See below for a press release from Del. Rozia Henson (D-HD19; parts of Fairfax/Prince William), who was “elected as the first openly gay Black man to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2023,” regarding “the news of Lt. Governor Earle-Sears’ handwritten note on the enrolled version of HB 174 (Marriage lawful regardless of sex, gender, or race of parties; issuance of marriage license).” According to Earle-Sears, “I remain morally opposed to the content of HB 174 as passed by the General Assembly.” In response, Del. Henson says *he* is “‘morally opposed’ to the Lieutenant Governor’s demonstration of poor leadership.” Exactly!
DELEGATE HENSON “MORALLY OPPOSED” TO LT. GOVERNOR EARLE-SEARS’ POOR LEADERSHIP
WOODBRIDGE, VA — A recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request has uncovered a note on the enrolled version of House Bill 174 written by Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears detailing her “moral opposition” to marriage license protections for same-sex relationships. HB 174 — introduced by Delegate Rozia Henson (D-Prince William) during the Virginia General Assembly’s 2024 Legislative Session — added affirmative language to the Virginia Code that guarantees the issuance of marriage licenses without regard to sex, gender, or race of the two adults seeking to enter into a marriage.
The release of this note follows news of Governor Glenn Youngkin asking John Reid, the openly gay Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor, to drop out of the race and cancelling a previously scheduled GOP unity rally in Henrico County in support of the Virginia Republican Party’s statewide slate of candidates. While Reid still held his own rally in Henrico, Earle-Sears did not attend or offer any form of public support to the Republican nominee.
“LGBTQ+ Virginians have long-experienced the Republican Party’s ‘moral opposition’ to the LGBTQ+ community through years and years of opposition to LGBTQ+ equality,” said Delegate Henson. “This is only one reason — of an increasingly longer and longer list of many reasons — why we must elect Abigail Spanberger as Virginia’s next governor in November.”
“Furthermore, I am ‘morally opposed’ to the Lieutenant Governor’s demonstration of poor leadership,” adds Delegate Henson. “Unable to unify her own team, and unable to publicly support the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor at his own rally, Earle-Sears seems more interested in burning bridges than building them.”
Delegate Henson was elected as the first openly gay Black man to the Virginia House of Delegates in November 2023. Representing Fairfax and Prince William Counties, his first legislative term began in January 2024 and remains ongoing. Delegate Henson currently serves as the Deputy Whip of the Virginia House Democratic Caucus, as the Vice-Chair of the General Assembly’s LGBTQ+ Caucus, and is a member of the House Committees on Privileges and Elections, Health and Human Services, and Communications, Technology, and Innovation.
Delegate Henson has not yet endorsed any candidate for Lieutenant Governor in Virginia’s 2025 election cycle.
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