# What the FUCK is the Virginia Legislature thinking (gay marriage) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 11, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683 "2004-05-11T19:51:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CTB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@CTB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CTB)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/61 "2004-05-14T18:27:22Z")
Fellow progressive Virginians, please stay. We are not as far gone as it may appear. as can be seen [here](http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2000/results/VA/), the GOP hardly maintains a strong majority in our state, as hard as that may be to believe at times. Stay and fight the good fight. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/62 "2004-05-14T18:34:27Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > You in Iowa, on the other hand, have…what? Des Moines? And riverboat gambling! Don’t forget riverboat gambling! Actually, Des Moines isn’t that bad. My parents live there. I wouldn’t want to live there but it’s nice enough to visit every once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/63 "2004-05-14T20:07:03Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Shit, I have accepted a job there. Of course, I will be moving from PA, which has a higher concentration of KKK. Sheesh, I need to move out west. You should. So should **Tris**. Arguing about wether Virginia is better or worse than Iowa is just silly, because neither is California. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/64 "2004-05-14T21:42:31Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > You in Iowa, on the other hand, have…what? Des Moines? Even though this thread is about the Virginia state legislature and same gender unions, the gauntlet has been thrown down and must be picked up. The honor of the state, not to say the entire Upper Mississippi River Valley (even those stump suckers over in the Peoples Republic of Dane County), is at stake. First and foremost, while there is a substantial contingent in the legislature of a contrary opinion, the State of Iowa has yet to try to foreclose the possibility of civil unions as long as they are called something beside marriage, and we have a governor with the balls to veto such a bill if the blue noses try to run one through. Second, Iowa shares with the states of the Upper Mississippi (including the stump suckers over at the PRDC) the highest rates of literacy and academic test scores in the nation. We never abandon out obligation to provide a quality free public education for racial reasons, political reasons or any other reason. We do not depend for our prosperity on the munificence of the federal government. We have no great federal bureaucratic city to act as an engine of commerce. We have no military or naval bases of importance to serve as a conduit of other people’s money into the pockets of out barkeepers and pawn brokers – in fact we hardily have any pawn brokers. We do, however, have farmers who profit mightily at the federal trough. What we have we got by our own labor. We do not serve as a center for the acquisition of questionable fire arms. We have four big corn fields separated by intersecting interstate highways. We have a state fair that is so good that it, with Las Vegas, is regarded as one of the two best vacation destinations in the country. We do not raise immense bronze statues to men who tried to destroy this country. Rather we have one big statue to the memory of the thousands of young men who gave their lives to preserve this nation when we were still the western frontier. Our social scene does not revolve around the members of a handful of families that claim exalted status as First Families of Iowa. None of the fraternities at our Universities have been closed up for drug dealing. We are decent hard working well educated people who do not pretend to be better than other people. We also have a sense of humor – go see Meredith Wilson’s _The Music Man_. We are not ashamed of people with dirt under their finger nails. There are more but it is Friday and I’m going home. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/65 "2004-05-14T23:54:08Z")
> [@Spavined Gelding](#): > > We are decent hard working well educated people who do not pretend to be better than other people. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/66 "2004-05-14T23:55:52Z")
> [@jellyblue](#): > > Christ! My girlfriend (partner) was just offered a job in northern VA (she works for the Feds) and even though not one molecule of me wants to move to VA, I was considering it because I love her, but this is a deal-breaker! We have a full-on partnership agreement here, own a house together, power of attorney, life insurance beneficiaries, etc., etc., etc. She pretty much has to take the job, so I don’t know what we’re gonna do. I’m NOT moving to a state that codifies this kind of bullshit, though. No _way_. :mad: > > Anybody else who’s gay in VA want to weigh in? I’d like more info to give her… 2 words for you: Mary Land. We’re not like Mass yet, but this state is disgustingly liberal. It’s also an easy commute to NOVA. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/67 "2004-05-14T23:57:26Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > 2 words for you: Mary Land. We’re not like Mass yet, but this state is disgustingly liberal. It’s also an easy commute to NOVA. To clarify: the state as a whole is disgustingly liberal, and has thus fucked up several issues. I am 100% behind equal rights for gay folks, including marriage. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/68 "2004-05-15T00:02:49Z")
