Jennifer Carroll Foy released on Tuesday her plan to protect and expand civil rights protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Carroll Foy, a candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for governor, backed legislation as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates to protect LGBTQIA+ communities against discrimination in the workplace, housing, credit card applications, public spaces and health care.
Carroll Foy has pledged to ensure marriage equality is the law of the land, amending the Virginia’s Constitution to ensure recent federal gains won’t be turned back in our Commonwealth.
She also backs eliminating the LGBTQIA+ “panic defense,” which allows leniency for violence because of one’s identity.
Other highlights of her plan include the following:
- Institute a statewide 100-day challenge to end LGBTQIA+ homelessness, as modeled by successes in California.
- Champion a bill that clarifies the Virginia Human Rights Act to define sexual and workplace harassment to include harassment based on an individual’s sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Institute a program to increase workforce participation by LGBTQIA+ individuals, and work with the Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to recognize LGBTQIA-owned businesses and ensure increased access to state-funded contracts.