Equality Arlington urges Arlington County to fortify basic anti-discrimination and public health resources for the LGBTQ+ community in the FY 2026 budget. At a time when the federal government has forsaken its commitment to executing the law and safeguarding the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, Arlington County must step up as a final line of defense for LGBTQ+ residents and workers.

In light of reports that the Trump administration’s U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights has opened an investigation into Arlington Public Schools (APS) for upholding the dignity of transgender students, Equality Arlington would like to thank the Arlington School Board and APS administration for their steadfast support for LGBTQ+ students, especially transgender and nonbinary students, and urge them to stand firm. The law is clear—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has already ruled that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 protects transgender students’ rights in schools (Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board) and their ability to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity (BPJ v. West Virginia Board of Education).

Equality Arlington called on the Arlington General Assembly delegation to support 8 bills proposed during the 2025 Virginia General Assembly session that support the health, safety, and rights of LGBTQ+ residents and oppose 9 bills that would do great harm to these residents.

Equality Arlington has been working with Arlington Public Schools since October 2023 to ensure that their new Strategic Plan addresses gaps in wellbeing and safety for LGBTQ+ students in our schools. We call on the Arlington School Board to adopt the Strategic Plan with the Superintendent's proposed LGBTQ+ student performance objective at their June 20th meeting.

We urge Governor Youngkin to sign House Bill (HB) 536 and HB 224 to protect Virginia’s LGBTQ+ students. LGBT youth experience higher rates of bullying, harassment, mental health challenges, and increased health complications associated with these challenges compared to their straight peers. Both bills will protect the health and wellbeing of Virginia children.

Equality Arlington has been engaging with LGBTQ+ Arlingtonians since 2022 to identify the ways in which Arlington County is adequately serving the queer community and ways in which it can improve. While Arlington County is generally a friendly and accepting community, Equality Arlington has observed many overarching gaps in the county’s services for LGBTQ+ residents and calls on the county to address them.

Virginia has a troubled history of denying marriage licenses to marginalized residents including residents of color and LGBTQ+ residents. This bill is a historic opportunity to enshrine in law what the U.S. Supreme Court and Virginia courts have already found in Loving v. Virginia (1967), Bostic v. Schaefer (2014), and Obergefell v. Hodges (2015): that all people, regardless of the color of their skin or the gender of the person they love, are free to celebrate their love through state-sanctioned marriage.

Equality Arlington called on the Arlington General Assembly delegation to support 8 bills proposed during the 2024 Virginia General Assembly session that support the health, safety, and rights of LGBTQ+ residents and oppose 6 bills that would do great harm to these residents.