Fear of "gay blood" and "confused minds": Virginia Republican touts support from anti-gay preachers

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Fear of "gay blood" and "confused minds": Virginia Republican touts support from anti-gay preachers
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is hoping anti-LGBTQ+ clergy can help her become Virginia's first female governor

By Tatyana Tandanpolie
Staff Reporter
Published June 21, 2025 5:45AM (EDT)


(Salon) Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears helped make history this week when she was named the Republican gubernatorial nominee, ensuring that no matter who wins in November, Virginia's next governor will be a woman. But that win is also drawing increased scrutiny to Earle-Sears, an ultraconservative Marine veteran, and her touting of endorsements from a slew of clergy who have espoused anti-LGBTQ+ views.

The state’s first Black and female lieutenant governor has listed on her campaign website, as well as boosted on social media, the endorsements of at least four Virginia clergymen who have made anti-LGBTQ+ remarks or whose religious institutions promote anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs. Earle-Sears herself has also come under fire for anti-LGBTQ+ comments carried out in the name of religious freedom and has had to apologize to a state lawmaker for misgendering her. With public opinion polls showing that the majority of Virginians support LGBTQ+ equality and freedoms, Earle-Sears' anti-LGBTQ+ stance raises questions about her viability in a general election campaign and how she would govern if she were to win.

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Earle-Sears, now the state GOP's first Black and female nominee for governor, has since last fall touted endorsements from religious leaders in the state who espouse views on LGBTQ+ Americans that are out of step with the majority of Virginians. Craig “The Hatchet Man” Johnson, a self-described reverend, the founder and president of educational advocacy organization First Amendment, Inc, and the host of conservative radio program “The REALLY, Real, Deal,” is one such endorser.

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Earle-Sears’ own views on LGBTQ+ rights align with those of her endorsers. In May, she made headlines for including a handwritten note on a 2024 law making it unlawful to deny a couple a marriage license based on sex, gender or race, stating that she was “morally opposed” to the “contents of the bill.” As the president of the state Senate, her signature was required to show it had been passed into law. ..................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/06/21/fear-of-gay-blood-and-confused-minds-virginia-touts-support-from-anti-gay-preachers/