Equality Virginia Advocates

EVA actively engages with legislators in the Virginia General Assembly in support of its agenda. EVA also encourages legislators to sign any number of its non-discrimination statements, one of which designates signers as “Local Leaders for Fairness.” ¹

EVA circulates a questionnaire to Virginia candidates in order to gauge each one’s support of LGBT issues, and uses the results to determine its endorsements. ²

Activities

Advocacy

EVA  advances the interests of LGBT people in Virginia by engaging with legislators in the Virginia State Assembly, in support of LGBT-interest legislation like same-sex marriage and various “non-discrimination” policies, and in opposition to bills it claims moves its agenda “backwards.” ³

EVA has authored multiple non-discrimination statements that it asks Assembly members to sign, with a list of signers prominently displayed on its website. One statement is a single sentence, affirming that the signing legislator will not discriminate against an employee in their office based on gender or sexual preference. ⁴  Another statement calls its signers “Local Leaders for Fairness” and asks for a promise to support legislation that supports EVA’s LGBT interests, calling it a “basic human right.” ¹

EVA chooses its political endorsements by circulating a questionnaire to candidates, asking how they will support EVA’s LGBT related issues. ²

Contributions to Other Organizations

In 2017, EVA contributed $50,000 to the AAPI Victory Fund. ⁵

In 2005, the Equality Virginia Political Action Committee (EVPAC) was established. ⁶