LGBT rights Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Huntington Becomes Fourth City In W.Va. To Ban Conversion Therapy

Huntington is now the fourth city in the Mountain State to ban conversion therapy.

In a 7 – 4 vote, Huntington city council banned conversion therapy for minors within city limits.

The updated city ordinance says that attempting to change the gender identity or sexual orientation of a minor is discriminatory.

Huntington joins Wheeling, Morgantown, and Charleston in banning the practice.

“Everyone, from the American Medical Association to the American College of Physicians, all of these subject matter experts have said that this is nothing more than abuse,” said Vice Chairwoman Sarah Walling,

More than 30 residents came to speak. Resident of Huntington, and board member for the West Virginia Psychological Association, Sheila Robinette told the council that conversion therapy is ineffective and causes harm to minors.

“The youth of our city, this includes not just LGBTQ youth but all youth, deserve and have the right to be able to receive mental health treatment in a safe, ethical manner free from discrimination and in a manner that makes people better, not worse,” said Robinette.

Sheila Robinette speaking to Huntington City Council

Before hearing from the public, Councilmember Dale Anderson motioned to table the ordinance and wait for the state legislature to act.

“Mr. Anderson, we are not going to lay down and wait for the state, because they’re slow and sometimes ineffective,” said Huntington resident Joseph Crutcher. “The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims has labeled conversion therapy torture.”

Interactions between a child and their parent or someone in their religious group about sexual orientation or gender identity are not part of the ban.

Wheeling Bans Conversion Therapy

Wheeling has banned a discredited therapy aimed at LGBTQ people.

Members of the Wheeling city council voted 4-3 Tuesday night to approve an ordinance banning conversion therapy in the city.

Conversion therapy is a practice of attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The city code does exempt counseling from clergy and religious officials acting in a pastoral or religious capacity and not in the capacity of a medical or mental health professional.

In a written version of his remarks prior to the council’s vote, Wheeling mayor Glenn Elliott said the ordinance has caused him to reflect on the work the council is charged with.

“We live in a world where both our federal government and the State of West Virginia have failed to provide basic civil rights protections to members of the LGBTQ community,” Elliot said.

He cited seven professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, that have publicly opposed conversion therapy.

“They not only assert that conversion therapy is cruel, but they also affirm that it does not work,” Elliot said.

Wheeling joins Charleston and Morgantown in defining the practice as discriminatory and unlawful.

Bipartisan attempts at passing a statewide ban in the legislature have been unsuccessful.

Pride in the Mountain State

It’s Gay Pride month across the country and a celebration of increasing tolerance and rights for the LGBTQ community. Attitudes have changed in many places, including the Mountain State – where more than 50 percent of residents believe the Bible is the word of God.

Trey produced an episode of Us & Them we called “Revisiting the Grand Palace,” talking with well known Charleston drag queen Ted Brightwell about the legendary Charleston gay bar from the 1970s. But when Mark Yozie heard that story, he was so incensed he wrote Trey an email saying, “shame on you.”

In this episode, Mark and Trey meet to talk things out. And, we’ll hear a tribute to a West Virginia gay man who served time in a mental institution for violating sodomy laws.

You can listen to Us & Them on WVPB Radio. Tune in on the fourth Thursday of every month at 8 PM, with an encore presentation on the fourth Saturday at 3 PM.

Fairmont City Council Sends Anti-Discrimination Ordinance to Public Vote

A West Virginia city’s newly reinstated anti-discrimination ordinance that drew opposition from some residents will be put to a public vote next year.

News outlets report that the Fairmont City Council on Tuesday responded to a petition submitted in November that forced them to reconsider the ordinance by sending the Human Rights Commission Ordinance to a ballot vote in November 2018 instead of holding another public hearing. The ordinance was passed on a 7-2 vote in September.

Mayor Tom Mainella said it was unlikely that any council member would change their vote.

The petition was organized by Keep Fairmont Safe, which opposed the ordinance’s addition of sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes. Its representative Kandi Nuzum says the group is happy the public gets to decide.

Morgantown Votes Unanimously to Become 11th Municipality with LGBT Protections

The Morgantown City Council passed a law last night that provides employment, housing and other protections for members of the gay, bisexual and transgender communities, making the city the eleventh municipality in West Virginia to provide legally enforceable protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

After discussion that stretched well over two hours, council members voted 7 to 0 in favor of a measure that expands its Human Rights Commission. The ordinance provides a legal course of action in civil court related to cases involving discrimination based on the added statuses.

Morgantown resident Roger Banks spoke about some of the discrimination he’s faced a as a man who identifies as gay and HIV positive.

“This hate and this fear is proof of the need for this ordinance — because this ordinance will begin to build a home that’s safe LGBT young people. So, they will not experience the hate and the pain that I have experienced,” said Banks.

Banks was noting the opposition to the bill coming from those who identified themselves as religious leaders in the surrounding community, some of whom argued that they themselves don’t discriminate against the LGBT community and, thus, the measure was unnecessary. Others against the ordinance cited the so-called bathroom issue, arguing that anyone of any gender could make their way into a bathroom to sexually abuse others.

Allen Whitt of the Family Policy Council of West Virginia, a conservative organization that’s rallied against LGBT protections, argued that the passage of the ordinance would be challenged in court.

Andrew Schneider, of LGBT advocacy group Fairness West Virginia, spoke to the council and said Morgantown’s action provides a pathway for the rest of the state to follow suit.

“That will send a strong message to lawmakers at the Capitol in Charleston that this is what West Virginians overwhelmingly desire and need and demand,” said Schneider.

All members of the council spoke in favor of the ordinance before closing discussion and prior to a vote. Barry Wendell, an openly gay member of the council, spoke directly to Whitt and threats of a challenge to the ordinance’s passage in court: “Bring it!” he said.

Currently, 21 states and the District of Columbia have protections based on sexual orientation and / or gender identity. No such protections exist at the federal level.

Editor’s Note: This version of the article clarifies what legal actions are available as a result of the passage of the ordinance. The original story did not specify.

Wheeling Council Passes Anti-Discrimination LGBT Ordinance

Wheeling has become West Virginia’s 11th city to pass a policy protecting the housing and employment rights for LGBT citizens.

The Wheeling City Council voted 7-0 to establish new anti-discrimination protections in the city’s human rights ordinance based on sexual orientation, gender identity and veteran status on Tuesday.

The Intelligencer says the ordinance includes exemptions for religious institutions, as well as employers with fewer than 12 employees.

It also gives the city’s human rights commission the ability to issue cease-and-desist orders in response to complaints under the new policy if attempts at conciliation fail. The commission can have the courts enforce those orders if they are not obeyed.

Wheeling is the fifth city in the state to approve such a measure this year.