Out lawmakers in Virginia, Colorado and Rhode Island are busy this week working to pass legislation that would advance the LGBT community’s access to equal rights.

In Virginia, openly gay State Sen. Adam Ebbin and ally Sen. Donald McEachin succeeded last night in passing an employment non-discrimination bill through a key committee. SB701, the bill that would prohibit discrimination based on a public employee’s sexual orientation or gender identity, passed through the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee with an 8-7 vote, MetroWeekly reports. The bill will now move on to the 40-member Senate for a vote.

In Colorado, out State Sen. Pat Steadman continues to lead the effort to pass a civil unions bill, which the Senate Judiciary Committee will hear Wednesday afternoon. The bill is expected to easily pass, finally ending the years-long battle to win civil unions in the state.  Steadman told The Denver Post that this hearing should be far briefer and less dramatic than last year’s four-hour event: “How much more is there really to say about this? We’ve heard it before. People understand this. This is family law.”

And the breaking news in Rhode Island today is that the House Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed HB5015, the bill that would allow same-sex couples to marry in the state. On January 24, the bill will face the full House of Representatives, where openly gay Speaker Gordon D. Fox is in charge. State Sen. Donna Nesselbush, who is openly lesbian, is leading the Senate effort to win marriage equality along with bill co-sponsor State Sen. Arthur Handy, who is an ally.

Photo: Rhode Islanders United for Marriage

Legislators and advocates joined forces today at the Virginia General Assembly to build momentum for SB701, the bill that would add sexual orientation to the list of protected classes for state employees.

State Senator Adam Ebbin, the only out member of Virginia’s legislature and a key sponsor of the bill, explained why this bill is so important for the entire state. “In Virginia, you can be fired for being LGBT – there is just nothing to stop it. And real people are moving away or deciding not to come here because of our lack of protections for LGBT Virginians. It’s a loss for all of us,” GayRVA reports.

Other supporters who spoke at today’s event included the Executive Director of Equality Virginia and State Senator McEachin, another champion of SB 701. He referenced this week’s appointment of openly gay Tracy Thorne-Begland as VA District Court Judge: “The education process that the house went through, in terms of being willing to change their mind about [Tracy Thorne-Begland], certainly shows the house can change its mind and we’re not just throwing straws into the wind.”

The sexual orientation bill made it onto the floor and through the Senate two years ago but did not make it past subcommittee in 2012. Stay tuned for updates as the bill goes to subcommittee Monday afternoon.

Photo Credit: GayRVA

A Virginia circuit court has appointed openly gay prosecutor Tracy Thorne-Begland to fill a vacant judgeship despite a recent vote in the state’s House of Delegates not to confirm him for the post, according to the Washington Blade.

“I am humbled by the Circuit Court’s decision.  I look forward to serving the citizens of the city of Richmond as a jurist, and over the coming months I hope that my service provides comfort to all Virginians that I remain committed to the faithful application of the laws and constitutions of Virginia and the United States of America,” Thorne-Begland said in a statement.

Anti-gay Delegate Bob Marshall, who earlier led the effort to block Thorne-Begland’s confirmation in the Virginia House, fumed at the news Thursday night.  ”We appointed the judges who appointed him. So they are calling into question our own judgment. That is not smart, on the part of these circuit court judges,” Marshall told Richmond CBS affiliate WTVR.

Thorne-Begland is a former military aviator who was discharged after coming out as gay.

The Virginia House of Delegates early yesterday rejected the nomination of an openly gay man for a judgeship on the General District Court in Richmond after social conservatives orchestrated a drive to keep him off the bench.  Tracey Thorne-Begland, a Richmond prosecutor, was supported by a bipartisan majority in the House Courts of Justice Committee, but a last-minute campaign to thwart his confirmation gained steam quickly Monday, and a 1 a.m. vote on the matter caught his supporters off guard.  His confirmation was rejected by a vote of 33-31, with 10 delegates abstaining.  Judicial nominees require at least 51 votes in the Virginia House to be confirmed.

Delegate Bob Marshall, a Republican from Prince William County who led the opposition, said Thorne-Begland’s past advocacy for LGBT equality disqualified him from serving as a judge.  Two decades ago Thorne-Begland, a former naval officer, went on ABC’s Nightline to say that he was gay–an admission that led to his discharge from the U.S. Navy

“It is hard to think about what happened at the General Assembly and not conclude that it is a form of bigotry,” Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Michael N. Herring told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “It causes people around the country to question Virginia’s ability to be tolerant and to be inclusive.”

Virginia Sen Adam Ebbin, a Democrat and the state’s only openly gay lawmaker, told the Associated Press he was “ashamed and disgusted” by the vote.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell issued a statement seeming to condemn the vote.  ”If anyone voted against Mr. Thorne-Begland because of his sexual orientation, that would be very disappointing and unacceptable,” the statement read.  But the progressive news blog Talking Points Memo noted McDonnell has evolved on this issue, pointing to a 2003 quote in which the then-chairman of the House Courts of Justice Committee said a nominee’s homosexuality “raises some questions about the qualifications to serve as a judge.”

R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the national Log Cabin Republicans, slammed the vote in a statement to GayPolitics.com: “The rejection of highly qualified Richmond prosecutor, Tracy Thorne-Begland, for the post of General District Court judge is an embarrassment to Republicans in Virginia. Delegate Bob Marshall’s use of a man’s military service and his commitment to family against him flies in the face of true conservative values. As Governor McDonnell said, Thorne-Begland’s nomination should have been considered solely on his merit, record, aptitude and skill,” Cooper said.

UPDATE:  Log Cabin Republicans also issued a statement today via their blog:  ”Log Cabin Republicans strongly condemn the actions of the Virginia Delegates that voted against Thorne-Begland on the basis of his sexual orientation. The Richmond prosecutor has qualifications tailor-made for a judgeship on Richmond’s General District Court. Thorne-Begland is a former naval aviator, a graduate of University of Richmond’s School of Law, and has served more than 10 years as a prosecutor. There’s no reason why he shouldn’t have been confirmed.”

Tim McGhee, a Republican running for the Virginia State Senate, told attendees at an Arlington Gay & Lesbian Alliance candidate forum Tuesday that he didn’t come to the event seeking their votes.  Instead, McGhee delivered a religious broadside, lecturing the crowd that God may have made them gay and then declared homosexuality sinful simply to “fully demonstrate who he is.”

Audience members could be heard gasping in disbelief on an audio recording of McGhee’s speech.

“For some of you here this evening, your frustrations go way beyond a state senate candidate. Some of you are beyond frustrated with God right now. Some of you refuse to believe in him altogether. You’ve asked the question or perhaps given up asking a long time ago, ‘Why? Why would God make me who I am and then tell me that’s wrong?’,” McGhee said.

“May I put a question before you tonight? What if that’s exactly what God did? What if that’s exactly what God had to do to fully demonstrate who he is?”

McGhee, who then launched into a sermon laced with Bible passages, was joined at the event by Virginia Delegate Adam Ebbin, who earlier this year won the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat McGhee is seeking.  If Ebbin wins, he will become the first openly LGBT State Senator in Virginia history.

NotLarrySabato has the full text of McGhee’s speech.

Learn more about Adam Ebbin here.