Virginia repeals long-standing ban on same-sex marriage

Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment on Tuesday that removes the state's 2006 ban on same-sex marriage, with 57 percent support—ironically the same percentage that originally enacted the ban nearly two decades earlier. The repeal effort took years of advocacy and required two separate approvals from both legislative chambers before reaching the ballot, with minimal Republican support in the final vote. While the ban has been unenforceable since the 2015 Supreme Court Obergefell decision established federal marriage equality rights, LGBTQ+ advocates pushed for the constitutional change due to concerns about the conservative Supreme Court majority potentially revisiting that precedent.