Virginia State Capitol — Photo: Skip Plitt/Wikimedia Commons.
On Monday, the Virginia Senate passed a bill to ban conversion therapy that had previously passed the House of Delegates, moving a statewide ban one step closer to becoming official law in the commonwealth.
The bill, sponsored by Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), prohibits licensed health care providers from attempting to subject people under the age of 18 to efforts to attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill defines conversion therapy as “unprofessional conduct,” consistent with guidelines set forth by several counseling and mental health licensing boards last year, and prohibits insurance coverage from being used to pay for conversion therapy.
The bill passed the Senate on a largely party-line vote, 22-18, with only one Republican, Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Upperville) voting in favor.
It previously passed the House of Delegates earlier this month with the support of 11 Republicans in addition to the full Democratic House Caucus.
The bill will now head to the desk of Gov. Ralph Northam, an LGBTQ ally, who has already promised to sign it into law.
Once signed, Virginia will become the 20th state in the nation to ban the practice on minors.
Several other states, including Kentucky, Iowa, and Oklahoma, are currently considering their own legislation to stop the practice.
North Carolina does not have a ban in place, but Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed an executive order prohibiting taxpayer dollars from being used to reimburse therapists who subject minors to the therapy.
The King George County School Board in Virginia has revised its student-organization policy and adopted new guidelines allowing middle schoolers to form non-curricular clubs, clearing the way for a Genders and Sexualities Alliance that students sued the district to establish.
The change extends equal-access protections to middle school students, allowing them to meet without discrimination based on the religious, political, philosophical, or other content of their speech, according to the Fredericksburg Free Press..
The Charlottesville radio host says the company barred them from discussing political issues on air and monitored their personal social media accounts.
Fievel Crane, the transgender host of The Morning Mixtape on Charlottesville radio station 106.1 FM The Corner, quit on air earlier this month, saying their employer had failed to support them and had censored what they could say on the show.
A video of Crane's on-air resignation was posted to Instagram on September 4.
"Normally, this is where the one-second music quiz would be, but there will not be a quiz today because I'm quitting," Crane said during the broadcast. "I wanted to thank you for welcoming me to this town and to the corner over the past three years. you've been really amazing, particularly when I came out and changed my name.
Public Image Ltd -- John Lydon's pioneering post-punk outfit embarks on its ominously named This Is Not The Last Tour (10/1)
Buffalo Traffic Jam -- Pictures of You Tour with HAFFWAY and Lydia Maes (10/2)
Can't Feel My Face: 2010s Dance Party (10/2)
The California Honeydrops -- Sweet Like That Tour (10/3)
Medium Build -- Bisexual singer-songwriter Nick Carpenter brings The King of Having Fun on Tour, with Ken Yates opening (10/4)
Sylvan Esso (10/5-6)
BERTHA: Grateful Drag -- The world's first Grateful Drag band brings together queer and allied Nashville musicians in wigs and full face, with $1 from every ticket benefiting SMYAL (10/8)
Bright Eyes -- $1 from every ticket supports the Poison Oak Project's LGBTQ advocacy, with a particular focus on the trans community (10/9)
Mo Lowda & The Humble -- Tailing the Ghost Tour with Surf Hat (10/10)
Basement -- Momma opens (10/10)
Knox -- With Emi Grace (10/12)
Rebecca Black -- The queer pop artist continues her remarkable reinvention on the Exhibitionism Tour (10/15)
Laundry Day -- The Larger Than LIFE Tour with Illusion Hills (10/16)
Allison Russell -- The Grammy-winning queer singer-songwriter performs with emerging LGBTQ country-soul artist Autumn Nicholas opening (10/16)
Andrew McMahon and His Piano -- With Ivory Layne (10/17)
The Residents -- The famously enigmatic avant-garde collective revisits its 1979 album Eskimo (10/17)
Quadeca -- With DERBY and Oleka (10/18)
Waylon Wyatt -- Dustpiles World Tour with Noah James (10/20)
The Damned -- The British punk pioneers mark their 50th anniversary on the Final Damnation 50 tour, with Flamin' Groovies and The Courettes (10/21)
LØLØ -- God Forbid a Girl Goes on Tour with Mylie Taylor and Sydney Sherrill (10/22)
RØZ -- Se Esta Haciendo Tarde (10/23)
Paris Paloma -- The British singer-songwriter behind the feminist anthem "Labour" tours behind her new album, The Fatal Flaw, with Susannah Joffe opening (10/24-25)
hey, nothing -- The Hound Tour with Brother Bird (10/26)
Patrick Droney (10/27)
Sueco -- With Jeris Johnson (10/28)
MICO -- Running From a Feeling Tour (10/29)
Jukebox the Ghost: HalloQueen -- The local piano-pop trio performs one set of originals and another devoted to the music of Queen (10/30)
Bassvictim -- With Thoom (10/30)
The Army, The Navy -- The Fake Brave Tour (10/31)
Holywatr -- Deo Gratias Tour with Mercury (10/31)
She Wants Revenge -- With Rosegarden Funeral Party (11/1)
Hovvdy -- With Christian Lee Hutson (11/2)
The Music of Hey Arnold! Live! -- Composer Jim Lang and The PS 118 AllStars celebrate the animated series' 30th anniversary with its jazz, hip-hop, blues, R&B, and funk-infused music (11/4)
Hiss Golden Messenger -- I'm People Tour (11/7)
Winyah -- Foxtide opens (11/7)
Mountain Grass Unit -- Appalachian Smoke Tour (11/8)
Slow Pulp (11/9)
Amble (11/11)
Sammy Rae & The Friends -- Queer bandleader Sammy Rae presides over three nights of exuberant jazz, rock, funk, and soul (11/12-14)
Strawberry Guy (11/13)
Fruit Bats -- Eric D. Johnson tours in support of Baby Man, his intimate, stripped-down new album, with Sarah Klang opening (11/14)
Giant Rooks (11/15)
Jalen Ngonda -- Doctrine of Love Tour (11/16)
Die Spitz -- The riotous Austin punk quartet performs with queer "fairy-doom" trio Faetooth (11/17)
Matt Hansen -- The Orchid Tour (11/18)
They Might Be Giants -- The beloved alt-rock eccentrics settle in for an ambitious four-night stand (11/19-22)
emmet swimming and Dillon Fence (11/25)
nimino -- Keep Me Awake Tour (12/3)
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong -- With Fireside Collective the first night and Dizgo the second (12/4-5)
Montell Fish -- The Nest Tour (12/7)
GWAR -- With Midnight, Mac Sabbath, and X-Cops (12/8)
Squirrel Nut Zippers -- Christmas Caravan Tour (12/9)
Lucy Bedroque -- The nonbinary experimental rapper and producer performs with pinponpanpon (12/13)
The Taylor Party: Taylor Swift Night (1/9)
Ibeyi -- French-Cuban twin sisters Lisa-Kainde and Naomi Diaz fuse electronic soul with Afro-Cuban rhythms and Yoruba traditions (2/8)
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