Virginia’s 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman—reflecting what God established from the beginning. HJ3 will erase this definition and replace it with language that separates “sex” from “gender,” opening the door not just to same-sex marriage but to gender ideology throughout Virginia law.
URGENT ACTION REQUIRED: Submit your public comment HERE opposing HJ3 before the House Privileges and Elections Committee votes.
A Warning to Virginia Christians, Church Ministers, Elders, Deacons, Sunday School Teachers, and Parents:
The Bible declares in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Jesus Himself affirmed this design in Matthew 19:4-6: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Marriage is not a human invention subject to redefinition by popular vote or legislative decree. It is a divine institution—a covenant between one man, one woman, and God—established at creation and reaffirmed throughout Scripture.
Yet Virginia’s General Assembly is moving NOW to erase God’s definition from our state constitution through HJ3 (also known as HJ9 in 2025)—and where is the outcry from Christians? Where are the pastors? Where is the groundswell of believers defending what God Himself designed?
Silence. The same deafening, cowardly silence we see on every moral issue.
What HJ3 Actually Does
HJ3 would repeal Virginia’s 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment, which defines marriage as “only a union between one man and one woman.”
In 2006, 57% of Virginia voters approved this amendment, affirming the biblical definition of marriage. But after the Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision imposed same-sex marriage nationwide, this amendment became unenforceable—though it remains in Virginia’s Constitution as a statement of principle.
HJ3 doesn’t just remove the ban. It replaces it with dangerous new language:
“Marriage is one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness. This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two adult persons seeking a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such persons.”
Notice what happened? “Sex” and “gender” are now separate categories in Virginia’s Constitution.
This isn’t just about same-sex marriage anymore. This is about embedding gender ideology—the false belief that sex and gender are different, that biology can be denied, that men can become women and women can become men—into Virginia’s highest legal document.
The “Sex” vs. “Gender” Trojan Horse
The Family Foundation of Virginia warns: “HJ9 would redefine marriage and divide the concept of ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ in the Constitution, paving the way for a right to biological boys to both enter the locker rooms of girls and take their spots on sports teams.”
Why include BOTH “sex” and “gender” if they mean the same thing?
Because they don’t. In modern progressive ideology:
- “Sex” = biological reality (male/female)
- “Gender” = subjective self-identification (man/woman/nonbinary/etc.)
By separating these terms in the Constitution, HJ3 creates a legal framework where Virginia cannot “discriminate” based on someone’s self-identified “gender”—even when it contradicts their biological sex.
This opens the door to:
- Men who identify as women accessing women’s bathrooms, locker rooms, shelters
- Biological males competing in women’s sports
- Challenges to any sex-based distinction in Virginia law
- Legal precedent for “gender identity” protections across all areas of law
One commenter on the House website asked the obvious question: “Why are you all specifying and differentiating between ‘gender’ and ‘sex’? It seems like you care less about opening up marriage to all and more about finding ways to insert gender ideology into the VA Constitution.”
That commenter is exactly right.
What Scripture Says About Marriage
God’s Word is crystal clear on marriage. This isn’t a matter of personal opinion or cultural evolution—it’s the revealed truth of the Creator who designed marriage before sin entered the world.
Genesis 1:27-28: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply…'”
Marriage exists because God created humanity male and female—two distinct, complementary sexes designed for union. This binary is not a social construct. It’s biological reality reflecting the image of God.
Genesis 2:18, 22-24: “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’… And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
Marriage is one man and one woman. Not two men. Not two women. Not any configuration humans devise. God’s design is specific, intentional, and good.
Ephesians 5:31-32: “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.”
Marriage between a man and a woman is a living picture of Christ’s relationship with His church. To redefine marriage is to distort the gospel itself.
Malachi 2:15: “Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their life together? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring.”
God designed marriage to produce the next generation in a stable, covenantal union between mother and father. This is not just about adult desires—it’s about children’s rights to be raised by the two people who brought them into existence.
The Second Reference: Why This Moment Matters
Like HJ1, HJ3 is in its “second reference.” It passed the Virginia General Assembly in 2025 (House 58-35 with 7 Republicans joining all Democrats).
If HJ3 passes again in the 2026 session—happening RIGHT NOW—it goes on the November 2026 ballot for Virginia voters to decide.
