Anti-gay Virginia Lawmaker Bob Marshall

Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), pictured at left, is one of the most homophobic and gay hating members of the Virginia General Assembly. He even once stated that he hoped Virginia's anti-gay laws - most of which he helped author, including the anti-gay marriage Marshall-Newman amendment to Virginia's Constitution - would cause LGBT citizens to leave Virginia. As the November elections approach, much effort will be focused on defeating Marshall and ridding the House of Delegates of one of its most poisonous members. Marshall - like most of the darlings of The Family Foundation and Pat Robertson - believes that he should be allowed to inflict his hate based religious views on all Virginians. Marshall is truly a nasty piece of work and one can only hope that with the changing demographics in Northern Virginia he will be sent into retirement and cease being a voice for anti-gay bigotry in Richmond. Here are some highlights from the Washington Blade on this important contest:

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A longtime opponent of LGBT rights is seeking to retain his seat in the Virginia House of Delegates in the face of increased pressure from activists seeking to remove him from office.Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William), one of the few remaining social conservatives from Northern Virginia still holding public office, will attempt to hold onto his 13th District seat in November. Challenging Marshall for the House seat is John Bell, an Air Force veteran of 26 years who served as a comptroller for military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Marshall drew the ire of LGBT residents after he became chief sponsor of the Marshall-Newman Amendment, which in 2006 codified a ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions in the Virginia Constitution.

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Marshall also criticized a long-suffering bill that would allow Virginia companies to extend life insurance policies to the same-sex partners of employees.“When I read homosexual literature and magazines, the average income of homosexuals is much higher than that of heterosexual couples,” he said. “If I believed your magazine and homosexual rights’ so-called proponents, there’s no need for that.”

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Marshall’s opponent in the race has virtually the opposite position on every issue impacting gay residents. Bell said during a Blade interview Aug. 7 that he’s “very strongly a supporter of equality for every citizen” and is bothered when someone tries to take away rights from other people. “Bob has pretty much led the assault every year on the right to choose, and also has assaulted especially the gay and lesbian community with Marshall-Newman and other amendments he’s done and bills he’s introduced,” Bell said.

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Bell said he supports same-sex marriage and called the Marshall-Newman Amendment “a disgrace to the Commonwealth of Virginia.” “I believe it’s a black mark on our state,” he said. “It enshrines our Constitution with discrimination. I believe the Constitution should guarantee the rights of citizens, not guarantee taking them away.” Bell said he would not only vote to repeal the amendment, but would sponsor such an initiative. He also said he’d support legislation prohibiting bias in the public and private workforces based on sexual orientation and would support legislation allowing Virginia companies to provide life insurance benefits to the same-sex partners of employees.

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Bell said he thinks he can defeat Marshall because of the changing demographic in Loudoun and Prince William counties, noting the growth and development of the 13th District.“Last year, President Obama won the district and also [Democrat U.S. Sen.] Mark Warner won the district with a big margin,” he said. “So we know that there are enough Democratic voters in the district now to win.” . . . the race in the 13th District is important because many gay Virginians detest Marshall.

Help Defeat Virginia Del. Bob Marshall

For anyone who follow Virginia politics, it is obvious that Del. Robert Marshall (R-13th) is one of the most anti-gay and homophobic members of the Virginia General Assembly. He was a chief patron of the so-called "Marriage Amendment" and has been quoted as hoping that all LGBT Virginians would leave the state. Marshall's Christianist approach to government and his efforts to dispense civil legal rights only to those who subscribe to his hate-based religious agenda make a mockery of the concept of religious freedom set forth in Thomas Jefferson's Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Defeating Marshall and removing his foul influence from the General Assembly should be high on every fair minded Virginians list of electoral goals. Via Blue Virginia I found information on a fundraiser scheduled for March 31st which I hope people will support. Here are some highlights from that blog:

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The bottom line is that we badly need to beat this guy, and John Bell looks like a strong candidate to get the job done (finally!).

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Dear Friends: We have a very strong advocate and candidate in John Bell who is running against Bob Marshall. We need to support John in this effort. Please see the attached and consider attending this event. If you cannot attend the event please consider sending a check before March 31st. When you see the list of elected officials who are supporting John Bell along with Senator Mark Warner you will know that John Bell is considered by many Democrats to be a serious challenge to Bob Marshall.

Kool-Aid Drinkers Vie for GOP Nomination

With former Governor Mark Warner the all but official Democrat nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by long time incumbent John Warner, the question of the moment is who will be the GOP nominee. At this point, it is a constest between dumb and dumber: former Governor Jim Gilmore who left office as one of the most unpopular Governors in recent memory, or Delegate Robert Marshall who makes the Taliban look liberal on social issues. The fact that the Republican Party of Virginia cannot find better would be candidates is telling as to the GOP's groing weakness in Virginia outside of backwards rural areas.

