Curtis Tate Published

Fairmont Becomes The 18th City In W.Va. To Pass A Fairness Law

Rainbow flags, a symbol of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and queer pride and LGBT social movements, are seen outside the Stonewall Monument in New York City.
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Fairmont joins 17 other cities statewide to have passed a Fairness Law. The vote on Monday was 7-2.

Monongah, also in Marion County, enacted its ordinance in September. Bolivar, in Jefferson County, enacted one in April. Keyser and South Charleston enacted theirs last year.

The laws protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.

West Virginia has no statewide anti-discrimination law for its LGBTQ residents.

The Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ rights organization, scores seven of the state’s cities on its equality index.

Fairmont is not one of them, but nondiscrimination laws carry the most weight of the factors it considers.

Huntington and Morgantown scored a perfect 100. By contrast, Parkersburg, which does not have a Fairness Law, scored 13.