......friends and neighbors.  They work and live side-by-side with us, yet do not have the same rights and protections that the rest of us completely take for granted.  If Virginia is going to be competitive in recruiting, hiring and retaining the best and brightest to keep our state humming, we must follow the lead of Corporate America and many other states in offering LGBT families the same benefits that hte rest of us enjoy.  Bravo to Gov. Kaine (and Gov.-elect McDonnell?) for supporting this measure!  It is just a start, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.