In its inaugural year, the Virginia LGBTQ+ Advisory Board held five meetings, including one at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The Board presented Governor Northam with two recommendations in 2021, but this is its first Annual Report.

In its first year, the Board established procedures and structure, including creating four standing committees: Education & Workforce, Health, Housing & Infrastructure, and Safety. The committees all held multiple meetings to gather facts and prepare recommendations.

The Board has prepared ten recommendations to address both longstanding disparities facing the LGBTQ+ community as well as emerging issues surrounding the increasingly intolerant and at times violent rhetoric targeting our community, particularly transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming youth.

Recommendations

1. Create Identity-Affirming Educational Environments Where Students, Faculty, and Staff are Empowered to Live and Learn Authentically

2. Empower an Equitable and Diverse Workforce

3. Bring Care to the People

4. Expand Healthcare Access

5. Increase Support for Affordable Housing at All Levels in All Regions of Virginia

6. Increase Housing and Support Services for LGBTQ+ Virginians, Particularly Youth and Young Adults

7. Increase Transportation Access for All Virginians, Particularly in Rural Areas

8. Show support for LGBTQ+ Virginians through Executive Action

9. Eliminate Unnecessarily Gendered Language

10. Support Removal of Obsolete Discriminatory Laws and Protection of Human Rights