Increasingly, Virginia voters seem to be waking up to the fact that slavish adherance to an ultra-far right Christianist agenda is NOT in the state's best interest. As a result, GOP moderates have abandoned the Party in droves, most of my own family being prime examples. Meanwhile, the Christianists blame the defections on the Party not being conservative enough, although I'm at a loss as to how the party base could get more conservative other than perhaps by pushing to re-enslave blacks, have gays publicly executed and taking the right to vote away from women. Barring some unforseen disaster, Mark Warner should win this contest by a land slide. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

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Former Gov. Jim Gilmore says he's all but clinched the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate. "Baloney," replies Bob Marshall, an outspoken state delegate also vying for the GOP's senate banner. No one can say with certainty which candidate is right, given the complex rules of the nomination that will be awarded at a GOP state convention on May 31. But there's a strong hunch among party loyalists that Gilmore is sitting pretty.

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The winner will be rewarded with a new set of problems. He will have to take on former Gov. Mark Warner this fall, who is highly popular, well financed, and unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Warner is slated to launch his U.S. Senate campaign in the coming days with a series of speeches and rallies across the state. At stake is the seat that Republican John Warner - no relation to Mark Warner - has held for 30 years. The incumbent announced last year that he will retire.

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Gilmore's belief that abortion should be legal during the first two months of pregnancy puts him at odds with social conservatives. Marshall dismisses Gilmore and Mark Warner as cookie-cutter politicians. " Neither of them will challenge the traditional political status quo," Marshall said. "What we need in Washington are people willing to throw policy grenades." Marshall wants to put military troops on the Mexico border, make the Bush tax cuts permanent, pass a balanced-budget amendment, tap into the nation's strategic oil reserves and "make the right to life fundamental." He opposes embryonic stem cell research and believes the Iraqi government should help pay for the presence of U.S. forces.

Homophobe Wingnut Del. Bob Marshall to announce GOP run for U. S. Senate

There are few Virginia elected officials who are more obsessed with gays and driving us from Virginia that GOP Delegate Bob Marshall pictured at left (he has actual said he'd be happy if gays would pack up and leave the state). He's just about as hysterical as Robert Knight, Peter LaBarbera and the men at Concerned Women for America when it comes to the "Gay Agenda." Like Knight and LaBarbera his obsession is so crazed that I often suspect him of being a self-loathing closet case out to punish those of us who have the convictions and integrity to leave openly and honestly.

In any event, this (in my opinion) lunatic has announced he wants to run for the U. S. Senate seat being vacated by John Warner's retirement. Marshall actually makes Jim Gilmore look somewhat rational and reasonable. Seeing these two try to out fascist the other to secure the GOP nomination could provide some interesting entertainment. I doubt either one of them can prevail against former Governor Mark Warner who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Here is the Virginian Pilot's coverage (:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VA_MARSHALL_SENATE_VAOL-?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT):

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Del. Robert G. Marshall, one of the House's most persistent abortion opponents, will announce his Republican candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Marshall, 63, of Prince William County, has scheduled a state Capitol news conference Monday afternoon.

His announcement makes him the second Republican in the race. Former Gov. Jim Gilmore is also running. The GOP nominee will be selected during the party's statewide convention in Richmond in June. Former Gov. Mark R. Warner is unopposed for the Democratic nomination to succeed retiring five-term U.S. Sen. John W. Warner, a Republican. The Warners are not related.

Co-author of Va. marriage amendment faces re-election

The Washington Blade has a story (http://www.washingtonblade.com/2007/11-2/news/localnews/11492.cfm) on the re-election race of Bob Marshall, a co-author of Virginia's hateful "Marriage Amendment" who has flat out admitted that he'd be happy if every gay in Virginia packed up and moved from the state. Yep, a homophobe of the highest order who obviously has no respect for the concept of freedom of religion for all citizens. It's live by his religious views or the highway. I truly hope the man is defeated for several reasons, first and foremost, the Virginia General Assembly does not need anyone as vile as Marshall among its membership. Moreover, a defeat for Marshall could be a signal that Northern Virginia is moving further away from electing Christianists to office. Here are some story highlights:

In an election year with no major statewide races, voter turnout could be the key factor in determining whether a stridently anti-gay lawmaker retains his seat in the Virginia General Assembly in next week’s election. “With a low turnout election, those who do turn out to vote will have twice the impact,” said Tom Osborne, treasurer of the Virginia Partisans Gay & Lesbian Democratic Club. “It depends on who is more likely to turn out, those who love Bob Marshall or those who hate him. The trend statewide this time around is Democrats are more motivated than Republicans.”

Roemmelt said he also expects the race to be tight, but that other factors could work favorably for him, such as the tremendous growth in his district — the fastest growing in the state with 10,000 new voters since the last election. “Our job to convince them that I’m the guy and get them out to vote,” he said. “We’ve been contacting voters. I think it’s a great opportunity for them to have choice in the election.”Roemmelt said Marshall’s core supporters are “still flaming passionate” in their opposition to gay issues, especially marriage, but that voters in the middle have moved on to other issues.

Lampo compared the District 13 race to the race between progressive Democrat David Poisson and anti-gay Republican incumbent Dick Black, co-author of the 2004 Marriage Affirmation Act.Marshall and Black have been described as two of the most anti-gay politicians in the General Assembly. Marshall co-authored last year’s Virginia marriage amendment and backed a bill to restrict gay and straight non-married couples from adopting children. Black was defeated in 2005.

If Marshall is defeated, it will definitely merit a champagne toast.