A
bill
requiring
school
districts
to
give
parents
control
over
which
after-school
clubs
their
middle
and
high
school-aged
children
can
join
was
defeated
in
the
Virginia
Senate.
Its
demise
has
gay
rights
advocates
breathing
a
sigh
of
relief.
“Considering
this
bill
was
introduced
by
the
same
delegate
as
last
year
shows
it
concerns
more
than
just
parental
involvement,”
said
Dyana
Mason,
executive
director
of
Equality
Virginia.
“It
was
a
thinly
veiled
attack
on
gay-straight
alliances.”
The
bill,
known
officially
as
HB1727,
was
introduced
by
Del.
Matthew
Lohr,
(R-Harrisonburg)
Jan.
10
and
was
eventually
passed
by
the
House
of
Representatives
Jan.
30
by
a
vote
of
82-15.
It
was
introduced
in
the
Senate
Jan.
30
and
defeated
in
the
Senate
Education
&
Health
Committee
Feb.
15.
Critics
have
said
the
“permission
slips”
bill
would
force
gay
students
in
public
schools
to
come
out
to
their
parents
in
order
to
participate
in
a
GSA,
even
if
they
were
not
ready
or
willing
to
do
so.
“A
lot
of
young
people
are
not
comfortable
coming
out
to
parents
and
wouldn’t
ask
them
to
sign,”
Mason
said.
“[GSAs]
can
be
a
lifesaver
for
gay
kids,
who
have
higher
rates
of
intimidation,
harassment
and
dropping
out
of
school.”
The
version
that
passed
in
the
House
was
the
third
version
of
the
bill.
Gay
Del.
Adam
Ebbin
(D-Alexandria)
opposed
the
bill
from
the
start
calling
it
“unnecessary”
and
difficult
to
enforce.
“In
schools
with
a
large
number
of
clubs
and
students,
this
legislation
will
require
a
lot
of
paperwork
being
transmitted
and
tracked,”
he
said.
“This
is
not
a
valid
substitute
for
parents
communicating
directly
with
their
children.
I
oppose
forcing
school
districts
to
impose
one
of
two
‘solutions’
to
a
non-existent
problem.
Right
now
any
opt-out
or
opt-in
decision
is
up
to
locally
elected
school
boards
and
that
is
where
it
should
remain.”
A
number
of
GSA
clubs
have
waged
successful
battles
against
school
boards
that
do
not
want
gay
clubs
on
their
campuses.
According
to
the
American
Civil
Liberties
Union,
courts
in
Georgia,
Utah,
California,
Indiana,
Kentucky
and
Minnesota
have
all
ruled
in
favor
of
GSAs
under
the
Equal
Access
Act,
which
states
that
schools
allowing
one
extra-curricular
club
to
meet
on
campus
must
allow
all
such
clubs
to
meet.
Hospital
visitation
measure
passes
A
bill
authored
by
Del.
David
Englin
(D-Alexandria)
that
would
allow
hospital
patients
to
receive
any
visitors
they
desire
sailed
through
the
Senate
by
a
vote
of
40-0
on
Tuesday.
The
bill,
known
as
HB2730,
passed
through
the
House
Feb.
5
by
a
vote
of
97-0.
Englin
said
he
worked
hard
to
get
the
bill
passed,
reaching
out
to
committee
chairs
and
courting
moderates.
“It
wasn’t
a
slam
dunk,”
he
said.
“It
had
to
go
through
two
subcommittee
hearings
and
there
were
concerns
about
the
language
of
the
bill.
I’ve
seen
how
legislation
that
is
helpful
to
gays
and
lesbians
makes
it
so
far
in
the
process
until
anti-gay
forces
kill
it.
If
you’re
gay
and
in
the
hospital,
this
legislation
can
make
a
huge
difference
for
you.”
Englin
also
praised
Equality
Virginia
activists
who
lobbied
legislators
and
groups
such
as
AARP
and
the
Virginia
Hospital
and
Healthcare
Association,
which
both
supported
the
bill.
Supporters
expect
Gov.
Tim
Kaine
to
sign
it
and
it
would
take
effect
July
1.
Another
bill,
SB1242,
introduced
by
Sen.
Mary
Margaret
Whipple
(D-District
31)
was
struck
down
last
week
by
the
House
Compensation
&
Retirement
Subcommittee.
It
would
have
allowed
local
governments
to
extend
health
care
coverage
to
anyone
mutually
agreed
upon
by
local
government
entities
and
covered
employees
and
retirees.
It
could
have
benefited
gays
because
domestic
partners
could
have
been
named.
It
was
introduced
Jan.
10
and
passed
through
the
Senate
by
a
vote
of
36-4.
It
also
passed
through
the
House
Committee
on
Counties,
Cities
&
Towns
Feb.
9
by
a
vote
of
11-10.
In
a
procedural
move,
it
was
re-referred
to
the
House
Appropriations
Committee,
where
it
was
defeated
by
a
vote
of
4-1.
