A Democratic candidate for the Virginia
Senate says he believes gay people should use separate restrooms.
Joe Preston, a member of the Virginia
House, has a mostly pro-LGBT record, but in responding to a
questionnaire from the socially conservative Virginia Christian
Alliance, he indicated his support for separate facilities based on
sexual orientation.
When asked whether he supports allowing
“children who claim gender identity of the opposite sex to use that
bathroom in schools,” Preston said that he does not.
Asked by Metro
Weekly to expand, he answered: “I'm against people of
different genders sharing bathrooms. I actually think that gay
people should have their own restrooms.”
Preston explained that straight people
might feel uncomfortable sharing such facilities with gay men and
lesbians, according to Metro Weekly.
“I really think [gay people] ought to
have their own restrooms. I can't speak for them, because I'm not
part of that community. But I would think they would feel more
comfortable.”
“At some point, their genitalia
[will] have to dictate who they are,” Preston said of transgender
youth using a restroom based on their gender identity.
Preston also indicated in his
questionnaire responses that he was undecided on marriage equality
and efforts to outlaw “ex-gay” therapy to minors, but supports
gay parenting and outlawing discrimination based on sexual
orientation and gender identity. He told Metro Weekly that
he's generally opposed to laws that would allow businesses to
discriminate against the LGBT community based on their religious
beliefs.