Associated Press
Remember Tracy Thorne-Begland? Nearly a year ago, Thorne-Begland, a state prosecutor, a father, and a former Top Gun fighter pilot, was a state judicial nominee in Virginia. His nomination enjoyed bipartisan sponsorship, but it was defeated anyway -- Thorne-Begland is gay and several Republicans said that made him biased and unqualified for the state bench.
This year, the decorated Navy veteran fared far better.
The Virginia House and Senate elected interim Judge Tracy Thorne-Begland to a full term on the Richmond Manchester General District Court today, giving legislative approval to the state' s first openly gay judge after rejecting him last year.
The Republican-controlled House voted first, approving him 66-28 with one abstention, and was followed by a Senate vote of 28-0. Twelve social conservatives in the Senate did not vote.
That last line was of particular interest. Ben Tribbett reported that 12 Republicans in the state Senate "walked out" rather than vote on Thorne-Begland's confirmation. "You read that correctly," Tribbett added. "A majority of the Virginia Senate GOP -- 12 of 20 Senators -- walked out rather than vote for a gay judge."
That said, Thorne-Begland's nomination, which should have been approved last year, is now complete.
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It figures that the TeaPublicans, acting like spoiled children, walked out because the judge is gay. That is the kind of asinine and ridiculous behavior they've been displaying for the last four years! What a person's sexual orientation is should NOT be a factor in determining how the person performs their job. I think VERY highly of Tammy Baldwin, our openly gay senator from Wisconsin. She is fantastic! I worked to get her elected and I voted for her because I knew she would be a great senator! She works hard for the middle class and she is my champion! I hope those dingbat TeaPublicans can get their heads out of their****** and see what reality really is! Thank you, Rachel, for your very insightful and profound program every evening after the Ed show. Love ya!
Haters gonna hate.
They just all act like such pouty children!
good for them!
what they did to him last year was unbelieveable.
Congratulations, Your Honor.
I think its great that he was elected. and as for the morons who walked out... shame on them for being so afraid of one gay man. What on earth is wrong with these people? it doesn't rub off, it doesn't get in the water, and you can't catch anything that may be airborne. I applaud those who had the common sense and courage to vote for him.
A more accurate formulation: "Twelve social conservatives walked out rather than doing their job."
Did these brave Crusaders perhaps waive their pay that day?
Didn't think so!
They shouldn't be paid! This man has been fighting politics since he was a fighter piolot, the Navy found out he was gay & took him off his job he was trained & highly Qualified for. About 30 years ago Judge Thorne Begland was on 60 minutes when this happened. Congradulations Tracy. You & your brother Martin are strong, and an inspiration! My Love to the Thorne & Beglands families! Love, Linda Young Givens
I do hope they changed the locks to the Senate chamber doors while the 12 angry men were MIA...
Now that they have walked out, close the door and lock it
They completely disgust me!! Those 12 should be fired, impeached or whatever can be done to keep them from returning to work. The are cowardly and disgrace the office they were elected to serve!!!
Just looking at all the wonerful comments here from the love everybody crowd. Did any of you wonderful loving people ever think that maybe these 12 people were worried about having another "activist" judge on the bench? Judges should be impartial not activists pushing agendas. I don't care if he wants to have sex with a goat, We don't need another activist judge on the bench from either political party.
I guess the Republican party should be known for what it is, the party of intolerance and the party of obstruction.
Where do these @!$%#s get off. Walk out on an elected official. A man who more than qualified with a strong constituency supporting him, and 20 pieces of @!$%# walk out. They are offended to be asked to vote to confirm a gay. They don't think gay is acceptable to God and there an abomination. They never stop to consider that Jesus at 30 was a very old man, and to cavort with much young single boys was considered a disgrace. He broke laws that God himself established, and the so called Church he founded, has been a cult of child molesters for 2000 years. Mark 51 tells of the naked boy Jesus has slept with and how the apostles get rid of him lest Jesus be charged with sodomy.
"Thorne-Begland is gay and several Republicans said that made him biased and unqualified for the state bench" ... so ... if that's the case: following their own logic, let's similarly establish that those Republicans are biased and therefore unqualified.