As members of the LGBTQ community, we need legislative champions at the table, simply voting the right way is not good enough anymore. For us, there is no doubt that as a New Jersey State Senator, Valerie Vainieri Huttle would continue to lift our voices even higher.

We know our friends not just by their words but by their actions. And there are few New Jersey Legislators out there who have been as strong of an ally as Valerie Huttle. Valerie has been fought tirelessly, showing a devotion to protecting and uplifting our community when few would.

Long before it was fashionable, Valerie stood with us through some dark and tough times. From sponsoring laws that would eliminate burdensome obstacles to changing the gender marker on a birth certificate, tackling LGBTQ discrimination in nursing homes, and drafting and passing a history-making anti-bullying law, Valerie has been there with us.

As a trusted ally, many LGBTQ advocates turned to Assemblywoman Huttle to get their issue on the table. Always ready with an open mind and a compassionate heart, Valerie would listen to the concerns from our community and fight like hell to get something done.

As our state, and our country, picks up the pieces from the last four years, we need leaders who have a vision for the future and a proven track record to see that vision through. Valerie has been effective in passing pro-LGBTQ+ legislation by laying out her vision and turning it into reality.

Some of Valerie’s legislative accomplishments impacting our community include:

+Making it easier for transgender individuals to change their gender marker on their birth and death certificates
+Increasing access for PReP and PEP to curb HIV transmissions in New Jersey
+Championed inclusive domestic violence & interpersonal violence legislation
+Passing the landmark anti-bullying law
+Protecting against HIV/AIDS discrimination in nursing homes
+Establishing the Transgender Task Force
+Streamlining the pathway for non-biological parents to adopt
+Authored New Jersey’s law to provide legal protections for gestational carrier agreements, including for same-sex couples
+Sponsored New Jersey’s law to prohibit the use of the “gay panic” defense.
+Authored New Jersey’s law requiring the Department of Education to develop guidelines for school districts regarding transgender students.
+Authored New Jersey’s 2017 law prohibiting health insurance companies from discriminating in coverage and services based on someone’s gender identity.
+Sponsored New Jersey’s 2008 law expanding the State’s Paid Family Leave program to include same-sex couples.

We know that with a LGBTQ+ rights champion like Valerie Vainieri Huttle in the Senate, our community will have a strong seat at the table.

Signed:

Julia Fahl, Lambertville Mayor
Pamela Renee, Neptune City Councilmember
Michael DeFusco, Hoboken Councilmember
Ed Zipprich, Red Bank Councilmember
Bob Zuckerman, South Orange Trustee
Shannon Cuttle, School Board Member
Cara Parmigiani, Founding Chair Morris County Democratic LGBTQA+ Caucus
Lauren Albrecht
Kari Osmond
Jay Lassiter
Michael Warren, Former Councilman
Chris Sheridan, Bergen County Democratic Committeeman
Eric Pinckney, Former School Board Member
David Grant, Former Vice-Chair NJ Democratic LGBTQ Caucus
Christian Jon Oliveira
Welsey McWhite