So, Chesterfield has their very own Secret Police–or at least police that are secret. The department recently moved to redact 500 names from its roster in what is little more than a thinly veiled attempt to skirt any accountability for their actions. That they did this in response to OpenOversight VA’s request for a full […]
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Senator Siobhan Dunnavant Is Still The Worst
by Ashleigh Crocker It’s me again, reporting with an update that Senator Siobhan Dunnavant is still the worst, in case you were wondering. I wrote a few years ago about her bizarre views on birth control and abortion, despite being an actual OB-GYN. I’ve also talked before about how she even voted for junk health […]
News
Flowers for Mothers
by shay bell In observance of Pride Month, I wanted to honor the pioneers who made this celebration possible. Marsha “Pay No Mind” Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are the icons of the Gay Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 70s. These confidently expressive women who met and became friends in NY during the early years […]
News
Rae Cousins
by Kierra Johnson Every seat is up for re-election in the next cycle, and Virginia needs candidates who understand what’s at stake. If conservatives gain power, they’ll pass more restrictive legislation next year. NO THANK YOU! With the June primaries right around the corner, the 79th District can vote with confidence for a candidate who […]
News
5 Things I Hate About Senator Joe Morrissey
by Ashleigh Crocker Senator Joe Morrissey has got to go! It took me forever to write this blog because narrowing it down to just 5 things I hate about Joe. You might know of the Senator because he is an anti-abortion Democrat. Or maybe you heard about him because he has been disbarred more than […]
News
Vote Right Meow!
By Kimberly R. Nario I admit, I’m a complainer. It’s a natural talent, and I’m incredibly gifted in this arena. Sometimes I think it should go on my résumé under special skills. But this time, instead of thinking of more ways to call out Republicans in our state legislature for continuous attempts to roll back […]
News
It’s the Guns (And the Legislators)
By Kimberly R. Nario Last year I wrote about guns. This year, I’m writing about guns. I’m sick of writing about guns. My brother was a student at Virginia Tech in 2007. My mom worked near the municipal building in Virginia Beach in 2019. My family frequents a restaurant across from the Walmart in Chesapeake. […]
News
And in April, We Sparked
by shay bell It’s my favorite time of year. Spring is upon us, the sun is shining, birds are chirping, the smell of jasmine lingers in the air. And what’s that other smell wafting through my nostrils? Earthy, musky, and sent from above, it’s the smell I’ve come to associate with peace, marijuana. Virginians far […]
News
Transphobic Legislation Affects Everyone
By Kierra Johnson It’s open season on trans folks, and everyone, regardless of their gender, should be worried. This past legislative session in Virginia was full of committee meetings staffed with cisgender politicians questioning the rights of transgender children. While those who are defending anti-trans bills do so under the guise of protecting children, the […]
News
Voting Rights, Youngkin Wrong
by Kimberly R. Nario Everyday we hear about elected officials who are actively working to dismantle our democracy. But did you know some of those very people are right here in our state legislature? Just this past session, several Republicans in both the state Senate and House of Delegates introduced bills to rollback progress on […]
News
That’s A Wrap On the 2023 Legislative Session
By Ashleigh Crocker Whew! We survived another legislative session with a Republican-controlled House of Delegates and Governor Youngkin, who continues to improve his MAGA impression. We did some great work beating back bills that would have harmed our communities, and we even managed to pass a few good things! Here’s a rundown of what happened. […]
News
Devastated But Never Surprised
by shay bell I’m so f*cking sick and tired of grieving over the loss of my people at the hands of police violence. On February 22, at Tysons Corner Center mall in Fairfax County, Virginia, police officers James Sadler and Sgt. Wesley Shifflett shot and killed Timothy Johnson after he was suspected of shoplifting sunglasses. […]
News
Republicans Want To Ban Abortion In Virginia
by Ashleigh Crocker Well, we’ve known this was coming since Roe fell in June. Republicans in Virginia are trying to ban abortion in Virignia. Tomorrow, the Health Professions Subcommittee of the Senate Education and Health Committee will hear two bills and a resolution that would ban abortion. Everyone, everywhere, all the time, should be able […]
News
The War on Drugs isn’t Real
by Kierra Johnson If there was ever any proof that the war on drugs is not about drugs, it’s the latest numbers of marijuana arrests in Virginia. A Washington Post analysis revealed that even though marijuana has been legalized in the state, the majority of the people who are arrested for drug related charges are […]
News
Get Ready for the General Assembly Session
By Ashleigh Crocker It’s December, so you might be drinking hot chocolate, decorating a tree, lighting a menorah, shopping til you drop, spending time with family, or marking the holiday season with your own special traditions. But for us at Progress Virginia, December means something else too: it’s time to get ready for the General […]
News
Amanda Chase is not SAFE for Virginia … and we need to ACT fast.
by shay bell There’s nothing like waking up in the morning to a nice cup of tea, a good book, and news of extremely transphobic policies being proposed by Virginia Senators. Republican Senator Amanda Chase has just proposed a new ban on youth transition and I can’t even begin to describe how enraged I am. […]
News
Kiggans Doesn’t Cut It
by Kimberly R. Nario While we’re all being bombarded with political ads of candidates repeating their best qualities in their most unassuming tones—while sometimes talking sh*t about their opponents—let me remind you of some things one candidate may have failed to mention in her ads. Jen Kiggans apparently has a problem saying President Biden won […]
News
Same Day Voter Registration
It’s fall, y’all! And that means not only is it spooky season, but it’s also my personal favorite, election season. That’s right, it’s time to start thinking about who we are voting for and making our plans vote, if we haven’t already. One new thing we have in Virginia now is same-day voter registration. You […]
News
Clover Power in Halifax, What’s the Deal?
by shay bell It’s been a minute since our last set of blogs, but I’m back this month with a bit of an attitude because I’m over white male greed. As I’m sure we’re all aware, Virginia is one of many states aiming to lower their carbon emissions this year in an attempt to combat […]
News
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in Virginia’s New Budget
by Ashleigh Crocker On Friday, June 17, legislators came back to Richmond to debate Governor Glenn Youngkin’s amendments to the state budget. With the threat of a government shut down if they weren’t able to agree and pass something by July 1, legislators got down to business. Here’s the good, the bad, and the ugly […]
News
Virginia Republicans Miss the Mark Again
by Kimberly Nario It was sunny until it wasn’t. A group of us walked out of the theater building, laughing at something I can’t remember, when someone approached us and asked if we heard. Confusion set in. Then immediately we all started texting and making phone calls, checking on our people, trying to remember who […]
News
Fed Up With What the GOP is Serving
I hope y’all are hungry because Virginia’s GOP is serving up a buffet of ridiculousness. We knew this session would be different – and difficult – without a trusted Democratic trifecta to lead the Commonwealth. So when it comes to the nonsense some GOP legislators are trying to push through the General Assembly, you can color us shocked, but NOT surprised.
News
Commonsense: Something we CLEARLY do not have.
by shay bell Plastered on headlines of every local news website, two VCU students killed in a fatal shooting. Victims Adrianna Brooks and Matthew Gibbs lost their lives to gun violence before they reached the legal drinking age. This isn’t even a new story. We’ve heard this story several times over the past year alone, […]