David has always considered the fight against bigotry and for equal rights to be his own fight as well, so he was especially pleased to share his strong progressive voice at this evening’s candidates forum hosted by the Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club. David made it clear that he will fight for the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Virginians at every opportunity. When the moderator, Joe Crea, formerly of the Washington Blade, asked whether the candidates support marriage equality, David was the only candidate to state his absolute and complete support for the right of gay and lesbian Virginians to marry.
While his opponents either equivocated or expressed support for something short of complete marriage equality, David was strong and clear: “Calling it ‘marriage’ does make a difference.”
David also noted that he is the only candidate who has faced personal risk — not merely political risk — to defend gay and lesbian rights. As a military officer stationed at George Bush’s Pentagon and while deployed to combat zones overseas, David spoke out for gay rights to both peers and far more senior officers.
David was also clear that the only way to see real progress on a range of Democratic issues will be to build a new Democratic majority in Virginia.
“I’m doing that every day through my campaign. This is a grassroots movement, not just a campaign for the House of Delegates,” said David. “My son, Caleb, is in kindergarten, and my ambition is to make sure that when he graduates from high school, he graduates into a Democratic Virginia.”
