Just as North Carolina has cautiously closed the chapter on Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, one of the state’s most memorable bigoted political figures in recent memory, our neighboring state of Virginia may be experiencing a reasonable facsimile in the form of their own Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Earle-Sears, the Virginia Republican party’s upcoming candidate for governor, hand wrote a note opposing same-sex marriage on House Bill 174, which affirmed the state’s recognition and allowance of the right to marry. This bill also ensured that the state would recognize any lawful marriage between two parties, regardless of their sex, gender, or race. It passed the General Assembly and was signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin last year.
On the copy of the bill, after the document had passed both chambers, Earle-Sears wrote, “As the Lt. Governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to the procedures laid out in the Constitution of Virginia. However, I remain morally opposed to the contents of HB174 as passed by the General Assembly.”
Delegate Rozia Henson (D-Prince William County) is the bill’s author and is also the first openly gay Black man to serve in Virginia’s General Assembly. That fact and milestone draws more reason for Henson’s concern.
”She knows I’m an openly gay Black state representative, so the fact that she wrote something personal on my bill, knowing that she knows me and my family, that was somewhat disheartening,” Henson said during an interview with a DC NBC affiliate.
While the act of signing the bill is a “ministerial” act that Virginia’s lieutenant governor and House speaker carry out routinely for all bills passed by the General Assembly, per a spokesperson for the House of Delegates, the additional writing found tacked on is unusual.
“I haven’t seen it done before in my time in the General Assembly, even as a legislative aide in the GA in 2014,” said Henson.
House Bill 174 prohibits any person authorized by the state to issue marriage licenses from denying someone a marriage license based on their sex, gender or race. However, the law also includes a provision that allows religious organizations and members of the clergy to decline to officiate ceremonies that “violate their conscience,” according to a previous statement from Youngkin’s office.
In a statement to News4 NBC Washington, Earle-Sears’ campaign said, in part, “She has already shown she will always be a governor for all Virginians. She has always been open and honest with the people of Virginia about her values and her unwavering commitment to both respecting and upholding the law.”
The note may very well follow Earle-Sears to the next election in the most awkward way possible. While Earle-Sears stands as the Republican nominee for governor, the Republican lieutenant governor nominee, John Reid, as mentioned earlier in this article, is an openly gay man.