The town of Athens, in Mercer County, West Virginia has become the thirteenth municipality in the state to adopt a non-discrimination ordinace to protect employment and housing rights based on sexual orientation orientation or gender identity.
Members of the town council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the measure.
Councilwoman Rachel Porter explained what the vote means for her community.
“I think it really shows the type of town that Athens is — and that it wants to be accepting of all people.”
Fairness West Virginia, a non-profit advocacy group calling on equal rights for the gay and transgender community, applauded the passage of the ordinance.
“The people of Athens are stepping up to make sure their LGBTQ friends and neighbors can’t be fired or evicted just because of who they are or who they love,” Fairness West Virginia executive director Andrew Schneider said.
Athens approving the non-discrimination ordinance comes a year after Del. Eric Porterfield — a state lawmaker whose district includes the southern West Virginia town — made remarks that called LGBT groups terrorists and likened members of that community to the Ku Klux Klan.
A bill that would impose a statewide ban on discrimination against the LGBT community has been introduced West Virginia Legislature, but lawmakers have yet to take up the bill in committee.
“This is a huge win for our community. The lawmakers in Charleston should realize that if a small town in the heart of Del. Porterfield’s district is ready for fairness, the rest of the state is, too,” Schneider said.
In a news release, Fairness West Virginia said — with the addition of Athens approving the non-discrimination ordinance — 12% of the state’s population is protected by such legislation.
It’s 1996. We’re in Las Vegas. Wyoming County native Christy Martin is in the ring, fighting the Irish boxer Deirdre Gogarty.
“Recognized as the women’s pound-for-pound champion, introducing the Coal Miner’s Daughter, Christy Martin!” an announcer calls.
News organizations later will report millions of households worldwide are watching this fight, which Christy wins after six rounds.
Almost 24 years later, Christy — who now goes by Christy Salters — remains a pioneer in women’s boxing. But she’s also raising awareness about domestic abuse and gay rights in the U.S. That includes her home state of West Virginia.
Christy recently spoke at the 10th anniversary gala for Fairness WV, a civil rights group that advocates on behalf of LGBTQIA+ West Virginians.
Advancements In Women’s Boxing
Growing up in the small town of Itmann, Christy said she never imagined she would become a professional fighter.
“My dad watched boxing a little bit in the 70’s,” she recalled. “I would watch the fights with my dad, but I never grew up thinking this is what I want to be.”
One of her first competitions was the ‘Mean Mountaineer’ in Beckley. Christy said she entered for fun, and ultimately won two of the three fights by knockout.
“I had never seen another woman fight when I fought, and that goes back even to the Tough Man contests. They had never allowed women to fight in those here in West Virginia.
“Now, women are boxing in the Olympics — Claressa Shields has won two gold medals, we’ve had Katie Taylor, also as a gold medal winner from Ireland who’s getting big exposure … So, it’s changed a lot.”
‘I Would Give Anything To Be The Person I Am Today’
Christy moved to Tennessee after graduating in 1990 from Concord University, which was Concord College at the time. She signed with promoter Don King shortly thereafter.
It was also in the early 90’s that Christy married her trainer, Jim Martin.
“For 20 years, he used my sexuality as a blackmail tool. I was up front with him from the beginning. I told him about past relationships I had, and he was fine, but then as time went on he would tell me, ‘I’m going to tell the world you’re a lesbian. I’m going to out you. I’m going to tell your family.’”
Despite the paradise it looked like she was living on TV, Christy said her life was terrible.
“There were times when I can remember just being in Las Vegas, and walking into a casino and thinking, ‘Wow, how awesome would it be to be with someone that I love, sharing these really, really cool experiences that I’m having, and sharing them with somebody that I love. And that loved me.’
“He [Jim] didn’t love me, I was his ATM. I was his personal ATM, his money machine … So finally, I just got tired. I didn’t care anymore. … And I left.”
Christy said she left Martin in 2010. That November, she said he tried to kill her.
“He stabbed me repeatedly, punctured my lung, cut my calf muscle almost completely from my leg,” Salters said. “Shot me. Left me what he thought was dead on the floor. But God had another plan. And I was able to get up and get out.”
Today, Jim Martin is in prison for attempted murder. Salters has since divorced him and gone on to become an advocate for women and children in domestic abuse situations.
In 2017, she married her wife, fellow boxer Lisa Holewyne.
