1. Hate Crime Legislation: Should crimes against people because of their sexual orientation be included in hate crime legislation?

Answer: If Virginia were to consider hate crime legislation the GA in general, I would have no problem working to include crimes directed against people because of their sexual orientation. The long term goal we should be seeking, however, is one where gays (let's posit that term covers all folks in the GLBT spectrum) are accepted in the community and their relationships are not ones to raise enough ire to inspire hate crimes. (See my answer to #3 and #4 below.)

2. Sodomy Laws: Would you work to erase sodomy laws from the books?

Answer: Since this appears to be in the category of laws against crimes that are not enforced, might it not be unnecessarily inflammatory to start out with this as a campaign issue? When my wife and I married (she is Asian) our union was illegal in Virginia under then existing miscegenation laws. We married as did thousand of other mixed-race couples. Eventually the uniqueness of this wore off and the laws have been repealed.

Elaboration: Since my original anwer I have learned that I was wrong in thinking these laws are not enforced. They are, and most often selectively against gay persons. Since that is the case, I would work to have them erased from the Virginia code.

3. Job Discrimination: Would you work to ensure that sexual orientation could not be a cause for job discrimination?

Answer: Yes.

4. Legalizing Relationships Between GLBT Partners: What are your views on legalizing relationships between gay or lesbian partners?

I think that gay partnerships that have lasted as long as the legally required time for heterosexual couples to claim "common law" status should have the same legal status. In any case where children are involved and each partner has legal obligations to the children, the legal status of the relationship shall be established without regard to length of relationship. Gay couples who have entered into a legally binding relationship should have the same right to adopt children as do non-gay couples. This relationship could be based on time together (see above) or occur as a result of both accepting legal obligation for a child on adoption or birth.

Elaboration: After answering this question I learned that Virginia does not provide legal recognition of common-law relationships. I believe that stable gay partnerships are as important to community stability as any other. I believe that the caring parenting of children, whatever the household structure, is a vital societal goal. I would work closely with the gay community to ensure that their concerns are heard as we in the legislature seek to do with law what still must be done in the heart.

5. Harrassment/Discrimination in the Public Schools: Would you sponsor legislation to ban harrassment/discrimination against students in the public school system state wide?

Answer: This is probably more a local issue than a statewide one. Still, harrassment in schools, for varied reasons, has probably always been a problem. Gay teenagers may be a special target since the society in general is moving in a more accepting way, encouraging these children to come out, only to find that they are targets for their contemporaries. My immediate concern is that although we can all deplore harrassment, we may not always be able to identify it.

I would not support laws that might end up at the same logically extreme place laws against drugs and guns in the schools have. To do that would subject a desireable goal to ridicule. I would want to involve teachers, school administrators and child psychologists to ensure we ended up with a workable model. This model could then be used to help local systems craft a community supported harrassment law.

Al Weed (electronic mail, November 4, 2001 and November 9, 2001).