Virginia GOP Blocks Attempt To Repeal Same-Sex Marriage Ban After Testimony From Hate Group Spox

The Virginia Mercury reports:

A scaled-back proposal to repeal Virginia’s antiquated constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was blocked Friday by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, despite supporters’ attempts to win bipartisan votes by stripping out any language overtly backing LGBTQ equality.

Just prior to Friday’s vote in a House Rules subcommittee set up to hear proposals for constitutional amendments, a representative of the socially conservative Family Foundation raised the prospect of the Supreme Court overturning the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationally.

“If and when it does, Virginia’s constitution should continue to reflect the truth about marriage,” said Family Foundation lobbyist Todd Gathje [photo]. None of the four Republicans on the subcommittee spoke about the proposal or disagreed with Gathje’s comments before the 4-1 vote to block it.

Read the full article. Gathje was in the headlines last month when a Virginia restaurant refused to host a Family Foundation event due to their anti-LGBTQ activism.

A scaled-back proposal to repeal Virginia’s antiquated constitutional ban on same-sex marriage was blocked Friday by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

via @MercuryVirginia @gmoomaw https://t.co/qWsw2vvNlx

— News from the States (@statesnewsroom) February 17, 2023