Virginia leaders condemn racist sign aimed at Winsome Earle-Sears
Virginia Leaders Condemn Racist Sign Targeting Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears
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Leaders from both political parties in Virginia have united in condemning a racist sign directed at Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. The sign was displayed during a protest outside a school board meeting where Earle-Sears was speaking.
Earle-Sears, who is the Republican nominee for governor in Virginia, addressed the Arlington County school board meeting on Thursday, where the transgender bathroom policy was under review. Outside the meeting, amidst a transgender rights rally, a derogatory sign targeting Earle-Sears was unfurled.
The sign, which has stirred outrage on social media, read: “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.”
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was the subject of a sign condemned by Virginia leaders as offensive and inappropriate. (Winsome Earle-Sears Campaign)
Governor Glenn Youngkin swiftly came to Earle-Sears’ defense, denouncing what he termed as the “hypocrisy of the liberal left.”
“Winsome is so much bigger than this idiocy,” Youngkin emphasized.
Attorney General Jason Miyares echoed the sentiment, stating on X: “This is wrong. [Winsome Earle-Sears] — and Virginia — deserve better.”
Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is also the Democratic lieutenant governor nominee, expressed her condemnation of the sign, highlighting the historical pain it evokes.
Winsome Sears, Republican lieutenant gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, arrives to speak during an election night event for Glenn Youngkin, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, in Chantilly, Va., on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“These sentiments are unacceptable,” Hashmi stated. “We each have a responsibility to move our communities to unity and to reject all forms of bigotry.”
Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones also condemned the sign, labeling it a “horrific display of racism.”
Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid emphasized, “There’s no place for hate here in Virginia. This is wrong.”
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks during the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference at the Washington Hilton on June 22, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Samuel Core / Getty Images)
Various other political figures and leaders in Virginia expressed their dismay over the racist sign, reaffirming their commitment to unity and denouncing bigotry in all forms.
Despite the strong condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears expressed disappointment in the response from her opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, feeling that it should have been more robust.
“A very weak response from a very weak person who we know cannot lead Virginia as governor,” Earle-Sears remarked. “She’s finally come out of hiding when she should have a long time ago come out and defended so many things that are so wrong, and she’s been absent.”
