During Virginia’s annual legislative session, hundreds of individuals and groups lobby elected officials for their causes. This year, with Governor Abigail Spanberger in office, LGBTQ Virginians and their supporters swept into the General Assembly Building with renewed hope.
I’m riding in an elevator with Jennifer George of Glen Allen and Kathy Hopkins of Ashland. They’re part of a collection of advocates, organized by LGBTQ rights supporters Equality Virginia, who spent Monday speaking with their legislators about their families.
I follow the two moms to the front desk of Richmond Delegate Rae Cousins. Cousins is at a committee meeting, but her legislative aide welcomes them both -and me- in.
“I’m the parent of an almost 21-year-old trans man and anything that comes up this year, next year, as long as she’s a delegate, anything we can do to solidify and codify Virginia as a safe place for LGBTQ people would be greatly appreciated," George says to the aide.
Hopkins gets a line in too before we step out to the next official's office.
“We’re also here for everybody’s son and daughter, just as every legislator should be here for every child in the Commonwealth,” Hopkins says.
Not all interactions were as productive. Lucas Brown and Becki Casey, both from Madison, tried to see their elected official, freshman Delegate Karen Hamilton. Hamilton, whose roster of bills includes some opposed by Equality Virginia, didn’t see them, but her staffer did. I was not allowed in the room; Brown and Casey said it went about as well as they expected.
“Honestly we’re just asking her to attack us 10 to 20 percent less,” Brown says.
“It’s a fight worth continuing to pursue even if you know you’re not actually going to make any difference,” Casey adds.
One central Virginia retired teacher who asked we not use their name for fear of reprisal, was there advocating as a former educator. A visit to one of his local delegates was also met by an aide instead of the official, but he still got the chance to share his concerns.
“A lot of times it's the parents; they don’t know what to do. They’ll talk to a teacher who they feel is open," the long-time educator said. "So, it's important to have that protection for us. Also, curriculum things, kids need to see themselves represented in the curriculum.”
The morning started in the basement of the Commonwealth Hotel just across from the capitol. There Lt. Governor Ghazala Hashmi spoke to the crowd before the day started. Her win, and that of Governor Spanberger and Attorney General Jay Jones, all came as Republican candidates, Winsome Earle-Sears chief among them, used transgender kids and issues as political campaign targets. But Earle-Sears’ 15-point loss convinced Hashmi the strategy backfired.
“Virginia rejected that negativity," Hashmi tells the crowded room. "We saw it so clearly in November, the efforts to demonize family, friends, community members, just isn’t what Virginia wanted.”
Spanberger walked a finer line, describing trans kids as “kids who need a bit of grace,” but never using the word “transgender” itself.
It’s something Hans Bauman, a Northern Virginia parent to two trans kids, said was noticeable.
“We need the state legislature, and frankly the executives of the state, to stand up to the federal government and yes that does mean explicitly acknowledging these are very real issues facing families,” Bauman says.
Next to Bauman is Susan Park, the mother of a trans male teen from King George County. She said her son was activated to oppose measures taken by their county’s school board.
“He has a strong sense of what’s right and wrong and what’s fair," Park says. "He wanted to come out today and I wanted to support him. That’s the reason I’m here.”
As for Park’s outlook for the Spanberger administration…
“I’m very hopeful that the new administration here in Virginia will show more support for all LGBTQ families, students, kids,” she says.
