Mount Vernon legislators aren’t optimistic this will be the year the Virginia General Assembly expands rights for gays and lesbians in the workplace.

“I don’t have much hope (these bills) will get to the floor,” said State Senator Toddy Puller (D-36^th District), who watched similar legislation she introduced several sessions ago die in committee.  “I would have hoped that the governor’s executive order might have helped, but I don’t know that it will.” 

There are currently more than half a dozen bills in the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate that would make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal in the state of Virginia—including those that would specifically prohibit such discrimination against public and private employees.

None have yet to make to the floor of either house.

“It’s unlikely to affect my district a lot because most people in northern Virginia are pretty tolerant,” said Delegate Scott Surovell (D-44^th District), who supports the legislation.

 Delegate Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, the only openly gay member of the General Assembly, introduced HB 2046, prohibiting discrimination of gay and lesbian Virginia public employees.  The bill defines sexual orientation as a person’s actual or perceived heterosexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, or gender identity or expression.

HB 1509 calls for civil actions against private employers who discriminate because of sexual orientation. The bill’s sponsor is Delegate James Scott (D-53^rd District), who represents Falls Church.

Gov. Bob McDonnell issued an executive order stating that discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation violated the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.  Last year the governor sparked controversy when he issued an executive order that prohibited discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of demographic factors like age, sex, and race, but not sexual orientation.

Mount Vernon legislators support legislation that would make discrimination in the workplace on the basis of sexual orientation illegal, but they are not certain the rest of the Commonwealth is on board.  Issues such as the budget, gun control, illegal immigration and improving transportation on the Route 1 corridor remain at the legislative agenda forefront.

Nevertheless, Surovell said, “I think passing bills like this are an important step to recognize our society’s increasing appreciation that people should not be judged by sexual orientation.”