Will McDonnell, Cooch, and House Republicans Cost Virginia Northrop Grumman?

Will Bob McDonnell and House of Delegates Republicans, both of whom have rejected granting protections to GLBT employees of the state government, end up costing Virginia Northrop Grumman? Based on this story, it it appears to be looking more and more likely.

A Maryland state senator and gay rights advocates are urging defense giant Northrop Grumman to reject Virginia as a location for its new corporate headquarters because of the Commonwealth's position on state protections for gay employees.

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Madaleno, who is gay, wrote that new Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) are "turning back the clock" on gay rights, as Maryland's attorney general has announced the state will recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. Virginia voters in 2006 amended the state constitution to prohibit gay marriage.

On Friday, the chief executive office of Equality Virginia, a gay rights group, sent Northrop Grumman CEO Wesley Bush a similar letter. The group has scheduled a news conference on the topic for Monday.

The bottom line is this: GLBT-unfriendly policies are not business-friendly policies in the year 2010. Who knows, maybe gay bashing was considered "business friendly" back in the pre-Stonewall (not to mention pre-civil rights and pre-womens' rights) 1950s, an era to which Bob McDonnell, Ken Kookinelli, "Sideshow Bob" Marshall, and Marshall's fellow House Republicans appear eager to return, but it certainly isn't today.

The question is, why do we let these people get away with claiming that they are "business friendly" when they clearly are not, at least when it comes to attracting the smartest and most talented workers to Virginia? And why do we elect people who kill the goose that lays Virginia's golden egg - physical infrastructure (roads, bridges, etc.) and so-called "human capital" (education, health care, high quality of life)? Now, there's a possibility that these people might lose Virginia Northrop Grumman - and all the jobs and tax revenues that would come along with it - through their bigoted, reactionary, retrogade policies towards GLBT people. Once again, as always, Republicans are doing a "heckuva job!"