My name is Katelyn O'Brien, I am a transgender woman who worked for over 12 years in the defense industry before changing for job security reasons in view of federal government mistreatment of dozens of transgender people I knew. I now serve my community in public utilities essential to the environment and public health under state government contract. When I first transitioned over a decade ago, I was supporting not only myself, but my mother who was out of work at the time. Non-discrimination affects not only those of us who are LGBTQ, but also anyone else who potentially depends on us, which amounts to millions across the Commonwealth.

SB 637 is an important fix to VHRA. For too long, protected groups, including older Virginians were not protected by the VHRA’s complex employer threshold scheme. This simplification makes the VHRA clearer for both employers and employees. This civil rights bill was passed by the two previous legislators and vetoed by Gov Youngkin.