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.
Virginia has become the first southern state to ban anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the fields of housing, public and private employment, public accommodations, and access to credit.
The state’s governor, Ralph Northam, signed the bill yesterday (11 April). In a press release, Northam said: “This legislation sends a strong, clear message — Virginia is a place where all people are welcome to live, work, visit, and raise a family. “We are building an inclusive Commonwealth where there is opportunity