> [@Weirddave](#): > > 2 words for you: Mary Land. We’re not like Mass yet, but this state is disgustingly liberal. It’s also an easy commute to NOVA. Um, have you tried driving acros the Wilson bridge at rush hour? but, yeah I get your point. I can just see my partner running across the river from the GOP’s Sex Police like Eliza chased by Legree’s bloodhounds in “Small House of Uncle Thomas” (until Buddha send angel to make miracle, name of snow) ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/69 "2004-05-15T00:47:17Z")
Thanks for the input, Weirddave. It’s very unlikely that I’d find anyplace to be too liberal, let alone, _disgustingly_ liberal, so I’ll have to look into it. 🙂 I grew up in Delaware and so am a little familiar with MD. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be the one commuting (it’s the least she can do, right? 🙂 ) How far is U of MD from the NoVA border? Anyone know off the top of his/her head? > [@Weirddave](#): > > To clarify: the state as a whole is disgustingly liberal, and has thus fucked up several issues. I am 100% behind equal rights for gay folks, including marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/70 "2004-05-15T00:59:57Z")
> [@jellyblue](#): > > Thanks for the input, Weirddave. It’s very unlikely that I’d find anyplace to be too liberal, let alone, _disgustingly_ liberal, so I’ll have to look into it. 🙂 I grew up in Delaware and so am a little familiar with MD. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be the one commuting (it’s the least she can do, right? 🙂 ) How far is U of MD from the NoVA border? Anyone know off the top of his/her head? I’d say it’s about 10 miles around the beltway. Maybe 12. (That’s NOVA by Cabin John, if you want the Wilson Bridge, it’s about 25 miles) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/71 "2004-05-15T01:39:49Z")
**Weirddave** , one of the commutes has to be to Front Royal, and that’s far. ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/72 "2004-05-15T04:26:22Z")
Whoa. So it is. Well, is NOVA near DC, say Manassas or Alexandria, really any closer, timewise than, say, Poolesville or Germantown? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/73 "2004-05-15T04:41:46Z")
Significantly so, yes. By about an hour, in rush hour, would be my estimate. There’s no public transportation service that I know of in Front Royal, either. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/74 "2004-05-15T05:42:53Z")
Phooey. Maybe I should mosey on over to MPSIMS and start a poll on long-distance relationships… San Diego/VA is pretty damn long distance, though! They’re offering her the job on Monday. She’s there now ☹ . (BTW, from the Your-Tax-Dollars-at-Work Department: For some unknown reason they feel they have to see her face to offer her this job. Fine. And for some unknown reason, it must be on a Monday. Fine, fine. However, federal employees can’t travel on the weekend, which means that they send her out Friday, put her up in a hotel, rent her a car, pay her per diem until Monday at which time they meet with her for one hour and then put her back on a plane to San Diego. Except that this time they flew her out Thursday so that she could program the Big Boss’s Blackberry. I am not kidding. :eek: ) ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/75 "2004-05-15T17:03:23Z")
I’ve been looking on a map to see what would be the most convenient commute if your partner were to work in Front Royal and you were to work in, say, College Park, Maryland. (You mentioned the University of Maryland, so I’m going to assume that’s where you were thinking of.) The real problem in arranging this is not that Front Royal is in Virginia. The problem is that Front Royal is in the middle of nowhere, relatively speaking. Lots of people in the D.C. and suburbs live in one jurisdiction and commute to another. That’s not even surprising. There are loads of couples who live in D.C./Maryland/Virginia where one person commutes to D.C./Maryland/Virginia and the other commutes to D.C./Maryland/Virginia. (Pick one choice in each option and you’ll find some couple who lives that way.) The problem is that in those cases they live reasonably close to D.C. But Front Royal is 60 miles from the D.C. area. You could live, say, in Bethesda. Your commute to College Park would be fairly short. It would be about 15 miles, nearly all by the Beltway. Your partner’s commute, via the Beltway and I-66, would be about 60 miles, though. You could live in Frederick. Your commute, via I-270 and the Beltway, would then be 45 miles and your partner’s would still be nearly 60 miles. Her commute would be by Route 340, which I’m guessing is less crowded than I-66 and the Beltway. There are some other places in Maryland and West Virginia to consider, but none of them decrease the total amount of commute for you and your partner added together. For what it’s worth, Northern Virginia is not a conservative area. It’s even slightly liberal. The problem is that Northern Virginians are outvoted in the state legislature by the rest of the state. And the rest of the state hates Northern Virginia. They consider them to be a bunch of Yankees who by accident live in their state. Most of Maryland though is pretty liberal (and certainly any place where you would consider commuting from). There are some conservative areas, but they are outvoted by the liberal areas. Come visit the area some time. The Baltimore-Washington dopers (usually known as the MADopers) will put on a Dopefest for you and your partner. We may not be able to solve your commuting problems, but we will be able to discuss the options with you. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/76 "2004-05-15T20:10:47Z")
