Mar 5, 2010
Virginia Becoming A State Of Hate – Attorney General Encourages Violence Against Gay & Lesbian University Students & Employees
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II has asked the state’s public colleges and universities to rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, arguing in a letter sent to each school Thursday that their boards of visitors have no legal authority to adopt such statements.
In the letter, Cuccinelli (R) wrote that only the General Assembly can extend legal protections to gay state employees — a move the legislature has repeatedly declined to take, including as recently as this week.
“It is my advice that the law and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including “sexual orientation,” “gender identity,” “gender expression,” or like classification as a protected class within its non-discrimination policy absent specific authorization from the General Assembly,” he wrote.
Colleges that have included such language in their policies — which include all of Virginia’s leading schools — have done so “without proper authority” and should “take appropriate actions to bring their policies in conformance with the law and public policy of Virginia,” Cuccinelli wrote.
Cuccinelli’s predecessor, Robert F. McDonnell (R), who became governor in January, had also held that only the General Assembly could name new classes for legal protections. But he never specifically targeted university policies that seemingly contradicted his position.
The opinion is likely to spark outrage with many students and faculty at Virginia schools.
“What he’s saying is reprehensible,” said Vincent F. Callahan Jr., a former Republican member of the House of Delegates who serves on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University. “I don’t know what he’s doing, opening up this can of worms.”
A spokesman for Cuccinelli, who took office in January, declined to comment on the letter, which was obtained by The Washington Post.
Several universities have also declined to comment, indicating that their boards of visitors will have to examine Cuccinelli’s advice and discuss how to proceed. They include Longwood University, Virginia Tech and the College of William and Mary.
Carl Pucci, the president of the student body at Old Dominion University, said Cuccinelli’s letter is likely to stir a strong response on campuses. “It’s going to be a mess. There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Our generation is really open-minded. The concept of discrimination, we’re just not interested in that…I think you’re going to see the whole gamut, from angry letters to protests.”
Chris Freund, a spokesman for the Family Foundation, which has long argued that laws protecting employees from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation are unnecessary, applauded Cuccinelli for his consistency. He contested the idea, advanced by many professors, that these policies are unnecessary to attract top students and faculty.
via Cuccinelli asks colleges to rescind policies protecting gay state employees – washingtonpost.com.
Gay and Lesbian Americans living in Virginia are in danger of not only loosing their jobs but physical violence. When a state encourages discrimination against a minority group inevitably violence is directed towards that group.
Gays and Lesbians Virginians must call the Governors office at 804-786-2211 and refuse to pay taxes until protections are restored. Parents of Gay and Lesbian students attending state colleges and universities in Virginia understand that your children are now unprotected targets of discrimination and violence. You should consider sending your child to a university in a state that protects Gays and Lesbians.
This is a reminder of how important a Gay and Lesbian inclusive Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act has become. Contact your members of Congress and demand the passage of ENDA.
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