I strongly support this legislation.  It is about time that the Commonwealth of Virginia recognized that families come in all kinds of configurations.  The ability to make equal benefits available to all State Employees and their families is critical to ensuring fairness in the workplace.  It will attract quality applicants and business to our Commonwealth.

And in response to Ayana Andrews-Joseph comment, I am unclear about her reference to the number of people in a household to be covered.  Is it okay for Virginian tax-payers to pay for/towards the benefits of a state-employee who is heterosexual, married, and the father of six children, (or seven, eight, or heaven forbid, might be like Jim Bob Duggar with 18 at last count and expecting again)?  And if he divorces the mother of those six children, and marries another woman, he can cover his six and any of her children living with them?  Why are the configurations of one family sacrosanct, and those of another family not?