“I would give anything to be the person I am today, to have been this person throughout my boxing career. Yeah, I mean, I’m married to Lisa Holewyne. And, you know, we’re gay wherever we are.”
Giving Back In The Mountain State
Christy said giving back to her home state is important.
“Because I didn’t have anybody growing up that I knew that was gay, and I could go talk to them and ask them, ‘What do I do? How do I do this? Can you talk to my mom,’ you know. … And just for parents to understand, that it’s not the end of the world, and it’s not about you. But you know, so many — we have this, what is he, this representative or senator or whatever, that basically threatened to drown his — he says he’s a Christian, but threatened to drown his children if they were gay?”
Credit Emily Allen / West Virginia Public Broadcasting
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West Virginia Public Broadcasting
Wyoming County native and boxer Christy Salters spoke at the 10th Anniversary Fairness WV Gala on Sept. 28, 2019, in Charleston.
Salters confirmed she’s speaking about Eric Porterfield, a West Virginia House Delegate from Mercer County, and comments he made during the 2019 legislative session.
“Yeah, you’re not a Christian if you make veiled threats to drown your children. You know, I’m embarrassed for him. But I’m embarrassed for me and my state, because people, you know, outside of West Virginia, already looked down on us and think that we’re, we’re behind and we’re not smart and, and all this negativity. And for him to come out and say something like that? I mean, it feeds into the stereotypes that West Virginia has.”
In reality, Christy said, West Virginia is moving in the right direction.
“I’m proud to be here. Just to be at an event like this, this is huge. And it is changing, even in my small town Mullens and, and you know, Wyoming County, it is changing, people are becoming more accepting of other people. And look, what I’m doing doesn’t in any way affect what you’re doing. I’m the same person I was before, you know, I was gay. So if you loved me before, are you going to tell me you don’t love me now? Because I’m gay. I mean, it makes no sense. I’m still the same person.”
While Salters is no longer in the ring, she’s still fighting to raise awareness for survivors of emotional and physical abuse. She says she looks forward to helping facilitate a more inclusive West Virginia, with groups like Fairness WV.
A Morgantown drag performer who told police they were attacked over Memorial Day weekend has filed paperwork to discontinue an investigation into the incident. Local police say they found inconsistencies in the alleged victim’s account of the incident and are following up on the matter.
According to a Thursday news release from the Morgantown Police Department, Jared Rote filed a form Tuesday, June 11 to discontinue the investigation. Police said he came into the offices on his own to sign that form.
Morgantown Police communications manager Andrew Stacy said in a Thursday email to West Virginia Public Broadcasting that the form Rote completed is voluntary and not commonly used.
“The MPD’s initial investigation into the alleged assault revealed several inconsistencies with the original story and the MPD is actively following up on those inconsistencies,” Stacy said.
Rote initially told police he was attacked on the Pleasant St. Bridge while walking home in the early morning hours of Sunday, May 27. Police interviewed Rote and conducted a foot patrol in the area in which he claimed the attack took place. They found no suspects or any evidence of an attack.
According to a police report, Rote was unable to provide a description of the attackers. Officers said they did observe several minor lacerations to his chest, face and arms.
In a Thursday afternoon Facebook post, Rote stated part of his reason for requesting police to end the investigation was a result of harassment and quote “cruel comments” he received following the alleged attack.
LGBTQ rights advocacy group Fairness West Virginia expressed support of Rote following the alleged incident. A representative of the organization said Thursday they reached out to him but had not been in contact.
Attempts by West Virginia Public Broadcasting to contact Rote by phone and online have been unsuccessful.
Editor’s Note: The alleged victim of this incident filed paperwork on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 to discontinue the police’s investigation of the incident.
A reported attack on a black, gay man in Morgantown over Memorial Day weekend has sparked reaction from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community, as well as renewed attention on West Virginia’s hate crime laws.
According to a report filed with the Morgantown Police Department, Jared Rote said he was walking home from downtown toward his residence in the South Park neighborhood when he was attacked from behind on the Pleasant Street Bridge at about 3:45 a.m. Monday.
While he was unable to provide a description of those involved, Rote told police he believes he was attacked by three people. He recalled that one of the suspects said “this is what you get” while the attack was in progress.
An officer who responded to Mon General Hospital observed Rote had “minor lacerations” on his chest, face and arms.
