Having just spent two weeks in Virginia -- and having had to explain to a few prospective local employees that my company's domestic partner benefits are legal in Virginia because we're not based there and we self-insure them -- I am overjoyed to see Ken Sain's latest item in the Washington Blade that the Virginia House voted 49 - 48 to allow private companies to offer domestic partner benefits. Since the bil has already passed the Virginia Senate, it goes to the governor's desk, where there is every indication it will be signed. This caps off a series of events, one of which I already blogged and mentioned elsewhere, that ended up blocking attempts to ban gay adoption and fostering, school gay-straight alliances, and putting "Traditional Marriage" on license plates.
It's amazing how quiet the gay left has been on this particular group of issues. Perhaps they don't like the fact that, since the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate both have Republican supermajorities (60%), that means Republicans in Virginia HAVE voted in favor of gay rights -- which neatly blows their stereotype and victimization complex that all Republicans hate gays out of the water. In addition, as Sain pointedly states, gay activists "hid" while business lobbyists brought this forward -- again, a body blow to the moonbat lefties who try to blame all their problems on "evil corporations".
There are two lessons to be learned here. First, arguing that nondiscrimination makes good business sense is more convincing than even the most rabid wingnut in swaying votes. Second, and perhaps more damning -- when the gay left, its agenda, and its rhetoric stay away, progress is made.
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