From Econospeak, I learn that Republican Governor Bob McDonnell was the first governor of Virginia in 30 years not to ban discrimination in state employment within a day of his inauguration, but now that he has found time in his busy schedule of fake State of the Union Addresses to do so, he has failed to protect his employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation:
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has signed an executive order barring discrimination in the state workforce on grounds that include race, sex, religion and age, but not sexual orientation.
So with the restoration of Republican governernance in Virginia, we also see the restoration of Republican anti-gay bigotry to Virginia.
Not that this should come as any surprise. While his campaign did everything in its power to avoid the appearance of bigotry - so unappealing to independents - his record spoke for itself. You have, of course, his infamous thesis, where he writes
Man's basic nature is inclined towards evil, and when the exercise of liberty takes the shape of pornography, drug abuse, or homosexuality, the government must restrain, punish, and deter.
He claimed this "20-year-old document" that advocated that government "restrain" and "punish" gays and "deter" homosexuality was a mere "academic exercise." Yet as a state House member, he put that "academic exercise" into practice when he inserted himself - unnecessarily, according even to his Republican colleagues - into the effort to remove Verbena Askew from the bench:
Amid accusations of racism and homophobia, state lawmakers grilled Askew and several witnesses for hours, focusing in large part on her failure to disclose the harassment case. Some members also raised questions about her actions from the bench. A majority, including McDonnell, voted against her reappointment.
In comments before the hearing, McDonnell indicated that Askew's sexual conduct was relevant, telling one newspaper that "certain homosexual conduct" could disqualify a person from being a judge because it violates the state's crimes against nature law. The words were widely published at the time, and his remarks contributed to a lasting view that sexual orientation was at least one reason for Askew's ouster. . . . .
In an interview last week, Askew denied being gay, as she always has. She also denied harassing Collins and noted that she was not a party to the city's settlement. She also said the state bar dismissed a complaint about her failure to disclose the harassment settlement to lawmakers. She said she believes that McDonnell chose to become involved for political reasons.
"This was a local issue," said Askew, now in private law practice. "He shouldn't have been in it. Nobody asked him to get in that process. He did that himself, and he did it to promote his social issues."
Two Republican colleagues of McDonnell's in the legislature, Sens. Kenneth W. Stolle of Virginia Beach and Thomas K. Norment Jr. of James City County, confirmed that McDonnell was eager for his committee to participate in the hearing despite their view that the Senate could conduct the proceeding without House involvement.
"I cautioned him," Stolle recalled. "I said, 'Bob, you know you want to run for attorney general. I assure you that nothing good is going to come from this.' . . . And Bob came back and said several of his [colleagues] had contacted him, and wanted to know what was going on, and wanted to know why they hadn't taken part."
Again, during the campaign, he said this was "100 percent irrelevant."
Either Virginia bought that, or didn't care, because McDonnell won, in spite of his history of homophobia. Yet now it is very relevant, as every gay person in Virginia knows, because the state may fire, refuse to hire, refuse to promote, or otherwise discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, with the blessing of the most powerful bigot in the state: Republican Governor Bob McDonnell.
And so Virginia is Still for Haters.
So, what can you do? You can go over his head. Call your Capitol Hill Switchboard at (202)224-3121, ask for your Senator, and ask that they vocally support, cosponsor, demand a vote on, and vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, so that bigots like Bob McDonnell won't have the power to "restrain, punish, and deter" gay, lesbian, and transgender workers from earning a living.