"Two steps forward, two steps back" continues to be the best way of escribing Virginia's path towards LGBT equality. Virginia state senator Janet Howell's bill that would have allowed unmarried gay couples to adopt children has been shot down by Virginia Republicans.
Howell's bill, which was backed by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, was built around the idea that regardless of marital status, children fare better having two parents in their lives. The conservative opposition countered Howell's bill arguing that unmarried parents made for unstable homes.