Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American politician and physician serving as the 73rd Governor of Virginia since January 13, 2018. A pediatric neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. Northam, a member of the Democratic Party, served as the 40th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 prior to winning the governorship against Republican nominee Ed Gillespie in the 2017 election.
Northam cites nondiscrimination law in State of the Commonwealth address
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Wednesday in his State of the Commonwealth address highlighted his signing of historic legislation that banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “We took important steps forward in treating everyone with dignity and respect, becoming the first Southern state to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation,” Northam, a Democrat, told a scattering of lawmakers during the mostly virtual address due to the coronavirus pandemic. “And requiring schools to develop plans for transgender students.” The Virginia Values Act, which went into effect last July, updated the state’s anti-discrimination laws to include sexual orientation and gender identity.
