A New Loudoun Delegation

Friends, we have a new Loudoun Delegation going to Richmond next year.

Equality Loudoun can look forward to visiting some different representatives when we head down to Richmond for EV Lobby Day (Save the Date – January 25).

In general, while it may be entertaining to see our elected representatives peering out at us from within their darkened offices, presumably hoping that we will go away, we find that being invited in to sit down is more conducive to having our concerns heard. For this and other reasons we find the new composition to be a marked improvement.

In the 32nd district, Dick Black has been replaced by David Poisson.
In the 33rd and 86th, Joe May and Tom Rust ran unopposed, and are returning to Richmond.
In the 67th, Chuck Caputo is replacing Gary Reese, having defeated Chris Craddock.
In the 13th, Bob Marshall successfully defended his seat from Bruce Roemmelt (although he lost in the Loudoun part of the district), so we will be paying him another visit.

View the results for all Virginia races.
Read the Equality Virginia report on key races in which EVPAC played a role.
Read the HRC press release on the election outcome.

Virginia is not Texas

In their post-election dirge, the Some Families Foundation highlights Mr. Bolling’s slim election victory as a hopeful sort of mandate for their anti-family, exclusionary values: “At Monday night’s Richmond rally with President Bush, no one beside the President himself received more applause than Lt. Governor-elect Bolling who boomed, ‘We are going to pass a constitutional amendment defining marriage in Virginia!'”

With all due respect, Mr. Bolling, we don’t think you are.

There has been enough hurtful, divisive gay-bashing for political gain in our nation. Our community has had enough. It stops in Virginia. It stops in Loudoun County. Consider the fact that Loudoun County, home of Patrick Henry College, home of some of the most virulently anti-gay organizations in the nation, voted for Leslie Byrne, the most unabashedly pro-equality state wide candidate. Loudoun County is the bellwether for the change taking hold in Virginia, and that change doesn’t look particularly good for the anti-gay, anti-family, anti-equality crowd.

Over 300 people participated in Equality Virginia’s 2005 Lobby Day and Legislative reception, and we expect to substantially increase that number on January 25, 2006. Please join us in letting our representatives know that we expect fairness and respect from them. Stay tuned for details.

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