Jul 27, 2007  |  By: ELIZABETH PERRY  | COMMENTS     

The only gay delegate in the Virginia General Assembly is up for a third term this November after running unopposed in 2005, but this time he faces competition from the Independent Green Party.

James Ronald Fisher is running against Del. Adam Ebbin for the District 49 Assembly seat, representing the city of Alexandria and parts of Arlington and Fairfax Counties. Both candidates are in favor of pro-gay and environmental legislation, but that is where the similarities end. Ebbin is senior whip of the House Democratic Caucus with two terms under his belt, and Fisher is a first-time candidate.

Before he was elected to the General Assembly in 2003, Ebbin was a fellow at the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia and served as chief deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor & Industry for Gov. Mark Warner. He was the first openly gay state legislator elected to the Assembly, and ran unopposed in 2005.

If he wins a third term this November, Ebbin said he wants to see sexual orientation added to the state’s nondiscrimination policy in the Code of Virginia. He said Govs. Warner and Tim Kaine agreed to forbid anti-gay discrimination in state employment during their terms in office.

“Right now you can’t discriminate because the governor says so,” Ebbin said. “If it’s in the code we won’t be relying on future governors to agree with us.”

This term, Ebbin said he plans to push for legislation concerning human trafficking, green buildings and climate change. He also plans to support new legislation that would authorize drivers with restricted licenses to drive any household member, not just a spouse, for medical treatment. 

Despite the passage of the Virginia marriage amendment, he remains optimistic about the future of gay rights in the state. He said that when he first arrived in Richmond the range and amount of anti-gay legislation was a challenge, but that last session saw an anti-gay bill introduced and defeated for the third year in a row.

“I’m hopeful that we have slowed down the attacks and that we are moving into a position where we can make modest advances,” he said. “I do see things slowly getting better. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think we were making progress.”

Since he has been in office, the Assembly has voted to authorize private companies to extend health insurance to domestic partners and defeated efforts to restrict adoptions and access to gay-straight alliances in schools. In addition, notoriously anti-gay Dels. Dick Black (R-Loudoun) and Brad Mars (R-Chesterfield) were voted out of office in 2005. Ebbin said the non-discrimination in public employment bill that was introduced last session had 50 co-sponsors, including 11 senators.

“The list included every member of the black caucus and seven Republicans,” he said. “Four years ago you wouldn’t have seen 50 people co-sponsor pro-gay legislation. There has been increased public outspokenness and a broader coalition of people willing to be supporters [of pro-gay legislation] in public.”

Fisher is running on an Independent Green Party platform, which stresses cooperation between public and private sectors to care for all people and promote the general welfare.

“I’m running as a national activist and citizen legislator,” he said. “Adam [Ebbin] has done a good job, but now I want my chance.”

Some of the goals of Fisher’s campaign include affordable public transportation, environmental concerns such as safe food and water and protected natural resources, affordable health care, low unemployment and fair wages. He said he also intends to work toward ending the war in Iraq and replacing the Bush administration. 

He and his wife have lived in District 49 for more than a dozen years and in the state for three decades. A member of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Fisher said he is in favor of gay rights, including non-discrimination protections in the workplace and marriage rights.

“If two people have decided to share their lives together they should have the same benefits as everyone else,” he said. “They should have partnerships and marriages. It just makes sense.”

Fisher attended the Naval Academy with Republican presidential candidate John McCain and graduated with honors.

He served in the Navy for 30 years as an engineer and was awarded the Legion of Merit and Vietnam Service medals.