Taliban Bob McDonnell Duck's Answering Equality Virginia's Questions

As Equality Virginia explains in a new press release, it contacted the candidates running for statewide office and asked them about workplace discrimination against GLBT persons and access to employment benefits, including health care. Each was asked the same four questions. Creigh Deeds answered the questions while Taliban Bob McDonnell basically answered none of them and instead launched into a pattern of excuses/justifications for his anti-gay actions while in elected office. This exercise in avoiding honest answers to me demonstrates that despite McDonnell's well orchestrated lies that his views have change, the reality is that in reality we are dealing with the same Taliban Bob who wrote the 1989 thesis at Pat Robertson's university. Here are the four questions McDonnell did not answer:

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1. Do you support an executive order affirming the right of GLBT employees of state government to be protected against workplace discrimination?
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2. Will you advocate for legislation. like HB 2385 (Ebbin) introduced in the 2009 General Assembly Session, which would codify protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation , including gender identity, as well as race, sex, national origin, age, disability, religion, pregnancy and veteran status?
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3. Will you seek and advocate for changes in the state health insurance plan, consistent with Mr. McDonnell's opinion to the President of the University of Virginia regarding access to gym benefits, that would offer health care insurance benefits to otherwise qualified adults living in the household of GLBT employees? In addition, we would like to know if you support eliminating the remaining legal barriers in the Code of Virginia that prevent private companies from offering workplace benefits to the domestic partners of GLBT employees.
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4. Will you support and advocate for legislation to eliminate current legal restrictions on the ability of private insurance companies to offer private employers group life insurance that includes domestic partners (i.e., legislation identical to SB 945 (Howell) and HB 1726 (Rust) that was included on Virginia Free's 2009 listing of pro-business legislation)?

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These are all fair questions that are important to LGBT Virginians and Creigh Deeds to his credit answered all four in a gay affirming manner. Deeds' answers can be seen here. Not so with Taliban Bob. Instead he wrote EV Executive Director Jon Blair a letter containing legalistic mumbo jumbo that sought to justify his anti-gay record by blaming the General Assembly - basically anyone but himself - for his appalling track record and said "It is up to the General Assembly to determine what further benefits are appropriate." Bottom line: Do not look to Taliban Bob to lift a finger to lift up LGBT Virginians from their current third class citizen status in Virginia. Instead, I believe we are likely to see more persecution if McDonnell wins on November 3, 2009. My recommendation to LGBT citizens contemplating a move to Virginia is - DO NOT MOVE HERE. For those already here: LEAVE IF YOU CAN.