You are just the nicest people. Thanks so much for all your input, WW. That’s the kind of info one can’t easily access while sitting in San Diego. And I’m definitely adding “opportunity to attend Dopefest” to the “pro” side of my pros & cons list 🙂 . From what you’re saying, it sounds like we’d be like settlers on the West Bank if we moved there! ;j (I’ve always wanted to use Mr. Jewish smilie.) ---
**Author:** ![bsane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@bsane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bsane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2004, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/77 "2004-05-15T20:31:30Z")
**jellyblue** , I live in Front Royal… The commute to Front Royal from DC would probably be unworkable- probably 60-90 minutes without traffic, and 10 miles or so inside the beltway will have traffic no matter what direction you travel during commute hours (the rest of 66 should be OK). Front Royal is close to both WV and MD, and if you were commuting to the Inland Port (just a guess) in would only be about 30 minutes commute to either state. Front Royal is rural and somewhat backwater, and has little in common with what most people around here would consider NoVA. ---
**Author:** ![JamesCarroll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@JamesCarroll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JamesCarroll)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/78 "2004-05-16T04:10:27Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I just heard that the VA. state legislature overwhelmingly passed an anti-gay marriage measure. They have a two-thirds majority and so the measure is immune from gubernatorial veto, though not to challenge in the courts. > > What is so evil about this law? Many states have passed defense-of-marriage type statutes that define marriage as a union of one man and one woman, but still allow civil unions for gays. Such civil unions are supposed to grant such rights as hospital visitation, kinship, and so forth. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with gay people marrying; yet I appreciate the fact that some people simply object to the redefinition of marriage to include gay unions. At least, however, the idea of civil union offers some accommodation, besides, I would think, eliminating or reducing numerous legal hassles that could eventually result from extralegal unions. > > But the Virginia law denies gays the right to form any sort of legal union \*or contract \*that in any way resembles marriage. I’ve just been hearing about it on NPR, and it evidently could lead to legalistic nightmares that could affect business partnerships and other arrangements that have nothing to do with marriage. > > I mourn the fact that I live in a country capable of producing such laws, even if it’s not my state. Yea, damn. I hate when that whole “democratically elected legislature” thing is such a hindrance to the way **I** think the world should be run. You know what they should do? They should have ALL the people, not just the government fat cats, vote on something this important. Then we’d have a TRUE democracy. Oh, wait. That’s what they did in California. Schmuck. Part of being a demcarcy is that not EVERYTHING goes your way. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/79 "2004-05-16T04:26:05Z")
> [@JamesCarroll](#): > > Yea, damn. I hate when that whole “democratically elected legislature” thing is such a hindrance to the way **I** think the world should be run. > > You know what they should do? They should have ALL the people, not just the government fat cats, vote on something this important. Then we’d have a TRUE democracy. > > Oh, wait. That’s what they did in California. > > Schmuck. Part of being a demcarcy is that not EVERYTHING goes your way. Um, 'scuse me? Mister Fucknut? A moment please? If you had the mental acuity of the average enema bag, you would understand that a law can be passed in complete accordance with every rule, procedure and process and still be a wrong result. If you had the reading comprehension of the typical jug of cat litter, you’d understand that the OP is pitting the _result_, not the process. Go get a fucking headassectomy before your next post, dumbfuck. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2004, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683/80 "2004-05-16T05:18:53Z")
Apparently Mr. **Carroll’s** medications ran out because he’s managed to amass over 600 posts prior to today without impinging upon my Ass-o-Meter ™ and yet has managed to suddenly explode in a cloud of ugly green puke all over the boards in the last six hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-fuck-is-the-virginia-legislature-thinking-gay-marriage/244683.md?page=5)