Virginia Republicans are dealing with a bit of an identity crisis that's stirring up controversy.
As first reported by Brandon Jarvis at the Virginia Scope, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate for governor, hand wrote a note opposing same-sex marriage on anti-marriage-discrimination legislation that passed the General Assembly and was signed by Gov. Youngking last year.
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WATCH HERE"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 Del. Rozia Henson, D-Prince William County.
Henson wrote the bill on which Earle-Sears wrote her note. 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.
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SIGN UP After the bill passed both chambers, Earle-Sears took a pen and write on the bill, "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."
”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.
Now, Earle-Sears is the Republican nominee for governor, and the Republican lieutenant governor nominee, John Reid, is an openly gay man.
In a statement to News4, 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."
In 2024, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey among adults in Virginia and found 64% agreed that homosexuality "should be accepted."
