Virginia's Governor-Elect to Make LGBT Discrimination Top Priority

On the wake of Election Day, it looks like Virginia is about to undergo a major political facelift, courtesy of the state's governor-elect, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who said during his first press conference that his primary order of business will be to ban anti-LGBT discrimination against state employees, the Human Rights Campaign reports.

On Tuesday night, McAuliffe defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the Tea Party backed candidate who had been very vocal about his opposition to gay rights on all fronts. According to HRC, former governors Mark Warner and Tim Kaine both issued executive orders banning discrimination for state workers based on sexual orientation. Cuccinelli, however, wanted officials from public universities to ignore the anti-decimation law.

Throughout his time as attorney general, Cuccinelli equated same-sex marriage to polygamy and said being gay is "intrinsically wrong," arguing that it brings out "nothing but self-destruction."

"I will make sure that every single individual in the Commonwealth of Virginia is treated fair and equal," McAuliffe said.

HRC's National Field Director Marty Rouse applauded McAuliffe's pro-LGBT efforts.

"In his first day as Governor-elect, Terry McAuliffe has declared a new day for LGBT equality in the Commonwealth of Virginia," Rouse said. "Inclusion and equality won in yesterday's election, while the politics of hate and discrimination were soundly defeated. We look forward to working with the governor-elect on moving Virginia forward."