RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Pride and Diversity Richmond are two of more than 25 groups and organizations from across Virginia participating in the 2026 Inaugural Parade through Capitol Square in Richmond on Saturday.
The LGBTQ advocacy group's director James Millner said more than 100 people from across the Commonwealth will join them as they march behind a banner reading "We Belong Here."
"Abigail Spanberger has been an ally to the LGBTQ community since she first ran for public office, and she's delivered for us. She ran on a campaign of equity and fairness for all," he said.
Millner said he expects the Governor's Mansion stance on gay rights to take a 180 degree turn when Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger is sworn in.
"The Youngkin administration has made attacks on transgender individuals in the Commonwealth, both adults and especially trans youth, a centerpiece of their work over the last four years," Millner said. "We know that Abigail Spanberger is not going to do that. That she's going to ensure that trans folks are treated fairly, equitably, and are able to participate fully in their lives in Virginia as their full authentic selves."
In 2025, Youngkin advocated for legislation concerning transgender athletes in high school and collegiate sports. While legislation did not pass in Virginia, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) did announce in 2025 it would comply with President Trump's executive order that limits participation in girls' sports to students who were assigned female at birth.
"Biological boys should not be competing against girls," Youngkin wrote on Facebook about the VHSL announcement. "This is just common sense. The Virginia High School League must change course immediately just like the NCAA. Virginia schools are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal school funding if the VHSL doesn’t comply with President Trump’s Executive Order protecting girls sports."
Spanberger on LGBTQ Issues
Spanberger shared on her campaign website she would "safeguard the rights of all Virginians and make sure that no member of the LGBTQ community is denied government services, discriminated against, or loses a job because of who they are."
"Abigail supports the General Assembly's efforts to remove the ban on marriage equality from Virginia's Constitution and enshrine marriage equality in Virginia," according to her website.
Enshrining same-sex marriage in Virginia's constitution was among four amendments passed by the Virginia House on Wednesday.
Freedom Foundation of Virginia President Victoria Cobb criticized Democrats who hold majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly and all three statewide offices who supported the effort.
"We continue to hold the position that every child deserves a mom and a dad, and that starts with a good definition of marriage. But we also have grave concerns that this constitutional amendment separates the notion of sex and gender, and places that concept into our Constitution, which essentially inserts into it transgender ideology," Cobb said.
Cobb has been on the forefront of advocating for students who have taken legal action against their schools for their policies involving transgender students.
"It seems as if we've finally gotten most schools headed in the right direction with regards to important policies that affect students, whether it's aligning your privacy spaces like bathrooms and locker rooms to someone's biological sex, or simply ensuring that the curriculum is about math and reading and writing, and not about special interests and side social projects," Cobb said. "So it would be disappointing if we saw any kind of rollback on that progress that we have made in many, many school districts."
Other groups marching in the inaugural parade include Girl Scouts of Virginia, Virginia Education Association and Virginia Professional Fire Fighters.
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