We’re currently undergoing website maintenance that affects the design and content of our site.

The Caucus has undergone a leadership change that you should be aware of. Terry Mansberger, who has served as Chair of the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia since March of last year, resigned earlier this week in order to focus on the increasing demands of his career. Brian Boyce, Executive Vice Chair, will serve as Interim Chair until the next election of Caucus officers.

“I am convinced that the LGBT Caucus needs and deserves someone who can bring the proper amount of time, energy, and passion for ideas to the job, and unfortunately I am unable to be that person at this time”, wrote Mansberger in an email to the Caucus board, “I will continue to support the efforts of the Caucus with my membership, and help in other ways where I am able to make a contribution. We’ve made some great strides in the last year, and I encourage the officers and members of the caucus to continue to look for ways to better accomplish our mission.”

In response to the resignation of Terry Mansberger, Brian Boyce, who now becomes Interim Chair, wrote, “I understand how life’s obligations can become more demanding, and I wish Terry success in his endeavors. I am grateful for Terry’s leadership of the Caucus. Finding someone in our upcoming election whose passion, dedication, and ethical excellence matches Terry’s will be quite the task.”

The Caucus will be holding it’s quarterly meeting in conjunction with the Central Committee meeting of the Democratic Party of Virginia on February 11 in Richmond, Virginia, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. The exact meeting time and location has yet to be set, but will be announced when details are finalized. These meetings are also part of the DPVA’s Jefferson-Jackson Weekend. More information on the weekend’s events can be found by visiting the website of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Our Commonwealth, is the new members only e-newsletter for members of the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia. This e-newsletter will include timely messages from Caucus leaders, and articles and information from around Virginia to better inform you on the state of LGBT people and issues in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We’re sharing the first issue of Our Commonwealth with everyone. Click here or the image below to read the first issue.

Not a member of the LGBT Caucus? Click here to join today!

The next quarterly meeting of the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia will take place in Hampton, VA on December 3rd. The caucus will be meeting at 8:30 AM at the Crowne Plaza- Hampton Marina Hotel in the Peninsula B room (Map & Directions). This meeting coincides with the quarterly meeting of the Steering and Central committees of the Democratic Party of Virginia. The complete meeting schedule and meeting materials can be found on the DPVA website.

The LGBT Caucus will be discussing the results of the 2011 election, what we can expect to see happen in the next legislative session, and how we can help support pro-equality Democratic successes.

We understand that not everyone will be able to attend this meeting, but we would still like to hear your thoughts about the LGBT Caucus and any suggestions you may have for making the LGBT Caucus a more effective organization. Please use the link below to complete a brief survey and share your ideas.

Check out the pictures from last evening’s wonderful reception for Adrianne Bennett with special guest Adam Ebbin.

Please Join the LGBT Democrats of Virginia PAC – Virginia Partisans

At a Fundraiser for

 Senator Edwards, Don Langrehr, & Michael Sutphin

Wednesday, November 2nd at 7:00 PM

622 North Restaurant, Bar, & Wine Lounge
622 North Main Street
Blacksburg, VA 24060
Map & Directions 

Adam Ebbin, the first openly gay member of the Virginia General Assembly, will be in Virginia Beach for a reception supporting Adrianne Bennett, a pro-equality candidate running for the House of Delegates. Click here for more information and tickets.

Virginia Partisans, the PAC of LGBT Democrats of Virginia, today announced endorsements of 49 incumbents and candidates for legislative seats and local offices in Virginia’s upcoming Nov. 8th general election. These 49 candidates join four others previously endorsed during and immediately after the primary season this summer, for a total of 53 endorsements.

“Virginia Partisans has looked carefully at races throughout Virginia,” said Tiffany Joslyn, President, “and as nearly as we can determine, there is not a single contest where the Republican is better than the Democrat on issues of concern to the LGBT community. So wherever you live, and whatever offices you’re voting on, the best choice for our community is undoubtedly the Democratic candidate. These 53 endorsees, however, truly stand out for their pro-equality credentials. They have demonstrated their support for the LGBT community in their public and personal lives. They have made a pledge to always vote on the side of equality and, in many cases, to take up the charge themselves. These 53 endorsees are a mix of men and women, young and older, from a variety of backgrounds and areas. They include our champions in the legislature, many who vote with us consistently, some openly-gay candidates, and others whose personal experiences and campaign platforms give us high hopes for the future.”

Although the majority of endorsees still hail from Northern Virginia, this class presents a noticeable and remarkable geographic expansion over past years—stretching from Tidewater to Blacksburg, and from Northern Virginia to Southside. Included are ten state Senators seeking re-election plus another three challengers or seekers of open seats; 18 incumbent members of the House of Delegates plus another ten non-incumbent candidates; and nine incumbents and two challengers for local offices.

This November Democrats are especially concerned with maintaining Democratic control of the State Senate, as this is currently the only branch of state government not controlled by anti-equality legislators. Republicans are within two seats of taking control of the Senate and eliminating the only safeguard against hateful and discriminatory legislation. For pro-equality Democrats, keeping the Senate Blue is simply the only option.

