2021 VA Governor's race: on Civil Rights
Justin Fairfax:
Wrong to honor Robert E Lee in VA state senate
On eve of MLK day: History repeats itself. I will be stepping off the dais today in protest of the Virginia Senate honoring Robert E. Lee," Fairfax tweeted. "I'll be thinking of this June 5,
1798 manumission document that freed my great-great-great grandfather Simon Fairfax from slavery in Virginia. #WeRiseTogether.
Source: The Hill e-zine on 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race
Jan 19, 2019
Jennifer Carroll Foy:
Increase state buying from women/minority owned businesses
Support small, women-owned and minority-owned (SWaM) businesses. It is critical we apply an equity lens as well to ensure that small businesses that have historically found the deck stacked against them--such as those owned by people of color or
women--have an equal shot. Through an executive order, my administration will increase the Commonwealth's discretionary spending for buying goods and services from SWaM businesses to a historic high of 45%.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign site JenniferCarrollFoy.com
Feb 21, 2021
Jennifer McClellan:
Led fight to get Virginia to ratify Equal Rights Amendment
Jennifer McClellan believes that all Virginians should be treated with respect and dignity. No one should be discriminated against because of who they are, who they love, or what they believe. As a legislator, Jenn has been a leader in the
fight for civil rights for all. She led the fight in the Senate to make Virginia the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the 28th state to extend protections against discrimination for pregnant workers and new mothers.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign website JennMcClellanVA.com
Feb 18, 2021
Jennifer McClellan:
Led on Virginia Values Act, banning LGBTQ discrimination
She was a key leader on the Virginia Values Act, making Virginia the first state in the South to prohibit discrimination on the basis of
sexual orientation or gender identity, and also on legislation repealing Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign website JennMcClellanVA.com
Feb 18, 2021
Kirk Cox:
Enacted a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment
On the Kirk Cox for Governor campaign, over 50 percent of Kirk's campaign staff are women, and as Speaker and
Majority Leader he had a long track record of recruiting women to run for office. Kirk Cox also made efforts to combat sexual harassment on Capitol Square by enacting a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign website KirkCox.com
Feb 19, 2021
Terry McAuliffe:
Vetoed multiple bills shielding discriminating groups
As Governor, Terry made it clear he would veto every piece of legislation that discriminated against LGBT people or undermine the constitutional rights of any Virginian. He delivered, vetoing multiple so-called "religious freedom" bills that would
have shielded groups who actively discriminate against same-sex couples from civil liability, and vetoing a bill that would have protected local elected officials who violated the law by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
As Virginia's 72nd Governor, Terry worked tirelessly to build an inclusive Commonwealth that is open and welcoming to all. On his first day in office, Terry signed Executive Order 1, which prohibited discrimination against any
LGBT state employee. He was also the first southern Governor in the nation to officiate a gay wedding.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign website Terry McAuliffe.com
Dec 22, 2020
Terry McAuliffe:
Tackle inequities by lifting up every Black Virginian
Virginia's next Governor must be ready to tackle inequities head on with bold, progressive policies to lift up every Black Virginian. That means addressing the historic lack of access to capital and promoting Black home and business ownership, breaking
down barriers that prevent communities of color from generating wealth, addressing environmental injustices, supporting older members of Black communities and ending disparities in health care, education and our criminal justice system.
Source: 2021 Virginia governor campaign website Terry McAuliffe.com
Dec 22, 2020
Kirk Cox:
Voted against banning LGBTQ panic defense
Kirk Cox voted against legislation- Banning the LGBTQ panic defense, defined by the LGBT Bar as "a legal strategy which asks a jury to find that a victim's sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant's violent reaction,
including murder."
- Repealing the now obsolete marriage equality ban from the Virginia Constitution.
- Barring discrimination in child welfare services
- Banning bias based profiling of LGBTQ people by law enforcement
Source: Blue Virginia blog on 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race
Feb 2, 2021
Amanda Chase:
Removal of Confederate icons is destroying white history
Virginia Sen. Amanda Chase declares, "This isn't about destroying Confederate history, it's about destroying WHITE HISTORY... the history of America.
These liberals and socialists seek to paint us as racists when it's them who are racist."
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press on 2021 Virginia Governor race
Jun 26, 2020
Glenn Youngkin:
Personally against gay marriage but would support the law
Youngkin says he's personally against same-sex marriage. Late last month, Youngkin told the Associated Press in an interview that he feels "called to love everyone" but, when asked if
that expressed support for same-sex marriage, said, "No." He said it was "legally acceptable" in the state and he would support the law.
