In an article mentioning me in the June 21-27 edition of the Chantilly Connection [“Four-Term Incumbent LeMunyon to Face Former Republican”] a bill I supported in the House of Delegates was described as allowing "religious-based discrimination against gays."
This is not a correct characterization of the bill. The bill, H.B. 2025 would have prevented the state from discriminating against Virginians who hold a traditional view of marriage. H.B 2025 was a modern day application of Thomas Jefferson's 1786 Statute of Religious Freedom.
H.B. 2025 aimed to clarify an ambiguity in an Executive Order issued by Governor McAuliffe. The Executive Order was intended to require that entities that do business with the state, including faith-based groups that sometimes provide social services in tandem the state, cannot discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or other reasons. But the Executive Order was written in a way that can be interpreted to allow state agencies to bar faith-based organizations from working with the state in providing social services such as housing and refugee resettlement, for example, if the faith-based organization adheres to traditional marriage. This is true even if the services provided have nothing to do with marriage.
If the Executive Order was more clearly written, H.B. 2025 would have been unnecessary. The Executive Order should have said there can be no discrimination when providing such services, regardless of an organization's views about traditional marriage. I believe most people would support this outcome, including me.
Jim LeMunyon
Member, Virginia House of Delegates
67th District