VCU Anti-Discrimination Rally

Make sure to attend the anti-discrimination rally this Wednesday, sponsored by the Students for Possibilities Party. All students, staff, and faculty are welcome to attend this event. Let's stand united and show VCU and Virginia's state government that we will not support policies and laws that violate human rights.

12pm-1pm, Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

VCU Commons Plaza (907 Floyd Avenue)

Facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=347726437231&ref=mf

Update: More than 1000 people showed up at Monroe Park campus to march to Capitol Hill, for a chance to speak with their local representative about anti-discrimination law. Apparently this demonstration, along with community forums and the multitude of individuals who contacted state and university leaders had the intended effect. Late this evening, according to VCU President Rao, and several news sources, Governor McDonnell released an executive directive:

“Discrimination based on factors such as one’s sexual orientation or parental status violates the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution. Therefore, discrimination against enumerated classes of persons set forth in the Virginia Human Rights Act or discrimination against any class of persons without a rational basis is prohibited.”

This comes after a house bill was defeated earlier this week, that would have included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected groups under state anti-discriminatory law. In the end, Virginia went two steps backwards, and one step forwards towards equal rights for all. It is up to Virginian voters to follow through with this human rights issue next year, when they will have a chance to voice their opinion to their local representatives to change the law in the next session of the General Assembly.

Courtesy Richmond Times-Dispatch

Forums to Decide Whether Human Rights are Upheld at VCU

This is your chance to voice your outrage at the 'advice' of the Attorney General of Virginia that will allow discrimination against the gay community at VCU, and universities in the state of Virginia in general. Before attending one of these sessions, try to make time to read the letter from the Attorney General, to better inform yourself about the issue. You may want to make a short list of key points you want to raise at the forums. There are four different forum times/locations that students, staff, and faculty can attend:

On the Monroe Park Campus

-- 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. -- University Student Commons, 
907 Floyd Ave., Richmond Salons I-IV

-- 2:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. -- University Student Commons, 
907 Floyd Ave., Commons Theater

On the MCV Campus

-- 11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. -- George Ben Johnston Auditorium, 
305 N. 12th St.

-- 4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. -- George Ben Johnston Auditorium, 
305 N. 12th St.

Let's show VCU and the Attorney General we stand united on the issue of human rights, by attending the community forums! Click read more to view the letter from the Attorney General...

Virginia is for Straight Lovers?

It looks like Virginia will have to change their state slogan "Virginia is for Lovers". What they really mean is Virginia is for lovers, but only if you're straight. I was indescribably upset when I received an email from the president of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on Friday evening, which contained the following:

"Virginia Commonwealth University received a letter from Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli requesting that the Commonwealth's public universities and colleges rescind policies that ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation".

Someone please remind me, what year are we living in? 1980? 1960? 1865??? What I take from this, is that Ken Cuccinelli think's we should be able to discriminate against the gay community. What's that? You're gay? Well, you can't work here. No, of course, you can't go to school here either. And don't think you can go whining to the courts either, because the Attorney General is on our side.