Senator Ebbin on how Earle-Sears wants to roll back gay rights

Senator Ebbin pens a guest column to discuss GOP nominee Earle-Sears' desire to roll back gay rights.

InsideNoVa: Guest Column: Earle-Sears wants to roll back gay rights

As the first openly gay member of the House of Delegates and later the first openly gay state senator, one of my priorities has always been fighting for the rights of all Virginians – no matter who they love.

Throughout my career, we’ve made significant progress. I went from being the first and only gay legislator to one of many. And members of both sides of the aisle have fought to protect gay rights.

As we took each step forward, there were people who wanted to push back, and it’s been up to us to protect our progress.

This November that’s on the line. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP candidate for governor, wants to roll back the rights of gay Virginians.

In an unearthed candidate survey, Sears pledged to support letting Virginians get fired for being gay – meaning she wants employers to be able to fire, demote or deny someone a job because of their sexual orientation.

It’s dangerous. It’s outright illegal. And it’s horrifying that Sears believes she should be able to strip Virginians of their legal workplace protections. She wants to go back to a time where Virginians can lose their jobs because of who they are and who they love.

We cannot let that happen. This is supposed to be a commonwealth of opportunity. Everybody should have a chance to succeed, regardless of who they are, what they look like, where they live or who they love.

Read the full column here.