What We Have Been Fighting For!
Three years ago APV was founded in part in response to the underhanded and thuggish passage of the so called TRAP law by the Virginia General Assembly and signed by then Governor McDonnell. These Targeted Regulations against Abortion Providers were designed to put existing women’s health clinics out of business by forcing them to adhere to medically useless, economically prohibitive regulations. APV stood beside women’s health organizations, medical professionals and grass roots activists to organize protests including the historic February 2012 protest at the Capitol, pictured on our FB page. We have consistently lobbied, educated, testified and marched against TRAP in the years since and today it began to pay off as Governor McAuliffe started the process that should ultimately overturn TRAP in Virginia. APV members can take pride in knowing that you were a part of making this happen. This fight is far from over and we need to keep the pressure on, but clearly this is a victory for Virginia women and for the state as a whole. Thank You all!
UPDATE:
Those who were with us last year will remember that Ralph was our guest at the APV Oyster Roast. here’s his statement on the new BoH appointments.
Lieutenant Governor Northam’s Statement on new members of the Board of Health
I am very pleased that Governor McAuliffe has chosen to appoint such a strong group of individuals to the Board of Health. These new appointees are experienced professionals with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise. While the Board of Health deals with a diversity of issues, unfortunately its decisions in the last few years have been notable for their adverse affects on women’s reproductive rights and safe access to healthcare. I am supportive of the Governor’s request for a review of the TRAP regulations and I am hopeful that the Board will conduct an independent review genuinely focused on health and safety, and absent of outside political influences.
Closeing a loophole in the Animal Fighting Ring.
Since 2011 the Alliance for Progressive Values has been lobbying Congress to criminalize the act of attending and/or bringing a minor to an animal fighting event. To us it seemed like commonsense law making to guarantee that spectators at these loathsome illegal events should be held accountable and in particular those who would seek to indoctrinate and abuse children by introducing them at a tender age to some of the most vicious and barbaric “sport” imaginable.
This month President Obama signed the controversial and in many ways disappointing Farm Bill into law and while we have plenty of concerns about this legislation, we are proud and pleased to note that it contains the language on animal fighting that APV and many other groups have been looking to include.
Here is a link to a story on the federal law and here is our letter to Congress from 2011 in support of then current legislation. Congratulation in particular to our former president Stephanie Rodriguez who fought hard for this, these things take time, but we get results.
APV Letter to Congress
The Alliance for Progressive Values 2014 Virginia Legislative Oyster Roast is Here.
You’re invited!
The Alliance for Progressive Values 2014 Virginia Legislative Oyster Roast is here.
Each year APV throws an party during the General Assembly for members and their staff and we invite our members and guests to come spend some quality time talking to them over some delicious Virginia oysters and a beer, about issues that Progressive care about like the environment, reasonable gun laws, women’s rights, voting rights, LGBTQ equality, education and more. Please join us on Thursday February 20th 2014 at the beautiful Eric Schindler Gallery on East Broad Street in Richmond from 6:30 till 9:30pm for an old fashioned Virginia oyster roast.
APV Oyster Roast
Thursday, Feb. 20th
6:30-9:30 pm
The Eric Schindler Gallery
2305 E. Broad St.
Richmond VA
804-644-5005
General Public $25
APV Members $20
GA Members (and staff with ID), Free
Please RSVP to info@APVonline.org so we know how many oysters to shuck.
ATTENTION APV members, your discounted price of $20 also qualifies as your membership renewal for this year.
Making Virginia a Vanguard State in the Battle Against SOCE
Witnesses wait to testify before House Subcommittee
On behalf of the Board of Directors and our membership, I want to thank everyone who worked to bring HB1135 to the Virginia General Assembly this year. While we understood the odds that were against us from the start, I don’t think we had any idea what a profound and awe inspiring experience moving this bill ended up being. Conversion Therapy is being dragged out into the light where it won’t long survive and today we helped put Virginia on the map as a vanguard state in the fight to end this dehumanizing and worthless practice.
I can’t say enough about our great witnesses today and at our press conference last week. THANK YOU so much Apryl Prentess, Bill Johnson and Gail Dickert, your courage and eloquence moved everyone you came in contact with. Thank you to our friends at Equality Virginia, Virginia Interfaith Center, The Gay Community Center of Richmond, People of Faith for Equality in Virginia, GayRVA, Roland Winston, the Reverends Jeanne Pupke, Robert Coats and Robin Gorsline, our wonderful sponsor Delegate Patrick Hope of Arlington and his staff and all the young LGBTQAI men and women out there who need to know that they are not alone and that help is on the way! I also want to single out our APV Public Policy Director, Victoria Bragunier who put in countless hours to get this bill ready for prime time. THANK YOU!
It is rare that a good bill’s defeat can leave me so positive, but we made a little history today and back in 2011 when Ann and Jeanne and Claire and Steph and I put APV together, that is what we planned on doing! Congratulations.
Scott Price
President, Alliance for Progressive Values
January 30th, 2014
January 20th Press Conference on Bill to End Conversion Therapy
APV Policy Director Victoria Bragunier speaks to the press. From L to R, Rev. Doctor Robin Gorsline, APV President Scott Price, Apryl Prentess, Del. Patrick Hope.
Today the Alliance for Progressive Values rolled out the major portion of its 2014 legislative agenda with a press conference on HB1135, introduced at our request by Progressive Caucus co-Chair, Delegate Patrick Hope of Arlington. HB1135 would end the practice of so called conversion therapy on children under the age of 18. “Conversion therapy” or “reparative therapy” or “Sexual Orientation Change Efforts” (SOCE), claim to be able to change people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender into heterosexuals. This treatment has been rejected throughout the medical, psychiatric and therapeutic communities for decades and has been shown to do deep and lasting damage particularly to young people. Special thanks to Apryl Prentess for her courage and eloquence today speaking about her experience with SOCE. We expect the bill to be heard in House Health, Welfare and Institutions, Sub Committee 3 next week. If you have been a victim of SOCE and particular if this occurred while you were a minor, please consider adding your voice to the growing chorus calling for an end to SOCE. Please contact Victoria Bragunier, vbragunier@apvonline.org.
News on Today’s Press Conference.
From The Washington Post
