HRC Blog

Bipartisan Poll Shows Promising Future for LGBT Equality in Virginia

July 11, 2013 by Dan Rafter, Online Campaigns Manager

Photo (c) Zachary Gibson/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign

Today HRC President Chad Griffin is on the ground in Richmond to unveil the results of a new, bipartisan poll showing that Virginians are generally supportive of LGBT equality. The poll found a strong majority of Virginians – 55 percent – support marriage equality. That number jumps to 71 percent for Virginians under the age of 30, indicative of the direction Virginia is moving. A third of Republicans in the commonwealth also support marriage for loving, committed same-sex couples.

Support for employment protections in Virginia is high as well. Seventy-four percent of adults in the commonwealth – including 65 percent of Republicans – support legislation that would prevent workers for being fired due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The poll was conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and Target Point Consulting from June 26-30, 2013.

Additional findings from the poll include:

· Support for marriage equality is high throughout most of Virginia. It stands at:

68 percent in Northern Virginia
53 percent in Central Virginia
51 percent in Eastern Virginia
58 percent of African Americans in Virginia support marriage equality.

· 58 percent of African Americans in Virginia support marriage equality.
· 81 percent of Virginians mistakenly believe it’s already illegal to fire someone simply for being LGBT.

·Support for employment protections at the state level are high across demographics:

70 percent of Independents
62 percent of Republicans
71 percent of African Americans

The poll is available online at www.hrc.org/VApoll.

While in Richmond, Griffin also announced HRC’s endorsements in the race for Virginia’s top statewide offices: Terry McAuliffe for governor, Ralph Northam for lieutenant governor, and Mark Herring for attorney general.

Equality Virginia Executive Director James Parrish (c) Zachary Gibson/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign

Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) Photo (c) Zachary Gibson/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign

Dolly Davis, right, Sen. Ralph Northam (D-Norfolk), middle, and Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudon and Fairfax), left (c) Photo Zachary Gibson/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign

And for more on today's press conference, watch the CBS6 video below.