LGBT rights in Virginia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Legal since 2003 (Lawrence v. Texas) Legislative repeal in 2014 |
| Gender identity | Sex-change recognized for purposes of marriage licenses |
| Discrimination protections | Sexual orientation and gender identity protections all areas since 2020 |
| Family rights | |
| Recognition of relationships | Same-sex marriage since 2014 |
| Adoption | Yes |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Virginia enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. LGBT rights in the state are a recent occurrence with most improvements in LGBT rights occurring in the 2000s and 2010s. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Virginia since October 6, 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal in the case of Bostic v. Rainey. Effective July 1, 2020, there is a state-wide law protecting LGBT persons from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. The state's hate crime laws also now explicitly include both sexual orientation and gender identity.
Prior to July 1, 2020, Virginia only afforded limited protections for LGBT persons (in state employment only), the state's hate crime laws did not include a provision for sexual orientation or gender identity, and the statute criminalizing sodomy between same-sex and opposite-sex couples, though declared unconstitutional nationally by the Supreme Court of the United States in 2003, was not repealed until 11 years later in 2014.[1]