago on the back porch and we are standing by him. We don’t think we could have a better person running to lead Virginia.”
As governor, Terry vetoed every piece of legislation that came across his desk that discriminated against LGBTQ+ Virginians or undermined the constitutional rights of any Virginian. This included vetoing multiple so-called “religious freedom” bills that would have shielded groups who actively discriminate against same-sex couples from civil liability and a bill that would have protected local elected officials who violated the law by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will continue to ensure Virginia remains open and welcoming to all.
“To this day, I am grateful to Renee and Katherine for the honor they gave me to officiate their wedding and allow me to participate in this celebration of their love,” said Terry McAuliffe. “Making the Commonwealth of Virginia open and welcoming to all was one of my top priorities as governor. That is why the first Executive Order I signed prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ+ state employees. As governor, my administration will always stand up for LGBTQ+ Virginians and we will make sure Virginia continues to be welcoming and open for all.”
Since launching his campaign, Terry has released big, bold plans to strengthen Virginia’s education system and dramatically increase teacher pay, help secure Virginia’s economic recovery from COVID-19, ensure Virginians have access to regular nutritious meals, address the broken, predatory system of prescription drug pricing, boldly confront the gun violence epidemic in the Commonwealth, reform our criminal justice system to create a more equitable Virginia, make Virginia the best state in the nation for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Healthcare (STEM-H) and computer science education, and tackle the housing crisis in the Commonwealth.
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