Aug 27, 2004  |  By: JOE CREA  | COMMENTS     

Adam Ebbin, Virginia’s first openly gay delegate to the Virginia Assembly, will hold two re-election fund-raisers in the next few days, one of which will feature Gov. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who is likely to face questions from gay constituents concerned about a new Virginia law prohibiting the recognition of civil unions or other marriage-like contracts for gay couples.

Warner, who did not sign the Marriage Affirmation Act, approved of the measure’s ban on recognizing civil unions but was opposed to the extra restriction on contracts.

The new law went into effect July 1after the Virginia House of Delegates passed the measure by a veto-proof two-thirds majority in the spring. The ACLU of Virginia has announced it will file a lawsuit challenging the measure.

David Lampo, president of the Virginia Log Cabin Republicans, a gay partisan group, criticized the governor’s gay supporters for continuing to back Warner.

“In Virginia, sad to say, Governor Warner is considered more progressive than most,” Lampo said. “But it is disturbing that so many people just assume that Democrats, like the governor, are better on our issues but only to some substantial degree. The governor tends to get a pass on these issues because the Republican is automatically denounced, and rightfully so. But so often the gay Democrats make excuses or explain away the same positions when the politician is a Democrat.”

Ellen Qualls, Warner’s press secretary, said that had the Marriage Affirmation Act been sent back to Warner’s office, he would have vetoed the measure.

While the governor is on the record opposing gay marriage and civil unions, it is not known what his official position is on domestic partnership benefits.

Virginia is the only state known to prohibit private companies from offering domestic partnership benefits to employees. A bill introduced this year would have reversed that law, but failed in the Senate. Qualls said the governor backed that effort.

Ebbin said the events in the next few days are not “gay fund-raisers” and praised the governor for being supportive of his candidacy.

Dyana Mason, executive director of Equality Virginia, said that her group recommended to Warner the strategy that he offer amendments to the Marriage Affirmation Act in an effort to weaken the bill.

“If we asked for a flat-out veto, the bill would have still passed,” Mason said. “The strategy almost worked. We got within one vote of sending it to the governor. I hope that our members recognize that.”

Mason said that the governor could do more for gay rights in Virginia. She said that he has appointed gay people to his staff and administration and was instrumental last year in getting Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors to reverse its controversial decision to strip “sexual orientation” from the school’s non-discrimination policy.

“He’s visible, he participates in community events and attends our annual legislative session every year,” Mason said. “But there is always more he could do.”

Joe Crea can be reached at jcrea@washblade.com.