Equality Virginia records

Equality Virginia was founded in 1989 as Virginians for Justice, which served as a statewide, non-partisan education, outreach, and advocacy organization seeking equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Virginians. The organizational structure consists of members, advisory councils, board of directors, and the executive committee as well as three task force groups: Hate Crimes Task Force, Development Task Force, and Legislative Task Force.

When the organization was founded, their immediate goal was to pursue the enactment of legislation that would ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in all aspects of life. Specific goals included: to reform the ABC laws discriminating against LGBT establishments, increase penalties for hate crimes, amend the humans rights law to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, and fight for the rights of victims of the AIDS epidemic. Materials in the collection document strategies employed by Equality Virginia to forward these goals, including the following: uniting LGBT organizations, educating Virginians, communicating to the media, lobbying the members of the State General Assembly and other governmental agencies, and encouraging grassroot response to legislative initiatives.

The organization has had multiple successes in changing Virginia legislation to include equal rights for LGBT Virginians. These successes include fighting the Virginia Housing Development Authority’s “Family Rule” legislation, overturning legislation that allowed the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to revoke liquor licenses for homosexual establishments, along with defeating legislation that would ban gay adoption in Virginia.