Virginia’s Democratic Party contenders for attorney general support equal rights for all Virginians

In what may be a tight race for Virginia’s next attorney general, Sen. Mark Herring (Fairfax and Loudon counties) and former federal prosecutor, Justin Fairfax, each stated unequivocally on Friday their support for same sex marriage and “equality rights” more generally.

On Friday, Justin Fairfax told Metro Weekly that he’s in favor of “repealing the adoption/fostering “conscience clause,” saying the legislation is overly broad and that placement decisions should be base on the best interests children [sic].”

But it was Sen. Mark Herring who caught the most attention from the mainstream media on Friday after he released his “equality agenda” on issues pertaining to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) rights.

In a conference call on Friday with the media and “activists,” Herring pointed to his pro-LGBT record and “promised to use the power of the attorney general’s office to protect LGBT rights, with particular regard to nondiscrimination, bullying and adoption.” During the call, Herring contrasted his pro-tolerance record with the non-tolerant political record of Virginia’s current attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli.

Herring’s political record on the issue of LGBT rights certainly has credit, as evidenced by the perfect rating given to Herring on LGBT rights on the 2012 legislative scorecard issued by Virginia’s main LGBT-advocacy organization, Equality Virginia.

Looking at the recent widespread and sustained surge of support for equal rights for same sex couples, it’s surprising just how fast the issue came to the political foreground and shocking that it took so long for this issue to do so.

As is so often the case in politics, our political context in America opened the path for repressed social issues like LGBT rights that pits the Democratic Party, with their progressive position on LGBT rights, against the Republican Party who are…conservative.

It will be a tough choice for Democrats in Virginia when it comes time to vote for our next attorney general. Fairfax and Herring both have solidly progressive views on a number of important issues, including LGBT rights.

The biggest strike I can find between either of them is Fairfax’s legalistic reasoning in support of same sex rights. While both candidates are lawyers, Herring plays the political harp to the tune of popular speech, not legalese.

If there is one word of advice I can offer Mr. Fairfax, it’s this: sound like a man of the people, not a man of the courtroom speaking to the people.