This is the LAST legislative barrier before Virginians face a choice between God’s design and man’s rebellion.
But What About Obergefell? Isn’t This Already Settled?
Some Christians have been lulled into complacency, thinking: “The Supreme Court already decided this in 2015. Same-sex marriage is legal. What’s the point of fighting?”
Here’s the point:
Supreme Court decisions can be overturned. Roe v. Wade stood for 49 years before Dobbs reversed it in 2022. Justice Clarence Thomas explicitly stated in his Dobbs concurrence that Obergefell should be reconsidered.
If Obergefell falls, states with constitutional protections for same-sex marriage (like HJ3 would create) will maintain it. States without such protections could return to their pre-Obergefell laws.
HJ3 isn’t about protecting what exists. It’s about locking in same-sex marriage permanently—and embedding gender ideology—so that even if the Supreme Court reverses course, Virginia cannot return to God’s design.
This is why the fight matters. This is why silence is surrender.
Charles Finney’s Warning Echoes Again
From our Pulpit is Responsible series:
“If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it.”
Brothers and sisters, if Virginia enshrines the redefinition of marriage in our Constitution, THE PULPIT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE.
Not the politicians. Not the LGBT activists. Not the Supreme Court.
The pulpit—because it chose cultural acceptance over biblical fidelity, popularity over prophetic witness, silence over speaking truth in love.
Where are the pastors preaching on marriage from Genesis 2? Where are the sermons on Ephesians 5, on God’s design for male and female, on the gospel picture marriage represents?
Nowhere. And our culture reflects that silence.
What You Must Do NOW
1. Submit Your Public Comment
Click here to submit your written comment to the House Privileges and Elections Committee.
Sample Comment:
“I am writing in opposition to HJ3. Marriage is not a human invention to be redefined by popular opinion. God established marriage in Genesis 2:24 as the covenant union of one man and one woman, and Jesus Himself affirmed this design in Matthew 19:4-6. By separating ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ in the Constitution, HJ3 embeds gender ideology into Virginia’s highest legal document, creating a framework where biological reality can be denied throughout Virginia law. This opens the door to men accessing women’s spaces, males competing in women’s sports, and legal challenges to any sex-based distinction. The 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment, approved by 57% of Virginia voters, should remain as a statement of principle affirming what God designed from the beginning. Vote NO on HJ3. Stand for God’s design of marriage.”
2. Demand Your Pastor Address This from the Pulpit
If your pastor has not preached on God’s design for marriage, ask him why. Share this article. Send him to our Pulpit is Responsible series. The church cannot remain silent while God’s institutions are dismantled.
3. Contact Your State Delegates and Senators
Find your legislators here and call their offices. Tell them to vote NO on HJ3. Be polite, be firm, be persistent.
4. Pray
Pray for conviction to fall on the Virginia General Assembly. Pray for pastors to have courage. Pray for Christians to wake up and engage. Pray for God to defend His design for marriage.
5. Share This Article
Post it. Email it. Text it. The only way darkness is defeated is when light is shined into it.
No More Excuses
For two decades, Christians have watched the definition of marriage crumble while we stayed silent. We trusted the Supreme Court would protect us. We trusted our pastors would lead us. We trusted someone else would fight.
No one fought. And here we are.
God designed marriage. He gets to define it. Not the Supreme Court. Not the Virginia General Assembly. Not even a majority of voters.
“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” (Hebrews 13:4)
“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality… will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
We are called to speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Love doesn’t mean silence. Love means telling people the truth even when it costs us.
Submit your comment NOW. Stand for God’s design. Speak for those who need to hear the truth.
The pulpit has failed. But you don’t have to.
Resources
- Submit Public Comment: https://hodspeak.house.virginia.gov/committees/H18/bill_feedback?ses=261
- Find Your Legislators: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
- The Family Foundation: https://www.familyfoundation.org/
- Pulpit is Responsible Series: https://vachristian.org/tag/pulpit-is-responsible/
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views the Virginia Christian Alliance.
We welcome thoughtful and respectful dialogue from all viewpoints. Comments must remain civil, relevant, and free of profanity, personal attacks, or mockery of Christian faith. Disagreement is allowed—disrespect is not.
