This has been discussed previously by noweasels in a diary that I feel should have gotten more attention.
Since that diary, The Washington Post has posted an editorial that called Virginia Attorney General Candidate Kenneth Cuccinelli what he is, a "bigot" and an "embarrassment". Apparently, in Mr. Cuccinelli's world, there should be policies in place that reflect that homosexuality is "intrisically wrong".
This is a mind-blowing statement coming from a candidate for an office that is essentially the State of Virginia's lawyer. It makes one wonder whether Mr. Cuccinelli would be willing to blow off state discrimination laws to forward his hateful agenda. He is subscribing to the same age-old and debunked theories that homosexuality in society is somehow harmful to others, that because you are homosexual over there, I am somehow detrimentally affected by it over here.
The real kicker here though, is that he states there should be policy in place to reflect his out-dated and "intrisically wrong" ideology. There is perhaps no elected position on the state level where an attitude like this could be more harmful. A governor refusing to sign legislation can be rebuked by the very legislature that passed the bill. Mr. Cuccinelli, on the other hand, will have the power to issue "official opinions" on what the state government can and cannot do with regard to its 110,000 employees. These opinions define what is and is not allowable under Virginia's anti-discrimination laws based on the interpretation of the Office of the Attorney General. You can see where this is heading. A loose interpretation by an AG that sees homosexuality as "intrinsically wrong" and "behavior that is not healthy to an individual and in aggregate is not healthy to society" could easily close any government-run workplace to the GLBT community.
This kind of backward-ass, hateful thinking cannot be allowed in government of any kind, no matter how local. These people are elected to represent the people of their city, state or nation; ALL of the people. Singling out a portion of society that you disagree with to refuse rights to betrays the selfishness and arrogance that is "intrinsic" to members of the crazy far-right wing of the Republican Party. Please folks, vote Steve Shannon for VA AG. You can contribute to the Steve Shannon for Attorney General campaign here.
Remember: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
UPDATE: A SurveyUSA Poll from 10/25-10/26 shows a 16 point lead for Cuccinelli over Shannon with only 2% undecided. Cuccinelli's comment weren't published until 10/26, so there is no new polling data I can find that shows a change.