Rote performs around Morgantown’s gay bar scene as a drag queen and under the name Ophelia Jewels.
At about 5 a.m. Monday, officers conducted a search of the area where the alleged attack occurred, but were unable to find any evidence of the attack.
According to a news release from the Morgantown Police Department, detectives have been assigned to the case and are conducting an investigation into the incident.
Del. Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, was one of dozens of members of the community to attend a Monday evening rally in support of Rote.
“As a city, we know that we have a strong LGBTQIA+ community. We know we are a tight community. We know we have allies that will be on the forefront and speaking out against this. But there is still a lot of work to do,” Walker said by phone Tuesday.
With no suspects in custody, Walker points out that the attack could have been motivated by any number of reasons.
“We don’t know if this was a crime based on the fact that [the victim] is gay or because he is black. But that doesn’t matter,” she said.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization, 31 states and the District of Columbia address hate or bias crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity — with 11 of those addressing only sexual orientation.
West Virginia’s hate crime law does not address sexual orientation or gender identity.
In 2017, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals ruled that anti-gay attacks aren’t covered by the state’s hate crime law. Former Chief Justice Allen Loughry, who is currently serving a two-year prison sentence on federal fraud convictions, wrote the majority opinion that supported that ruling.
Fairness West Virginia, a statewide civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to fair treatment and civil rights for LGBTQ persons, called the attack on Rote “horrifying” and is an example of why West Virginia’s hate crime law needs updated.
“As our community has become increasingly visible, we have also become increasingly vulnerable. This is reflected in FBI statistics which continue to show that anti-LGBTQ hate crimes are among the most common types of hate crimes,” Fairness West Virginia executive director Andrew Schneider. “There have been three high-profile anti-LGBTQ hate crimes in West Virginia in less than two years. Enough is enough.”
Walker and other Democrats in the House of Delegates tried repeatedly but failed to bring various LGBTQ rights-focused legislation to the floor this past session.
One of those bills, House Bill 2733, would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to West Virginia’s Human Rights Act. Six different efforts by Democrats to spur the measure along failed over the course of the legislative session.
“It goes back to leadership. It should not be about who is in the majority or the minority. It should not be about whether you have an R or a D beside your name. We are all human,” she said, making note of the partisan divide in the House on the issue of LGBTQ rights.
June is LGBTQ Pride Month, designating the month when the Stonewall Riots took place in New York City in 1969 — a seminal event in which LGBTQ people rioted after a police raid on a gay bar.
Across the United States, events are held in June to celebrate diversity and inclusion of the LGBTQ communities.
A Virginia man is accused of threatening a GOP member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who called the LGBTQ community a modern day version of the Ku Klux Klan.
News outlets report an arrest warrant has been issued for 49-year-old Jonathan George Benfer. Court records say Benfer called Mercer County Del. Eric Porterfield last month and left a slur-laden message offering to fight him.
A criminal complaint quotes Benfer as identifying as LGBTQ and saying Porterfield’s comments contribute to suicide rates. Capitol police say the call came days after the Republican minister called LGBTQ groups “socialists” and “discriminatory bigots.” His comments were denounced by local and state lawmakers.
Benfer is charged with intimidating a public official and making obscene, harassing or threatening communications.
U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is the only Democratic senator who did not co-sponsor an LGBT anti-discrimination bill.
The Register-Herald reports 44 Democratic U.S. senators and the two independent senators that caucus with them have signed onto Senate bill 788. The bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon would add LGBT protections to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.
Manchin did not sponsor a similar proposal in 2017. A spokeswoman for his office declined to comment to the newspaper.
West Virginia’s other U.S. senator is Republican Shelley Moore Capito. She also did not co-sponsor the bill.
West Virginia ACLU Executive Director Joseph Cohen said he was “sorely disappointed” that neither of the state’s U.S. Senators endorsed the proposal.
Manchin later released a statement Monday afternoon on the Equality Act:
“I strongly support equality for all people and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind. No one should be afraid of losing their job or losing their housing because of their sexual orientation. After speaking with local education officials in West Virginia, I am not convinced that the Equality Act as written provides sufficient guidance to the local officials who will be responsible for implementing it, particularly with respect to students transitioning between genders in public schools. I will continue working with the sponsors of the bill to build broad bipartisan support and find a viable path forward for these critical protections so that I can vote in support of this bill.”
