Monday, May 20th

Last update:05:01:46 PM GMT

You are here: Home

People of Faith for Equality in Virginia

April_2010_incl_Hinton__Rally_031
April_2010_incl_Hinton__Rally_032
April_2010_incl_Hinton__Rally_033
gallup_testifying_350
people_5
POFEV-_003

Who We Are:

We are an interfaith network of people who all share one thing- a deep commitment to our faith tradition, which kindles our deep commitment to social justice. As rabbis, ministers, priests, and lay people, we are all dedicated to working for equal rights for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community in Virginia. We recognize that LGBT citizens are not faceless and nameless, but are members of our religious communities and our families, friends, neighbors, and people with whom we do business. We also recognize that God loves and sustains all of creation and that we must act when any part of that creation is endangered- physically, emotionally, or spiritually- by misunderstanding, hate, and discrimination.

Poll Shows Rapid Increase in Virginia Support for Marriage

Virginia's changing attitudes on marriage -- Washington Post poll May 15 2013According to a new Washington Post poll, support for legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples has risen to 56% of all adults (33% want to them to remain illegal). This is a sea change, especially given that in 2006, 57% of the state’s voters adopted a constitutional amendment prohibiting that very thing.

 And the shift in just two years is stunning: in May 2011, 46% approved of legal marriage and 43% wanted such marriages kept illegal. Politically, only Republicans retain a majority in favor of the current law (47-40%) while Democrats favor legal marriage 75-21% and independents support legalizing same-gender-loving marriage by the same margin as the overall population (56-33%).

Now is a great time to forward this information on to your legislators. You can find the right link for you here. And share all this with your friends. Let’s build on this!

And there’s more. Based on the polling data, that there has been a significant increase in support for marriage equality among African-Americans (64-28). Also, non-evangelical white Christians support equality 61-27.

The only region in the state registering disapproval of equality is the western portion of the state (38-56%), with Tidewater and NoVA registering approval above 60%. White evangelical Protestants and the elderly continue to resist equality, only 23% of these religious people registering support and only 38% of those 65 and over doing so.

 We are examining the underlying demographic data closely and will have more to say, so stay tuned as POFEV builds on this information to inform our strategies to carry equality work forward!

 And enjoy looking at these results . . .  read more 

This blog was written by Robin Gorsline on Tuesday, May 14, prior to publication of the new Washington Post survey of voter attitudes in Virginia. The polling numbers suggest that Robin’s point here is correct: this is eminently winnable. And sooner than most expect.

It’s Our Turn

by Rev. Dr. Robin H. Gorsline, President

Wow!

Now Minnesota.

Welcome to MinnesotaThat means that most regions of the country—except the southwest, and the south/southeast (unless you count Maryland as part of the South, which lots of people do not)—have at least one state that has made same-gender-loving marriage legal.

And in the southwest, New Mexico permits civil unions and domestic partnerships, while California, Nevada, and Colorado allow those but deny full marriage equality through their state constitutions. [See the marriage equality map here]

So, once again, the South can be called “the solid South.” Not for Democrats—that is long gone, of course—but solidly against marriage.

We have our work cut out for us.

But notice this fact. Virginia is now the northern-most state on the Atlantic seaboard that denies both full marriage and civil unions/domestic partnerships.

It’s our turn, my friends.

It won’t be easy, not because we cannot convince the majority of Virginians of the rightness of this, but because first we have to dislodge the constitutional provision—what was called the Marshall-Newman amendment in 2006, but, as I keep saying, should be called the anti-marriage amendment—from the cold, hard hands of the General Assembly.

Read more . . .

 

Page 1 of 18

  • «
  •  Start 
  •  Prev 
  •  1 
  •  2 
  •  3 
  •  4 
  •  5 
  •  6 
  •  7 
  •  8 
  •  9 
  •  10 
  •  Next 
  •  End 
  • »