Election Day 2008

The results of the national and congressional elections portend the possibility of positive action in Washington on health care issues of importance to the GLBT community, passage of a national workplace nondiscrimination law, and the end of “don’t ask don’t tell.” 

Three of four openly GLBT candidates for Congress were elected.  Two increasingly anti-gay Virginia Representatives appear to have lost their elections.

And, there was good news regarding state and local elections from states as diverse as Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, New York and Massachusetts where pro-GLBT legislators were elected and anti-gay leaders defeated. 

70% of openly gay candidates running for local office were elected. 

An effort to repeal a local human rights ordinance in King County, Washington protecting transgender people from discrimination was defeated.

Not all the news from Tuesday was positive.  Far from it.

The GLBT community suffered significant losses in Florida, California, Arizona and Arkansas on ballot measures limiting marriage and adoption rights.  A local ordinance protecting transgender people from discrimination was repealed in a suburb of Detroit. 

These losses came in “blue states” and “red states” and were driven by voters across the spectrum, regardless of the margin in the presidential, congressional and state level contests.  And, the Family Foundation is already gloating.

Regardless of what happened elsewhere, GLBT Virginians woke up the day after the election in a Commonwealth that continues to deny us basic human rights and offers us no meaningful protection from either discrimination or violence. 

And, while hope remains the essential fuel of our perseverance, we all know we can’t make the change the GLBT community needs without direct and concerted advocacy and well-funded programs to educate the public about our families, the reality of our everyday lives and our needs.

Now is NOT the time to assume the best will happen and to relax our efforts. 

Now is the time to redouble our commitment.

For the past twenty years, with your help, Equality Virginia (and its predecessor Virginians for Justice) has been changing laws and changing lives. 

EV has been successful in changing the law to allow every business in Virginia to offer health care benefits to domestic partners; to give every patient the right to decide who can visit; and to establish a registry of advanced health care directives where anyone can “file” their living will, durable medical power of attorney or other health care directive for health care providers anywhere to access. 

These changes in Virginia law have made real changes in people’s lives and the security of our families.

And, with your help, there is so much more we can do! 

EV remains committed to full marriage equality and to the repeal of the Marshall/Newman amendment.  That’s not going to be easy and it’s not going to come soon.

But, the work we did in turning out 1,000,000 NO voters in 2006, including the work we did to educate African American voters who out-NO’d white Virginians by 2% in 2006, has provided a solid foundation for our continued work.

While we’re working toward full marriage equality, you’ve told us that you want EV to continue changing lives by ending discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the workplace and in housing; securing additional flexibility for employers to offer life insurance benefits to domestic partners; preventing hate violence directed at us and sexual and intimate partner violence in our community; and amending adoption laws to permit two parent adoption. 

These are all things that we can do … together … if you support our advocacy programs here and donate to EV PAC here!

The economic downturn doubles the urgency of the need to change Virginia law to protect members of our community from job discrimination and to give our families additional means to stabilize their financial foundation.

The economic downturn also doubles the urgency of our appeal to you for funds to support the concerted advocacy, educational and state legislative campaigns it will take to change hearts, change laws and change minds. 

As you think about your investments, we ask you to renew your investment in EV with a contribution TODAY! 

As you think about your budget, we ask you to budget for EV and help provide the financial foundation of our advocacy programs by becoming a sustaining monthly contributor to Equality Virginia. 

The one thing we know for sure following the recent election is that small donations can add up to become big dollars.

Isn’t it worth giving up a latte a week to fund a movement that can change your life?  One latte a week adds up to about $15 a month or $180 a year. 

If just one third of the estimated 300,000 plus GLBT Virginians took that step, EV would have $18,000,000 to fund its campaign to change laws and lives.

Think about what a different Commonwealth you’d wake up to then.

Make a contribution to EV’s advocacy work here.

Make a tax-deductible contribution to EVEF’s education and research programs here.

Make a contribution to support EVPAC’s work to elect fair-minded legislators here.