Your new Executive Board is:

Charley Conrad, Chair
Brian Boyce, Executive Vice Chair
Donald Davenport, Vice Chair for Outreach and Membership
Joel McDonald, Vice Chair for Technology and Communication
Skip Kilpatrick, Vice Chair for Development
Sean Holiahn, Vice Chair for Elections
Andre Hakes, Secretary
Maggie Sacra, Treasurer

Roland Winston will also serve as Chair Emeritus.

Thanks again to everyone who voted. The caucus will continue to be a strong advocate for the LGBT community within the Democratic Party of Virginia,

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 21^st, 2010 at 11 a.m.

WHERE:
Capital Square outside of the General Assembly building.  Demonstrators will gather at the Bell Tower.

WHO:
Currently scheduled speakers include Senator Donald McEachin and Delegate Adam Ebbin, the Senate and House sponsors of the 2010 non-discrimination bill.

Sponsoring organizations include: The LGBT and Families and Friends Caucus of the Democratic Party of Virginia, Equality Virginia, the Gay Community Center of Richmond, the Virginia Organizing Project, People of Faith for Equality in Virginia, GLSEN, Log Cabin Republicans of Virginia, and many more.

The LGBT Stonewall Caucus of Virginia commends President Obama for taking this significant step to chisel away at the discrimination millions of Americans face as LGBT persons. The caucus also recognizes and is grateful for the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign for working with the White House to make this memorandum possible.

The caucus has and will continue to work with organizations like the Human Rights Campaign, officials,  and candidates at all levels as an advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons within the Democratic Party of Virginia for the benefit of all LGBT people in our commonwealth. We’ll be asking for your support in the near future to support the efforts of the caucus in electing Democrats who are willing to stand up and ensure the representation, protection, and equality for LGBT Virginians. We hope you will join us in support of these efforts.

The short answer here is yes. There’s no reason to believe that Bob McDonnell omitted employment protections for LGBT state employees from his executive order or Ken Cuccinelli advised state colleges to remove such protections from their policies for any reason other than the unfortunate fact that the LGBT community is a target of the current conservative administration.

Both Republicans have a clear record of supporting the legal discrimination of LGBT peoples in the commonwealth of Virginia.

Read Entire Post over at Virginia Beach Progressives

Click this link to Take Action!

As many of us are aware, Virginia has not been among the friendliest states for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community. With Governor Robert McDonnell and Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli at the helm of Virginia’s government, along with a conservative House of Delegates, Virginia has chosen to stay behind as our sister states have advanced equality among all of its citizens.

Since his Inauguration, Governor McDonnell has refused to follow former Governors Kaine and Warner by being inclusive in his non-discrimination Executive Order. Even worse, Attorney General Cuccinelli has implied that he will not tolerate known homosexuals in his office.

For years, many of us have said that full inclusion at work can only lead to a more productive and attractive workplace. In fact, according to Richard Florida’s acclaimed book, “Rise of the Creative Class,” studies have shown that an area’s number of coupled gay people in a region is a strong predictor of an area’s high-tech industry growth and concentration.

Currently, Fortune 500 Company Northrop Grumman is looking to relocate its headquarters to the Washington D.C. metropolitan area from Southern California. The planned move was announced in January and has started an intense bidding war for the nearly 300 high-salary jobs between Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. A defense giant that is already one of the largest employers in Virginia, Northrop Grumman has maintained a perfect score with the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for four consecutive years.

Unfortunately, it is not just Virginians that have taken notice of our state’s archaic policy towards equality. Recently, a Maryland State Senator sent a letter to Northrop Grumman’s CEO, citing the lack of a LGBT non-discrimination policy for Virginia’s government employees as a reason against moving to Virginia and that a move to Maryland would be more in-line with Northrop Grumman’s policy towards equality.

If Virginia wants to hold its title as, “The Best Place to Do Business,” we need to step into the 21st Century along with Maryland and Washington, D.C. At the very least, Virginia needs to grant members of the LGBT community safety in the government workplace.

Senator Donald McEachin’s Senate Bill 66 is up for a vote on Tuesday, March 2nd. This bill would prohibit discrimination in employment based upon sexual orientation. In this economy, with Virginian’s pleading for work, we cannot let archaic policy to stand in the way of a Fortune 500 Company relocating to our Commonwealth.

Please, encourage Governor McDonnell to do the right thing and make Virginia’s government an inclusive workplace. Email your Delegate and encourage them to pass Senate Bill 66. We must move Virginia onto the same playing field as Maryland.

We simply cannot afford not to.

Click this link to Take Action!

Sean Holihan is the President of the Virginia Young Democrats.

Read Press Release from the GCCR

The organizations endorsing these peaceful efforts include the Gay Community Center of Richmond, People of Faith for Equality in Virginia, First Unitarian Universalist Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Glen Allen, Metropolitan Community Church -Richmond, Richmond Lesbian Feminists, Mothers & Others, Fan Free Clinic, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), the Rainbow Minute, Queer Action VCU, VCU’s Men Against Violence, the LGBT Caucus of the Virginia Democratic Party, Virginia Pride, Equality Virginia, the $3 Bills, and Richmond Triangle Players.

The Westboro Baptist Church will also be picketing in Hampton Roads, with targets in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Portsmouth. Local groups are organizing to prepare for their arrival. More details will be posted soon!