Equality Virginia Advocates (EVA) is the lobbying arm of the nonprofit organization, Equality Virginia, a left-of-center organization that promotes LGBT-interest policies and legislation.

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.” ⁵

EVA chooses its political endorsements by circulating a questionnaire to candidates, asking how they will support EVA’s LGBT related issues. ⁶

Contributions to Other Organizations

In 2017, EVA contributed $50,000 to the AAPI Victory Fund. ⁷

In 2005, the Equality Virginia Political Action Committee (EVPAC) was established. ⁸

1. “Local Leaders for Fairness Statement of Support.” Equality Virginia, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.equalityvirginia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-Leaders-for-Fairness-Statement-of-Support.pdf.
2. “ECPAC 2019 Endorsements.” Equality Virginia Advocates, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://evadvocates.org/endorsements/.
3. “Equality Virginia at the General Assembly.” Equality Virginia, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.equalityvirginia.org/equality-virginia-at-the-general-assembly/.
4. “Legislators Who Have Signed the Non-discrimination Statement.” Equality Virginia, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.equalityvirginia.org/what-we-do/ending-discrimination/workplace-discrimination/legislators-committed-to-a-fair-workplace/.
5. “Local Leaders for Fairness Statement of Support.” Equality Virginia, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://www.equalityvirginia.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Local-Leaders-for-Fairness-Statement-of-Support.pdf.
6. “ECPAC 2019 Endorsements.” Equality Virginia Advocates, 2020. Accessed May 5, 2020. https://evadvocates.org/endorsements/.
7. “Individual Contributions: Equality Virginia Advocates.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=equality%20virginia.
8. “Who We Are.” Equality Virginia Advocates, 2020. Accessed March 30, 2020.  https://evadvocates.org/about-ev/who-we-are/.