Democratic representatives seeking re-election this fall in Virginia remain silent after cozying up with a delegate in the state legislature whose new bill would make it a punishable crime for parents not to affirm their LGBT children.
On Thursday, Delegate Elizabeth Guzman told WJLA that at the start of the new legislative session, she will introduce a bill that would penalize, with a misdemeanor or felony charge, parents who do not affirm their LGBT children.The bill would expand the state's definition of child abuse and neglect to include parents who do not affirm their LGBT children's gender identity or sexual orientation. "Well, we first have to complete an investigation," Guzman told WJLA about the new bill. "It could be a felony, it could be a misdemeanor, but we know that [Child Protective Services] charge could harm your employment, could harm their education, because nowadays, many people do a CPS database search before offering employment." Rep.
Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., who is running in a tight House race, recently accepted an endorsement from Guzman in July for her re-election campaign. "@guzman4virginia is a tireless leader in the Virginia House of Delegates.
I am proud to have Delegate Guzman’s support for my campaign," she wrote in a Twitter post. Spanberger and Sen.Tim Kaine, D-Va., were recently photographed with Guzman during a routable discussion on Tuesday morning and attended an early-voting event at the Prince William Country DMV that afternoon.