October 2006 Monthly Meeting
Where
Fairview Park Marriott Hotel
3111 Fairview Park Drive
Falls Church, Virginia 22042
703-849-9400
When
Oct 6, 2006
7:30 am - 9:00 am
On May 6, 1776, the Virginia Convention
met in Williamsburg to discuss independence
from the British Crown. Fairfax County
resident, George Mason, took the lead of the
drafting committee and proposed the first draft
of what became the Virginia Declaration of
Rights. This document represented a first
adopted statement basic human rights defining
spheres of individual liberty free from
government intrusion such as including freedom
of religion, freedom of press, and freedom of
speech. It was the foundational document
of the Bill of Rights adopted a decade
later.
Gay marriage has been illegal by law in Virginia since 1975 and civil unions since 2004. In 2006, the Virginia General Assembly proposes to amend the Virginia Declaration of Rights and instead of expanding the rights of individuals, proposes to restrict them. The text is as follows:
"That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.
This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."
Aside from its obvious discriminatory intentions and the precedent it sets, this amendment raises numerous practical concerns, including:
- Whether its overbroad wording will affect heterosexual couples;
- Whether it will jeopardize statute regarding domestic violence;
- Whether it will impact employer-provided healthcare plans that provide benefits to domestic partners;
- Whether it will cause businesses to refrain from relocating into Virginia or encourage businesses to leave.
Groups have been suiting up and raising money in anticipation with Vote No groups leading in fundraising so far. Linda Monk's organization We the People PAC recently held a rally at Gunston Hall after her Op-Ed was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. You can watch the Fox 5 news story and blog piece below:
Even federal appeals court judge, J. Harvie Wilkinson (periodically rumored as a Bush Supreme Court nominee) ,has come out in opposition of tinker with the Virginia Declaration:
Come hear what our experts have to say about how this amendment will impact business and politics in Virginia.
Gay marriage has been illegal by law in Virginia since 1975 and civil unions since 2004. In 2006, the Virginia General Assembly proposes to amend the Virginia Declaration of Rights and instead of expanding the rights of individuals, proposes to restrict them. The text is as follows:
"That only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.
This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage. Nor shall this Commonwealth or its political subdivisions create or recognize another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."
Aside from its obvious discriminatory intentions and the precedent it sets, this amendment raises numerous practical concerns, including:
- Whether its overbroad wording will affect heterosexual couples;
- Whether it will jeopardize statute regarding domestic violence;
- Whether it will impact employer-provided healthcare plans that provide benefits to domestic partners;
- Whether it will cause businesses to refrain from relocating into Virginia or encourage businesses to leave.
Groups have been suiting up and raising money in anticipation with Vote No groups leading in fundraising so far. Linda Monk's organization We the People PAC recently held a rally at Gunston Hall after her Op-Ed was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. You can watch the Fox 5 news story and blog piece below:
Even federal appeals court judge, J. Harvie Wilkinson (periodically rumored as a Bush Supreme Court nominee) ,has come out in opposition of tinker with the Virginia Declaration:
Come hear what our experts have to say about how this amendment will impact business and politics in Virginia.
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