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| Credit: City of Richmond Flickr Account |
Back in February, a bill titled the Virginia Values Act was passed. In April, Governor Ralph Northam signed the bill into law. This was something that I was completely unaware of until I saw it while I was scrolling through Twitter. In order to catch up with everything and gain an understanding on the bill, I read this article that was posted on the Human Rights Campaign blog.
The Virginia Values Act extends already existing non-discrimination protections to public employment and housing to those on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and other intersectional identities. Although this bill extends many protections to many other identities, I will be focusing on the struggles of discrimination that Americans who are part of the LGBTQ+ community still face today. For example, before this bill was passed, LGBTQ+ individuals in the state of Virginia could've been fired, evicted, or denied service because of who they are.
In terms of concepts relating to class, this directly correlates to the discrimination issues of LGBTQ+ individuals, more specifically the discrimination against people who identify as transgender. Throughout Chapter 18, Joelle Ruby Ryan discusses the issues of identifying as transgender. One of the issues that the author discusses is our society's acceptance of gender identity, as well as race and class. Ryan states, "...many trans folk are economically marginalized, under- or unemployed, and struggle for the most basic dignity." (2016).
This relates to the article that I read regarding the Virginia Values Act by bringing issues of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community to light. The Virginia Values Act aims to protect these marginalized individuals by officially making discrimination against them in employment, housing, and public accommodation illegal.
Artifact Type: Article
Works Cited
Ryan, Joelle Ruby. (2016). “From Transgender to Trans*.” Race, Class, and Gender: Intersections and Inequalities. Ed. Margaret L. Andersen, Ed. Patricia Hill Collins. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2019. 144-157. Print.
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