Source: The 19th on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Nov 1, 2021
Pete Snyder:
Left is pushing transgender bathrooms in our schools
We're in a global pandemic and the ridiculous policies that the left is pushing at us to try to have transgender bathrooms in our schools. I missed my daughter's lacrosse practice today. First time ever.
There is no way I'm going to come home to her three years from now and have to see her crying because she got cut from the team or isn't even starting because someone two weeks ago used to be a dude. I'm sorry. Not going to happen on my watch.
Source: The Washington Blade on 2021 Virginia Governor race
Mar 9, 2021
Amanda Chase:
Called homosexuality "sexual dysphoria"
Chase brought Sean Maguire of The Family Foundation onto her show to discuss "what we call sexual dysphoria." That's a coded way of saying gay people aren't actually gay, they're just confused. It's language that hasn't "been used to describe
LGBTQ people for decades," Lucas Acosta of the Human Rights Campaign said in an interview, adding that terms like sexual dysphoria just "goes to show me that you don't think of me as human."
Source: VaDogwood.com on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Oct 21, 2019
Amanda Chase:
Transgender people are confused about which bathroom to use
[On transgender bathrooms]: "And they're confused," Chase said of transgender people. "They don't know which bathroom to use.
They don't know what gender they are. When God said, in the beginning, he created male and female, that's two."
Source: VaDogwood.com on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Oct 21, 2019
Amanda Chase:
Concerned the ERA treats women identically to men
[On the Equal Rights Amendment]: "It's concerning to me that the ERA treats women identically to men, not equally to men,"
Chase said, "lending to it the current fad of gender fluidity."
Source: VaDogwood.com on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Oct 21, 2019
Amanda Chase:
I believe in equal treatment and not special treatment
There are members of the Democratic party who have advanced legislation that elevates one particular group above another, saying that we treat them differently than another group. I don't care what color skin you are, that is wrong. No matter
what the color of skin is. We are Virginians. We should treat everyone equally and the legislation that has been put forward by members of the Black Caucus elevate one group over another. And I believe in equal treatment and not special treatment.
Source: Virginia Mercury on 2021 Virginia Governor race
Dec 11, 2020
Jennifer McClellan:
Racial justice is about more than criminal justice reform
McClellan said the state needs to do more on comprehensive criminal justice reform, particularly scaling back the approach to low-level offenses like passing counterfeit bills, the offense she said led to a "death sentence" for Floyd. "Racial justice
is about more than criminal justice reform. It is embedded in every system we have in government," McClellan said. "And I did not need George Floyd's murder or the Unite the Right rally to teach me that."
Source: Virginia Mercury on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial debate
Apr 6, 2021
Mark Herring:
Governor should resign after wearing blackface, but not me
Mark Herring said he demanded Gov. Ralph's Northam's resignation last month not because the governor had worn blackface decades earlier, but because Northam flip-flopped on the subject in a way that undermined his ability to lead.Since acknowledging
that he, too, had dressed in blackface as a young man, Herring took pains to differentiate his situation from Northam's. "The governor had said he was in the [blackface] photo." Herring said. "The next day, the governor came out with a different and
contradictory account, and that was when there was an erosion of trust. That was what my [resignation] statement was about. It was really about the public trust. I would hold myself to the same standard."
After Northam's revelations, Herring said
he "agonized" about whether to disclose that he dressed in blackface for a party as a 19-year-old student at U.Va. He said ultimately decided to do so on his own, dismissing the idea that his hand was forced by questions from the media.
Source: Virginian-Pilot on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Mar 5, 2019
Ralph Northam:
Outed for blackface photo in 1984 medical school yearbook
Northam has been under fire since Feb. 1, when a photo came to light from his 1984 medical school yearbook page that depicted one person in blackface and another in Ku Klux Klan robes. Northam initially took responsibility for the picture; at a news
conference a day later, he said he wasn't in the photo but admitted that he put shoe polish on his cheeks to imitate Michael Jackson in a dance contest later that same year.Many state and national Democrats immediately called on Northam to resign.
Days later, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax was swept up in a scandal of his own, as two women accused him of sexually assault dating from 2000 and 2004 -- charges that Fairfax has vigorously denied. The accusations against Fairfax are "different but a
very difficult situation," Attorney General Mark Herring said. The women who say they were sexually assaulted by the lieutenant governor "deserve to be heard, they deserve respect," he said.
Source: Virginian-Pilot on 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial race
Mar 5, 2019
Page last updated: Feb 18, 2023