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Members of the Virginia House of Delegates on Thursday killed two bills that would have extended rights to the commonwealth’s LGBT residents.

The House General Laws Subcommittee tabled Senate Bill 785 that would have banned anti-LGBT discrimination against state and local government employees.

The Virginia Senate earlier this month approved the measure that state Sen. A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) introduced. Lieutenant Gov. Ralph Northam cast the tie-breaking vote that allowed SB 785 to pass.

“It is shameful that this subcommittee can’t come together in support of a common sense bill that reflects the beliefs held by the majority of Virginians,” said James Parrish, executive director of Equality Virginia, a statewide LGBT advocacy group, in a statement. “Ideology should not stand in the way of achieving fairness and equality — something that would benefit all Virginians.”

Bill to make Va. marriage laws gender-neutral tabled

Members of the House Courts of Justice Subcommittee on Thursday tabled Senate Bill 1211 that would have added gender-neutral language to Virginia’s marriage laws.

“It does not remove any references to husbands or wives in the code,” said gay state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria), who sponsored SB 1211, on Thursday during a hearing on his bill. “It just merely says that all legally married people… we use the word ‘spouse,’ would be subject to the same laws and they should not be subject to language confusion or worse yet be able to exploit the language loopholes to avoid their responsibilities under Virginia law.”

The state Senate on Feb. 3 approved SB 1211.

The House Courts of Justice Subcommittee tabled the measure one day before the first anniversary of U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen’s ruling that struck down Virginia’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Gays and lesbians began to legally marry in the commonwealth last Oct. 6 after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that upheld Allen’s decision.

“The realities of 2015 are here, like it or not,” said Ebbin during Thursday’s hearing on SB 1211 before the House Courts of Justice Subcommittee. “We owe the Virginians who are legally married couples recognition under the law.”