Several years ago, Virginia retired its plantation-era state song.
Recently, the legislature finally got around to expressing regret for the role
the state played in eugenics, imitated by Nazi Germany. And the governor
renamed Confederate History Month. So it’s time the state got rid of its
antediluvian laws governing what consenting adults do in the privacy of their
bedrooms. Even the conservative Richmond daily newspaper thinks so.
Have you ever heard of the state’s tourism slogan, "Virginia is for
lovers"? Whatever happened to truth in advertising? The fact is, lots of
what lovers do are felonies in Virginia. It’s even illegal to live together
if you’re not married.
These laws are enforced selectively and arbitrarily. They oppress
heterosexuals, gays, and everyone in between. Regardless of personal
persuasion or morality, this is not an area in which government should get
involved.
You can help remove what Thomas Jefferson called the "dead hand of the
past" Write the leaders of the state legislature, the General Assembly,
and tell them Virginia is not for lovers. Let them know you won’t visit
Virginia until it truly is for lovers.
John H. Hager
President of the Senate