It is against this background that the Virginia Partisans proudly announced the endorsement of the following candidates running for election to the Virginia Senate this November:

Senator John Miller (1st – Newport News)
Senator Ralph Northam (6th – Norfolk)
Senator Don McEachin (9th – Richmond)
Senator Henry Marsh (16th – Richmond)
Senator John Edwards (21st – Roanoke)
Senator Janet Howell (32nd – Reston)
Senator Mark Herring (33rd – Leesburg)
Senator Toddy Puller (36th – Mount Vernon)
Senator Dave Marsden (37th – Burke)
Senator George Barker (39th – Clifton)
Senate Candidate David Bernard (10th – Richmond)
Senate Candidate Adam Ebbin (30th – Alexandria)
Senate Candidate Barbara Favola (31st – Arlington)

“Although our primary focus is on maintaining Democratic control of the Virginia Senate, members of the LGBT community should not ignore the other races where our friends and allies are up for election in just a few weeks,” Joslyn pointed out. “While Democrats are unlikely to win control of the House of Delegates this year, we need to begin picking up the seats that will form the nucleus to gaining control of the House of Delegates in the long run. If we do, we can make more inroads in the fight for equality in Virginia. Local races also matter. For example, right now there are only five openly-gay elected officials in the entire state, all in Northern Virginia, and four of the five hold local offices. We have a chance to expand on that with the election of an openly-gay candidate to the Blacksburg Town Council.”

The Virginia Partisans proudly announced the endorsement of the following candidates running for election to the Virginia House of Delegates this November:

Delegate Mark Keam (35th – Vienna)
Delegate Ken Plum (36th – Reston)
Delegate David Bulova (37th – Fairfax)
Delegate Kaye Kory (38th – Falls Church)
Delegate Vivian Watts (39th – Annandale)
Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn (41st – Springfield)
Delegate Mark Sickles (43rd – Franconia)
Delegate Scott Surovell (44th – Mount Vernon)
Delegate David Englin (45th – Alexandria)
Delegate Charniele Herring (46th – Alexandria)
Delegate Patrick Hope (47th – Arlington)
Delegate Bob Brink (48th – Arlington)
Delegate Jim Scott (53rd – Merrifield)
Delegate Betsy Carr (69th – Richmond)
Delegate Jennifer McClellan (71st – Richmond)
Delegate Joe Morrissey (74th – Henrico)
Delegate Robin Abbott (93rd – Newport News)
Delegate Mamye BaCote (95th – Newport News)
Candidate for Delegate Esteban Garces (2nd – Woodbridge)
Candidate for Delegate Dave Butler (10th – Leesburg)
Candidate for Delegate Don Langrehr (12th – Blacksburg)
Candidate for Delegate Carl Genthner (13th – Manassas)
Candidate for Delegate Laura Kleiner (20th – Staunton)
Candidate for Delegate Adrianne Bennett (21st – Virginia Beach)
Candidate for Delegate Pamela Danner (34th – McLean)
Candidate for Delegate Alfonso Lopez (49th – Arlington)
Candidate for Delegate Eric Clingan (67th – Chantilly)
Candidate for Delegate Mike Kondratick (87th – Ashburn)
Candidate for Delegate Gary West (94th – Newport News)

Finally, the Virginia Partisans announced the endorsement of the following candidates seeking election and re-election to a diverse set of local offices this November:

Beth Arthur for Arlington Sheriff
Penny Gross, Janet Oleszek and John Foust for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (Mason, Braddock and Dranesville Districts respectively)
Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada for Arlington Board
Ingrid Morroy for Arlington Commissioner of Revenue
Frank O’Leary for Arlington County Treasurer
Abby Raphael for Arlington School Board
Theo Stamos for Commonwealth’s Attorney, Arlington County and City of Falls Church
Michael Sutphin for Blacksburg Town Council

Endorsement by Virginia Partisans requires candidates to complete a rather extensive questionnaire, and then a favorable vote by the Partisans Board. In this round of endorsements, every candidate who submitted a questionnaire did, in fact, receive an endorsement. As such, if a Democratic candidate is not on the above list, then he or she did not submit a questionnaire. Copies of all submitted questionnaires either are, or will soon be, posted on at www.vapartisans.org.

“Our community’s enemies are pouring millions of dollars into trying to take total control of Virginia government,” Joslyn concluded. “We simply can’t let that happen. This will be a low turnout election, so your vote – or failure to do so – is greatly magnified compared to a Presidential election. We urge every member of the LGBT community to go out right now and work for a candidate of your choosing. We also encourage you to make a campaign contribution to one or more of our endorsees. But, most importantly, we ask you to vote Democratic on Nov. 8th!”

Arlington, VA (Monday, August 29, 2011) – The Virginia Partisans, PAC of LGBT Democrats of Virginia, today announced its endorsement of Barbara Favola for Virginia’s 31st Senate District. President Tiffany M. Joslyn applauded Favola’s record, stating “Barbara has been 100% supportive on issues important to the LGBT community throughout her tenure on the Arlington County Board.” Joslyn added, “Although we endorsed a different candidate in the primary election, we told Barbara at the time that we would be enthusiastic supporters in the general election if she were to win the primary. She did, and we are. We know she will be a strong ally for the LGBT community in the Virginia Senate.”

