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"It's disappointing that Gov. Youngkin is planning to throw good money after bad by wasting Virginians' tax dollars terrorizing local communities," said ACLU of Virginia Senior Immigrants' Rights Attorney Sophia Gregg.
“It's no surprise the judge ruled our case can move forward. Workplace discrimination against transgender people is against the law – no matter your religious beliefs,” said ACLU of Virginia Senior Transgender Rights Attorney Wyatt Rolla.
The effort to enshrine automatic restoration of rights into Virginia's constitution successfully passed this year's legislative session today.The amendment must pass again in next year’s legislative session before heading to the ballot for a statewide vote in November 2026.
Today’s vote was the last step in the legislative process for the 2025 General Assembly session, and is the first step in a two-year constitutional amendment process to protect Virginians’ right to make decisions regarding their own reproductive health care without government interference.
“After all, no executive order can change the Constitution,” said ACLU-VA Executive Director Mary Bauer. “Our statewide presence and deep bench of advocacy tools were made for moments like this. To get to Virginians, President Trump will have to get past us.”
"Protecting Virginians’ rights will require amending Virginia’s constitution. Today was the first step of this legislative session in a multi-year process, one that will culminate in Virginians themselves voting on whether to enshrine core civil rights safely out of reach of partisan politics."