Terry McAuliffe (Washington Blade file photo by Lee Whitman)
The LGBTQ rights platform that Terry McAuliffe released on Wednesday includes a call to repeal the so-called “conscience clause” that allows religious-based adoption agencies in Virginia to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
“Unfortunately, Virginia law enables certain foster care and adoption agencies to discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals wishing to foster or adopt under the guise of religious or moral convictions,” says McAuliffe’s campaign in a copy of the platform the Washington Blade exclusively obtained. “These policies not only prevent loving families from caring for our most vulnerable children, they also perpetuate stigma and shame for youth in care.”
“It is unacceptable that we continue to exclude families who are willing to provide loving homes to children in need because of who they are or who they love,” adds the platform. “As governor, Terry will work with the legislature to repeal this discriminatory law once and for all.”
The platform notes several other LGBTQ rights priorities that include enacting an “anti-bullying law to protect LGBTQ+ students and implement the Virginia Department of Education’s model policy to protect transgender students.”
The platform calls for expanded mental health resources for LGBTQ youth, improved hate crimes reporting, a reduction in homelessness among LGBTQ youth and “data collection to support LGBTQ+ communities and break down disparities.” McAuliffe would also require “all health care providers to complete cultural competency training to better support LGBTQ+ communities” and create a “statewide social determinants of health coordinator” within the Virginia Department of Health.
“As the next governor of Virginia, Terry will build on the progress he and Democrats have made over the past eight years to uplift and prioritize the LGBTQ+ community,” reads the platform. “Terry will address inequities and disparities that LGBTQ+ people, particularly people of color, experience by improving data collection and leveraging data to better direct resources to meet their unique needs.”
“He will pass an anti-bullying law to protect students, prohibit foster care and adoption agencies from discriminating against LGBTQ+ people, and expand access to culturally competent and inclusive health and mental health care,” it adds. “Terry will also address housing stability by leveraging federal housing dollars and working to establish safe and inclusive shelters.”
McAuliffe, who was Virginia’s governor from 2014-2018, is among the Democrats who are running to succeed current Gov. Ralph Northam once his term ends in January 2022.
Northam, who was Virginia’s lieutenant governor when McAuliffe was in office, has endorsed his predecessor’s bid. McAuliffe from 2001-2005 was chair of the Democratic National Committee.
His first executive order as governor banned discrimination against LGBTQ state employees.
The first executive order that Terry McAuliffe issued upon taking office in 2014 banned anti-LGBTQ discrimination against state employees. (Photo by Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch)
McAuliffe also vetoed religious freedom bills, created Virginia’s LGBTQ tourism board and became the first Virginia governor to declare June Pride month.
McAuliffe in 2014 oversaw the extension of marriage rights to same-sex couples in Virginia. McAuliffe’s campaign notes he is the first governor of a Southern state to officiate a same-sex wedding.
“LGBTQ+ Virginians have faced discrimination and inequities for too long because of who they are or who they love. I am proud of the progress Virginia has made in protecting the LGBTQ+ community over the past eight years, but our work is far from over,” said McAuliffe in a statement his campaign provided to the Blade. “As governor, I will fight my heart out to make Virginia the most open, welcoming and inclusive state in the nation, and break down the disparities that LGBTQ+ communities, and particularly communities of color, face in education, health care, the economy and more. Together, we’ll move Virginia forward into a better, brighter future for all.”
State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who is the first openly gay man elected to the Virginia General Assembly, has endorsed McAuliffe.
“We are at a critical inflection point in this nation’s history and Virginia’s next governor must be ready on day one to take the unique challenges affecting the LGBTQ+ community head-on,” said Ebbin in a statement. “Terry McAuliffe has the record, the vision, and compassion needed to continue the hard work of creating a more inclusive, safe, and equitable commonwealth for all Virginians. This plan is a bold step toward creating a stronger, more inclusive Virginia.”
