Tag: Gay Rights

Birth Certificates Being Revised for Same Sex Couples' Kids

More than a year after West Virginia officials began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, state birth certificates for adopted children still list “mother” and “father” next to the blanks for parents’ names.

  The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has said birth certificates are being revised and will be ready to be distributed early next month.

Department spokesman Toby Wagoner said this week that the process started several months ago, but software updates had caused the changes to take “some time.”

American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia attorney Jamie Lynn Crofts says inaccurate birth certificates can lead to greater scrutiny or even rejection of the birth certificates by organizations that require the birth certificate as proof of the parental relationship.

Revisiting the Grand Palace

Americans’ attitudes toward gay relationships have changed dramatically in a short time. Host Trey Kay returns to his home state of West Virginia to see how this change is playing out in a state where 53 percent of residents believe the Bible is the literal word of God.

From West Virginia Public Broadcasting, this is “Us & Them” the podcast where we tell stories from America’s cultural divides.

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State Board of Education Holds Emergency Meeting Over Common Core Repeal

At the legislature today, the senate passes the Governor’s bill to reform the state’s juvenile justice system.  Senators from both sides of the aisle praise the bill they say will mend troubled kids and their families.  A public hearing this morning brings out the issue of discrimination against the LGBT community in West Virginia.  And the State Board of Education held an emergency meeting Friday to discuss  a bill they say could cause substantial harm to students, teachers, and school systems in the state.  We’ll find out more on The Legislature Today.

Secretary of State Decries Unlimited Campaign Contribution Bill

At the legislature today, after a high school principal resigned and faces misdemeanor charges for failing to report a sexual assault at his school, lawmakers revisit a law pertaining to that issue.  One senator lashes out at a house bill that prohibits local anti-discrimination ordinances.  And we’ll talk with the Secretary of State about election bills at this session on The Legislature Today.

Federal Judge Puts W.Va. Gay Marriage Suit on Hold

A federal judge has put a lawsuit challenging West Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage on hold until a federal appeals court decides a similar Virginia…

A federal judge has put a lawsuit challenging West Virginia’s ban on same-sex marriage on hold until a federal appeals court decides a similar Virginia case.

U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers entered an order Tuesday that stayed the case filed in West Virginia by three couples last October until the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decides a case from Virginia.
 
Gay rights group Lambda Legal filed the lawsuit contending West Virginia’s Defense of Marriage Act unfairly discriminates against same-sex couples and their children.
 
The Charleston Gazette reports  Chambers wrote that “because of the overlap in the issues present” in both cases, the case in West Virginia should await the outcome.
 
A three judge panel heard arguments in the Virginia case on May 13 in Richmond.
 

W.Va. Guard issuing ID cards to same-sex spouses

The National Guard in West Virginia is now granting military ID cards to same-sex spouses, ensuring that they get benefits such as health care.
 
     The Charleston Gazette  reported Friday that one ID card has been issued to a same-sex spouse at a National Guard location in Martinsburg. An application is pending at the Air National Guard in Charleston.
 
     The National Guard had been issuing the IDs to same-sex spouses only at its four federally run facilities. The five state-run guard facilities are now doing the same.
 
     Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel had criticized West Virginia and other states that had defied the Pentagon by refusing to allow National Guard facilities to issue ID cards.
 
     West Virginia does not recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
 

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