Virginia’s governor just signed 3 pro-LGBTQ bills

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam
Photo by: Craig – Wikimedia Commons

Virginia’s newly Democratic-controlled legislature continues to pass sweeping legislation to protect the LGBTQ community

On Thursday, life got a little bit safer for Virginia’s LGBTQ community as Gov. Ralph Northam (D) signed three pro-equality bills into law.

The laws protect transgender youth in schools, pave the way for additional LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections, and also expand the definition of hate crimes to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Related: Virginia advances LGBTQ rights as Republicans call for secession

House Bill 145 and Senate Bill 161, sponsored by Delegate Marcus Simon (D) and state Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D) respectively, state that the Department of Education is required “to develop and make available to each school board, no later than December 31, 2020, model policies concerning the treatment of transgender students in public elementary and secondary schools that address common issues regarding transgender students.”

In a statement on the law, Gov. Northam said, “In Virginia, we….

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