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Virginia Governor Signs Virginia Values Act into Law

4/10/2020

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by Jeff B White

Virginia is now for ALL lovers!! Today Gov. Ralph Northam signed the Virginia Values Act into law thereby ensuring all LGBTQ+ Virginians are protected from discrimination under state law. The National Equality Action Team (NEAT) joined the Virginia Values Coalition to ensure the voices of Virginians were heard by state lawmakers. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers across the country, NEAT made almost 30,000 dials to connect voters with their representatives and the Governor throughout the course of this campaign.

“I'm delighted that Governor Northam has signed the Virginia Values Act! As a NEAT volunteer, I called voters to make it easy for them to make their voices heard.”, said Lisa Danz, who made calls from California during the campaign, “This was a particularly exciting campaign because our work kept changing as the bill progressed through both houses and then landed on the Governor's desk. I'm proud of the Virginian electorate for making their voices heard, and I'm proud to have helped some of them do so. Thank you, Governor Northam and Virginia legislators, for making this happen!”

Twenty states and more than 250 towns all across the country have already passed laws protecting their LGBTQ+ residents, making Virginia the twenty-first state to do so, as well as the first state in the South to declare itself safe for all. The bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, public or private employment, public spaces and credit transactions. It also lays out the causes of action that would allow individuals to sue over alleged discrimination.
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“This law being enacted means that the leaders of Virginia understand that LGBTQ+ Virginians deserve respect and protections in their state, just as much as any other resident,” said Brian Silva, Founder and Executive Director of NEAT. “I am extremely proud of our volunteers for their dedicated work and adaptability during this campaign.”

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Intersections: 5 Principles for a Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus

4/9/2020

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The world is on fire these days. Perhaps it is more accurate to say the world is smoldering quietly at home while our healthcare workers manage the explosions and fires. Without a doubt, this is the farthest-reaching crisis in most people’s lifetime. Everyone involved with NEAT hopes that you and your loved ones stay safe and healthy. 

For Intersections this month, we are focusing on a broad support statement sponsored by the Center for Popular Democracy and 13 other organizations: the Five Principles of Just COVID-19 Relief and Stimulus. With the pandemic at hand, there is a flurry of public policy and legal issues in play. Nearly all of the issues will touch on the LGBTQ+ community to varying degrees.
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The sponsors and a continuously growing list of signatories believe the following five principles should be guiding lights as the country manages through and after the pandemic:

1.     Health is the top priority, for all people, with no exceptions.
2.     Provide economic relief directly to the people.
3.     Rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives.
4.     Make a down payment on a regenerative economy, while preventing future crises.
5.     Protect our democratic process while protecting each other.

If these statements are followed by lawmakers now and ongoing, all communities will be lifted off of this battlefield and can begin to restart the planet’s engines in a meaningful way. NEAT is proud to be a signatory to these principles and continues to apply them to present COVID-19 response issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community.

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Idaho Governor Signs Discrimination into Law Against Transgender Idahoans

4/2/2020

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Monday was a sad day in Idaho when Governor Ben Little chose to take critical time away from dealing with the current global pandemic to sign two anti-trans bills into law: House Bills 500 and 509. Despite this, we are extremely proud of the volunteers from NEAT and our partners who worked tirelessly against this. In less than 24 hours, NEAT organized an online phone bank campaign for Idaho. Over 12 days, NEAT and partner volunteers made almost 6000 dials, talked to almost 1000 Idahoans, and left almost 600 messages in support of trans rights with the Governor.

“In the effort to defeat HB500/509 in Idaho, NEAT couldn't have joined the coalition at a better time,” said Damon Hainline, field organizer with the National Center for Transgender Equality. “NEAT not only allowed dozens of supporters across the country to join our phone banking efforts, their system became the backbone of grassroots contact to the governor when we were no longer able to hold in person phone banks.”

“This type of rapid response is exactly what our Field Collaborative was made for,” said Brian Silva, Founder and Executive Director of NEAT. “While we didn’t get the outcome we hoped for, we will continue to fight for Justice for all transgender people in Idaho and beyond.”

HB 500 makes Idaho the first state to ban transgender students from joining same-gendered sports teams. While HB 509 bans transgender residents from updating their name and gender marker on their birth certificate, making it impossible for transgender people in Idaho to properly identify themselves.

Want to be involved in future actions? Sign up today at https://www.theneat.org/subscribe.html

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