Out Virginia state Delegate Danica
Roem, a Democrat, is being challenged by a Republican opposed to
marriage equality.
Roem in 2017 became the first openly
transgender person to be elected and seated in a U.S. state
legislature.
In November, she will face Christopher
Stone, the Republican nominee vying to unseat her.
Speaking with the
Washington
Blade, Stone said that he's opposed to marriage and adoption
rights for gay and lesbian couples.
Stone is a U.S. Air Force veteran and
former graduate school professor.
“A lot of people that I talk to are
concerned that the way the laws are written you are protecting one
group and infringing upon the constitutional freedoms of another,”
he said.
“But you don't just ignore those
people. You accommodate both sides. I don't like laws aimed at a
single group or giving protections to one side. That is how a lot
people see LGBTQ laws,” he said.
Stone criticized the Supreme Court's
2015 ruling that legalized marriage for gay couples in all states,
saying it was an example of judges “legislating from the bench.”
Sean Meloy, vice president of political
programs at the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said that Roem's record clearly
shows that she's “striving to create a more inclusive Virginia.”
“While Del. Roem is hard at work, her
opponent has decried mask mandates, supports extremist protesters in
Loudoun County and called for an investigation of the 2020 election,”
Meloy said. “Virginia voters are savvy, and they know when a
candidate has their backs – which is why they’ve elected Del.
Roem twice and will reelect her once again this November.”
Roem told the outlet that marriage
equality was a settled issue.
“If you have marriage equality, you
can't possibly tell an LGBTQ couple that they can't adopt children,”
she said. “What a horrible thing to tell any loving parent. We
already litigated the hell out of this.”