On August 23rd, Favola earned the Democratic nomination for the 31st District. A longtime Democratic stronghold, this district is majority Arlington County and includes portions of Fairfax and Loudoun counties. Acknowledging the importance of this race, Joslyn added, “Barbara’s election in November is also critical to preserving the Democratic majority in the State Senate, which is currently our community’s only bulwark against the radical agenda of mean-spirited individuals like Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and Delegate Bob Marshall. Let there be no doubt, together we will keep our Senate blue.”

All candidates seeking the endorsement of the Virginia Partisans PAC are required to submit the PAC’s 2011 Endorsement Questionnaire. Submitted questionnaires are available online at: www.lgbtvadem.org/virginia-partisans/endorsements. Endorsements by the Virginia Partisans PAC do not constitute endorsements from the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia.

 ~~~~~

 The Virginia Partisans was founded more than 20 years ago as a voice for gay Democrats, initially in Northern Virginia. Today, the Virginia Partisans PAC is a statewide Political Action Committee affiliated with LGBT Democrats of Virginia, a project created in partnership with the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia, an affiliate of National Stonewall Democrats. In recent years, the Virginia Partisans has raised and spent more than $100,000 to support the election of pro-equality Democrats at the local, state and national levels from Virginia.

This is a critical election year for Virginia’s LGBT community. Currently, Democrats hold a mere two seat advantage in the State Senate and the Republicans control both the Governor’s mansion and the House of Delegates. With the entire Virginia general assembly up for election this November and the State Senate hanging in the balance, the Partisans are dedicated to raising 40 for 40—$40,000 for the 40 Virginia State Senate seats—to keep the Virginia Senate blue. The Partisans recently raised over $21,000 at its first of a series of fundraisers dedicated to this goal and will use funds raised to support pro-equality Democrats on the ballot this November. More information can be found at www.lgbtvadem.org.

With one week to go, our endorsees are working hard on the final push. Come out and support them at their equality minded fundraisers taking place this coming week! Details below

 Monday August 15^th 6 to 8PM – Out & Proud Fundraiser for Adam Ebbin for Senate

Help Preserve Our Gay Voice in Richmond! Adam is in the race of his life! With your support we can ensure that Adam will become Virginia’s first out LGBT State Senator.

Where:  Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant, 555 23rd Street South, Arlington, VA 22202-2517

How:  Purchase tickets or donate online at http://www.ebbinforvirginia.com/content/freddys-beach-bar-reception or mail a check to Ebbin for Virginia, POB 26415, Alexandria VA 22313.

Levels:  General Admission $50, Supporter $100, Advocate $200, Benefactor $250, Out and Proud Leader $500 [All levels include one glass of wine, beer or soft drink]

Tuesday August 16^th 6:30 to 8:30PM – An Evening of Equality with Stephanie Clifford for Delegate

Please Join Tiffany Joslyn, Kris McLaughlin and Patrick Frieslander in supporting Stephanie Clifford Democrat for Delegate, 49th District. Join us for drinks, appetizers and conversation at our favorite local LGBT establishment!

Where:  Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant, 555 23rd Street South, Arlington, VA 22202-2517

How:  Contribute at the event or via Act Blue here http://tinyurl.com/donates?tephanieclifford

Levels:  Young Dems $25, Supporters $50, Champions $100.

RSVP via Facebook or to Tiffany at tiffanyjoslyn@gmail.com or 508-245-7581

The August 23^rd Primary is right around the corner and all our endorsees need your help! Here’s how to contribute and volunteer:

Adam Ebbin, Democrat for Senate, 30^th District, http://ebbinforvirginia.com/

Contribute:  https://adamebbin.ngphost.com/crmapi/contribute

Volunteer:  Phone bank, canvass, and GOTV anytime! Contact Michael Beckendorf at michael@ebbinforvirginia.com or 703-739-4330 or just visit headquarters at 1427 Powhatan St., Alexandria

Jaime Azreizaga-Soto Democrat for Senate, 31^st District, http://jaimeforsenate.com/

Contribute:  http://jaimeforsenate.com/

Volunteer: Contact Nick Maines at nicholasamaines@gmail.com or call (571) 306-1438

Stephanie Clifford Democrat for Delegate, 49^th District, http://stephanieclifford.org/

Contribute:  https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/26266

Volunteer:  Contact Tiffany Joslyn at tiffanyjoslyn@gmail.com or 508-245-7581

Alfonso Lopez Democrat for Delegate, 49^th District, http://www.alfonsofordelegate.com/

Contribute:  http://www.alfonsofordelegate.com/

Volunteer:  http://www.alfonsofordelegate.com/volunteer or email alfonsofordelegate@gmail.com or call (571) 241-5840

Janet Oleszek Democrat for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Braddock District, http://www.janetforbraddock.com/

Contribute:  https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/27336

Volunteer:  http://janetforbraddock.com/contact/take-action or email info@janetforbraddock.com or call (703) 323-0202