
Why Virginia State Fair should stop giving free food to transgender children
After a series of tweets from a trans woman and a friend asking the state fair to stop giving children free food at the state’s annual parade, Virginia’s governor, Mark Warner, announced he would veto the bill.
The measure, sponsored by state Sen. Tim Kaine, would have allowed adults and children to bring food to the parade and provided exemptions for the transgender community.
The bill’s sponsor, Democratic state Sen of Richmond, tried to amend the bill in the Senate but was defeated.
“I’m sorry to say I’ve had to make a decision on this, but I believe that our state has become too tolerant of these types of issues,” Warner told reporters in a statement.
We must work together to make Virginia a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of who they love, or who they are.” “
We must not let our state become a sanctuary state.
We must work together to make Virginia a welcoming place for everyone, regardless of who they love, or who they are.”
The bill, SB 1161, was signed into law by Gov.
Jay Inslee and will take effect in 2017.
In a statement, the governor said, “The Virginia State fair and its community of participants, guests, vendors and staff deserve the highest standards of care and treatment.
Our families are valued, our families deserve the best possible experience, and the fair and the businesses that support it deserve the protection they need.”
The bill would have created an “exemption from providing a free or discounted food item” at the Virginia state fair if the person or child is transgender.
A previous version of the bill, HB 1225, which also would have prohibited food at this year’s event, was defeated by lawmakers after the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) filed a lawsuit challenging the bill and said the bill “would make the state more intolerant of transgender people than it already is.”
The NCTE also argued that the bill would “increase barriers to inclusion” for transgender people.
Warner had previously said he would not attend the state event, and he announced the bill’s cancellation as part of a new anti-LGBT bill he was introducing in the legislature.
In a press release, Virginia Gov.
Mark Warner said the Virginia State government has become overly tolerant of the transgender issue.
The new legislation will not allow the fair to provide a free food item to any person or to any child who has a gender transition.
The governor and the legislature have agreed to take steps to ensure the fair is a welcoming and inclusive place for all, regardless if they identify as transgender or not, the statement read.
“It’s time for the state government to move forward and not just let this discriminatory legislation pass, but to pass legislation to protect everyone’s right to freely and openly express themselves, regardless how they identify,” Warner said in a press statement.