EV Commonwealth Dinner 2013

The boyfriend and I attended the Equality Virginia Commonwealth Dinner last night and we had a wonderful time.  A photo of some of our group is set out above.The event was sold out (1,000 attendees) and one of our good friends, Gregory Smith was honored as an "Outstanding Virginia" for the work his has done over the years (more on this below).  One thing that was amazing is that each year the number of political types who attend increases although as yet no Republican apparently dares attend for fear of facing the wrath of the viciously anti-gay theocrats at The Family Foundation, the de facto ruler of the Republican Party of Virginia.

Early in the evening I was surprised when someone tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and it was U. S. Senator Mark Warner who had stopped by our table to say "hello."  Democrat nominee for governor, Terry McAuliffe was also in attendance as were other Democrat candidates for elected office in this years November elections for the General Assembly and state wide office.

The key note speaker was Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker - and U.S. Senate who gave a rousing talk on why he supports equality for all Americans.   Would that more people, especially among Republicans and the "godly Christian" crowd could see the common humanity in all of us.  The Richmond Times Dispatch has details on the political aspects of the event and Warner and McAuliffe's support for LGBT rights and marriage here. 

More Hampton Roads Attendees

Here's the EV write up on our friend Gregg Smith:

In 1987, Maryland -born Gregg Smith ended up in Norfolk, Virginia, after serving in the Navy as an officer and a helicopter pilot. Like so many promising service members, his military career was cut short by his sexuality. Unlike many, though, he was treated with respect and not pressured to inform on fellow sailors. This allowed him to leave feeling proud of his service and, incidentally, surprised Randy Shilts, who interviewed Gregg for his book Conduct Unbecoming about anti-gay witch hunts in the military.

Without regret, Gregg immediately took a position with the financial planning company Ameriprise. He soon found that he had joined a progressive company. Not only was his gayness never an issue, the company encouraged him to join with peers across the country to develop LGBT-centered marketing strategies.

Now a Certified Financial Planner and franchise owner, Gregg has developed seminars and workshops specifically for clients in same-sex partnerships. “The company lets me run my shop the way I want,” he says. Running the shop his way includes supporting local HIV-AIDS service organizations, pride events, and sponsoring tables for EV’s Commonwealth Dinner.

He has hosted and participated in many fundraisers supporting local organizations, as well. In addition, he has personally invested in these causes, plus the Human Rights Campaign Fund and the Servicemembers’ Legal Defense Network’s campaign to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and he supports LGBT-friendly political candidates. Gregg gives generously of his time as well, having served in board and officer roles in local HIV-AIDS service organizations almost continuously since 1993.

Although busy with his charitable activities, Gregg makes time for an activity he has enjoyed since his Navy days—flying—and spending time with other flyers. When not piloting a single-engine Cessna 182, he is busy supporting the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA), where he has served in leadership roles since 2004. He combines both activities when he flies his plane to various NGPA events. The NGPA has been instrumental in helping airlines craft LGBT-friendly policies and countering the homophobia that sometimes occurs when pilots get together.

Part of Gregg’s work for the NGPA involves addressing the needs of young pilots and pilots in training. The organization gives out substantial grants to students, gay and straight, who, as part of the application process, write an essay about their aspirations and their support of LGBT causes. A sign of the times is the fact that the group’s membership now includes 20-30 active duty service members, who are perfectly happy to have their names included in the membership roster. “We’ll see a lot more of that in the future,” Gregg says.

Here in Virginia we have elections every year and this year it will be critical to see that Ken Cuccinelli and other GOP anti-gay, anti-minority and anti-women extremists are defeated.   EV will help mobilize needed efforts to keep these extremists  from dragging Virginia backward in time.