Aug 14, 2009  |  By: Chris Johnson  | COMMENTS     

A longtime opponent of LGBT rights is seeking to retain his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the face of increased pressure from activists seeking to remove him from office.

Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), one of the few remaining social conservatives from Northern Virginia still holding public office, will attempt to hold onto his 13th District seat in November.

Challenging Marshall for the House seat is John Bell, an Air Force veteran of 26 years who served as a comptroller for military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marshall drew the ire of LGBT residents after he became chief sponsor of the Marshall-Newman Amendment, which in 2006 codified a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the Virginia Constitution.

Tom Osborne, treasurer of the Virginia Partisans, an LGBT Democratic group, called Marshall “somebody that … everybody in the LGBT community agrees we would love to see as an ex-delegate.”

Much of Marshall’s campaign web site addresses transportation and education, but the lawmaker said in an interview with the Blade this week that he remains opposed to marriage rights for same-sex couples.

He said the Marshall-Newman Amendment “upholds marriage and there’s no way you can alter marriage.”

“Anybody who thinks they can is mistaken,” he said.

Marshall said his constituents and voters throughout Virginia approve of the Marshall-Newman Amendment. After being approved by the Virginia General Assembly in 2005 and 2006, the electorate ratified the amendment in 2006 with a 57 percent vote.

“Had it been phrased a little differently — with the original language —we would have passed it with an even bigger margin, but it passed,” Marshall said.

He also expressed opposition to other pro-LGBT initiatives in Virginia, calling consideration of civil unions or domestic partnerships “a stalking horse for lawsuits.”

Marshall also criticized a long-suffering bill that would allow Virginia companies to extend life insurance policies to the same-sex partners of employees.

“When I read homosexual literature and magazines, the average income of homosexuals is much higher than that of heterosexual couples,” he said. “If I believed your magazine and homosexual rights’ so-called proponents, there’s no need for that.”

Marshall declined to say whether he regrets any action he’s taken as a lawmaker with regard to LGBT issues, calling the inquiry “an illicit question.”

“It’s a ‘when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife-type’ question, and it doesn’t allow a straight answer, pardon the pun,” he said.

Asked whether he’s confident that he’ll retain his seat in November, Marshall replied, “That’s up to the people to make that decision, not me.”

Opponent a strong ‘supporter of equality’

Marshall’s opponent in the race has virtually the opposite position on every issue impacting gay residents.

Bell said during a Blade interview Aug. 7 that he’s “very strongly a supporter of equality for every citizen” and is bothered when someone tries to take away rights from other people.

“Bob has pretty much led the assault every year on the right to choose, and also has assaulted especially the gay and lesbian community with Marshall-Newman and other amendments he’s done and bills he’s introduced,” Bell said.

Bell, who currently works as a financial analyst for the MITRE Corp., a federally funded non-profit, said he’s running to ensure the Virginia state government focuses on issues that have a “positive impact on people’s lives.”

“I want to make sure that we focus on issues that can positively impact people’s lives every day — economic development, transportation improvement, educational funding,” he said.

Bell said he supports same-sex marriage and called the Marshall-Newman Amendment “a disgrace to the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

“I believe it’s a black mark on our state,” he said. “It enshrines our Constitution with discrimination. I believe the Constitution should guarantee the rights of citizens, not guarantee taking them away.”

Bell said he would not only vote to repeal the amendment, but would sponsor such an initiative.

He also said he’d support legislation prohibiting bias in the public and private workforces based on sexual orientation and would support legislation allowing Virginia companies to provide life insurance benefits to the same-sex partners of employees.

But defeating Marshall will likely be an uphill battle. The social conservative won re-election in 2007 and 2005 with at least 55 percent of the vote. In 2003, he ran unopposed.

Bell said he thinks he can defeat Marshall because of the changing demographic in Loudoun and Prince William counties, noting the growth and development of the 13th District.

“Last year, President Obama won the district and also [Democrat U.S. Sen.] Mark Warner won the district with a big margin,” he said. “So we know that there are enough Democratic voters in the district now to win.”

Bell wins support

Jon Blair, CEO ...