This Election Matters, But So Do All Elections!

I read an opinion piece yesterday and I agree with one point but not with all… Local elections do matter, but Presidential elections aren’t futile. We must get involved, educate ourselves, and vote in every election if we want a better county, city, state, and country!

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Candidate Spotlight: Don Beyer, 8th Congressional District

He is a strong supporter of the LGBT community, stating: “I support full equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. As a member of Congress, I would support legislation that bans job discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. I believe the institution of marriage should be available to committed, same-sex couples, and I would work to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. I believe equality is not complete until it reaches every aspect of our society, including adoption and immigration sponsorship.”

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Candidate Spotlight: Lawrence Gaughan, 5th Congressional District

Gauhan is pro-Equality and supports efforts to protect victims of domestic violence. In 2009, Lawrence co-wrote and directed the festival short movie, “Circles of Life”, about the prominent signs of domestic violence. He spoke in September to the attendees of the Equality Breakfast where the LGBT Democrats honored the 4 couples who were fighting for Marriage Equality in Virginia’s courts.

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Candidate Spotlight: Bobby Scott of the 3rd Congressional District

Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott issued the following statement on the decision by a three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upholding the district court’s decision in Bostic v. Rainey, which ruled Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional: “I applaud the Fourth Circuit for upholding the lower court’s decision in Bostic v. Rainey. This decision is based on sound legal reasoning consistent with a growing list of decisions by courts all over the country, beginning with the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision in Loving v. Virginia. The Loving Court unanimously struck down bans on interracial marriage stating that marriage is one of the ‘basic civil rights of man.’ And last year, the Supreme Court in U.S. v. Windsor continued this legal reasoning when it struck down the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which I opposed in Congress. Today’s decision is a critical step forward for marriage equality in the Commonwealth.”

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Candidate Spotlight: Suzanne Patrick of the 2nd Congressional District

This article is a background article about Suzanne Patrick who is seeking to represent the 2nd Congressional District of Virginia. Patrick responded to emails with a brief statement: “In my family, equality and justice came before all else. That’s why I believe that people should be able to marry who they love without legal or social discrimination. ENDA is a good start to making sure that equality is promoted in the workplace, but the issue is far from over. In Congress, I will work to ensure that all people – regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual identity – have equal opportunities.”

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Candidate Spotlight: Norm Mosher of the 1st Congressional District

Norm Mosher is running against Rob Wittman in the 1st Congressional District. He is a long time resident of Irvington and has served as the chair of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee and as a Virginia representative to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. He served on the Irvington Town Council for six years. Prior to settling in Irvington, he retired from the US Navy with the rank of Captain and he is the founder of several small businesses.

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Obama Signs Historic Workplace Protections Orders

On July 21, President Obama took the historic step of protecting LGBT federal workers and requiring companies that have contracts (valued at $10,000 or more) with the federal government to do the same. President Obama amended Executive Order 11246 and Executive Order 11478, changing the language of both to include both sexual orientation and gender identity. The LGBT Democrats of Virginia applaud President Obama for making this step and encourage our legislators, both on the federal and state level, to expand on this step, and PROTECT ALL WORKERS.

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LGBT Democrats Represented at the Rural Retreat

The Rural Caucus of the DPVA was reorganized in 2013 to address the needs of rural voters in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Rural localities make up 90% of Virginia, and the Rural Caucus seeks to identify and address issues of importance in these areas. It also seeks to identify and elect strong Democratic candidates on all levels.

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LGBT Democrats of VA Join Equality Rally in DC

On June 30th, I had the honor to stand with LGBTQ Activists from across the country to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and to demand that Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity be added to all the protections of this act. It is time for FULL LEGAL EQUALITY!

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