The Greater Falls Church Chamber of Commerce has spoken out against Virginia’s proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage, the first move of its kind by such a group in the state.
The ban, placed on the ballot in November by the General Assembly, would reinforce existing legal restrictions on same-sex marriage.
The chamber, however, is not weighing in from a gay rights perspective on the resolution, which was passed this week. They say the amendment will be bad for business.
“The language is a lot more expansive than it needs to be,” said Sally Cole, the chamber’s executive director.
The group objects to language in the second paragraph that could, according to Cole, be interpreted to restrict contractual relationships between unmarried people.
“You got to have a very active imagination to conclude that,” said Del. Robert Marshall, R-Manassas, who introduced the amendment.
Marshall said the amendment does not address contracts between two people of the same sex, regardless of their orientation.
The Virginia Chamber of Commerce is staying out of it, said Keith Cheatham, vice president of government affairs.
“We’ve not been persuaded by anyone that it is a business issue,” he said.
He said the Falls Church chamber is the only he knows of to have passed such a resolution.
