The West Virginia Code includes a section proclaiming that all West Virginians are equal, and are entitled to equal access to work, access to public places and housing. Employers and landlords aren’t allowed to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, blindness or disability. But no mention is made of sexual orientation.
A bill that passed the Senate today could change that.
Senate Bill 238 would extend protection from discrimination to all West Virginians, regardless of their sexual orientation. But it proved a contentious topic during Friday’s Senate floor session.
The bill is similar to one that passed the Senate unanimously last year, only to be defeated in the House. But this time around, it met with some opposition.
Senator Brooks McCabe is the bill’s lead sponsor. He said the bill is basically an economic development bill, designed to make West Virginia open and attractive to new businesses and workers.
Sen. Corey Palumbo, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, said that the bill is written to be more inclusive.
But Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth said his opposition to the bill was because it’s unnecessary. The bill defines “sexual orientation” as “heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual,” which he says includes everyone.
Caruth and Sen. Mike Hall, both who rose in opposition to the bill, were outnumbered by those in favor of it.
Sen. Erik Wells argued that if the Senate did not approve the bill, it would make West Virginia seem like a backwards state. The state is already a laughingstock because of the “Barbie Bill” introduced in the House of Delegates, he said.
Sen. Jeffrey Kessler appealed to the senators’ sense of righteousness and public service.
In the end, the bill passed 23 to 10. All the Republicans except Sen. Jesse Guills voted against the bill, and all the Democrats except Sens. Mike Green, Douglas Facemire and Ron Stollings voted for the bill.
But the bill still has to pass the House, where it was defeated last year.