Equality Arlington General Assembly Legislative Priorities
Dear Senator Ebbin, Senator Favola, Delegate Hope, Delegate Lopez, and Delegate McClure,
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and extended (LGBTQ+) community members are under legislative attack throughout the United States. Equality Arlington, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of the LGBTQ+ community in Arlington, Virginia, has identified legislation proposed during the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session that supports the health, safety, and rights of LGBTQ+ residents and legislation that would do great harm to these residents.
Accordingly, we strongly encourage you to SUPPORT the following bills:
● HB174 — Rozia Henson (D) — Prevents discrimination in marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties.
● HB224 — Rozia Henson (D) — Requires public schools to teach an age-appropriate program of instruction on suicide prevention and awareness.
● HB502 — Laura Jane Cohen (D) — Requires that state forms include nonbinary sex or gender option in addition to male and female.
● HB536 — Joshua Cole (D) — Adjusts the definition of bullying in public education to specify that a power imbalance between the aggressor and victim includes a power imbalance on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and other real or perceived characteristics.
● HB587 — Adele McClure (D) — Establishes a work group to study the implementation of an unaccompanied minor housing program.
● HJR9 — Mark Sickles (D) — Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman.
● SB101 — Adam Ebbin (D) — Prevents discrimination in marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of the parties.
● SJR11 — Adam Ebbin (D) — Repeals the constitutional provision defining marriage as only a union between one man and one woman.
Taken together, these bills would move equality forward and improve the lives of LGBTQ+ residents in Arlington and across the Commonwealth of Virginia. We urge you to vote in support of these bills.
Conversely, there continues to be onslaught of legislative attacks on members of the LGBTQ+ community across the country, including right here in Virginia. Proponents of hate against the LGBTQ+ community are
implementing a strategy of packaging anti-LGBTQ+ bills as “common sense” to trick Democrats into voting in favor. We implore you to carefully read any bills that come across this way.
Accordingly, we strongly encourage you to OPPOSE the following bills:
● HB670 — Nicholas Freitas (R) — Requires public schools to forcibly out transgender, nonbinary, or gender questioning students to parents and requires parental consent for supportive counseling.
● SB37 — John McGuire (R) — Requires public schools to forcibly out transgender, nonbinary, or gender questioning students to parents and requires parental consent for supportive counseling.
● HB1120 — Delores Oates (R) — Bans transgender athletes from participating on a K-12 or higher education team or sport that is expressly designated for females.
● HB1229 — Geary Higgins (R) — Bans transgender athletes from participating on a K-12 or higher education team or sport that is expressly designated for females and from using certain restrooms.
● SB68 — Mark Peake (R) — Bans transgender athletes from participating on a K-12 team or sport that is expressly designated for females.
● HB8 — R. Lee Ware (R) — Allows medical practitioners, health care institutions, or health care payers to refuse treatment or payment for medical services such as gender affirming care if they disagree with it.
These bills are fundamentally dangerous and harmful to the LGBTQ+ community, especially for the transgender community which has borne the brunt of discriminatory attacks from these proponents of hate. We adamantly recommend that you oppose these bills to protect the health and safety of LGBTQ+ residents.
At a moment when LGBTQ+ individuals are under increasing attack, the Arlington General Assembly delegation has an opportunity to send a clear message that we are a welcoming and open Commonwealth that rejects hate and discrimination. We appreciate your past and current support of our community and we call on you to once more stand up for all LGBTQ+ residents by supporting the bills listed above that support us and opposing those that seek to harm and relegate us to second-class citizenship.
We hope we can continue to count on you as champions of policies that support our thriving LGBTQ+ community. If we can be of assistance moving forward, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Kellen MacBeth
President, Equality Arlington