Intolerance has no place in Virginia

May 15, 2012

The New York Times reports, "The Virginia House of Delegates rejected the judicial nomination of a gay prosecutor on Tuesday after conservative Republican lawmakers argued that the nominee would press an activist agenda. Early on Tuesday morning, the House voted 33-to-31, with 10 abstentions, against the candidacy of Tracy Thorne-Begland, who was nominated for a judgeship on the General District Court in Richmond. Mr. Thorne-Begland, a deputy commonwealth attorney in Richmond, needed a majority of the 100-member House to be confirmed. He would have been the state's first openly gay judge.

Progressive Point: Intolerance has no place in Virginia and it certainly has no place in our House of Delegates. Virginians believe that everyone should get a fair shot and that discrimination is wrong. We believe that if you work hard enough you should have your chance to be successful regardless of your sex, race, who your parents were, or your sexual orientation.

Virginians hold themselves to a high standard--and we expect our elected officials to do the same. Yesterday's display of discrimination is unacceptable. All residents of our Commonwealth should be treated fairly and equally. Homophobia is not an acceptable reason to reject qualified judicial nominees. Tell the 41 Delegates who refused to confirm Thorne-Begland's nomination that Virginians won't stand for this blatant intolerance.

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Intolerance has no place in Virginia http://bit.ly/J6P2Cu via @ProgressVA