Gay rights group pushes anti-discrimination bill

RICHMOND

Equality Virginia, a gay rights group, is targeting a bill to outlaw job discrimination based on sexual orientation as its top priority for the session.

The legislation, HB2385, would cover state and local government employees, not the private sector, which in many cases already offers the protection.

State jobs are currently under an executive order to ban such discrimination, but gay rights supporters worry a Republican governor could rescind the order. The order began with Gov. Mark Warner and has continued under Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, both Democrats.

Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, ruled in 2006 that such policy must be approved by the General Assembly, and that Warner and Kaine overstepped their authority.

Del. Adam Ebbin, D-Arlington, sponsor of HB2385, has failed to get the same legislation out of a House committee the past two years. Ebbin said it’s hard to gauge how often government workers face repercussions because of their sexual orientation.

“It’s hard to know what kind of chilling effect it could have,” he said.

In a statement, The Family Foundation of Virginia called the bill “campaign fodder” and said there was no evidence of discrimination in Virginia’s state government hiring procedures.