Please see below a copy of an email received today from Fairness West Virginia, which is the statewide civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to fair treatment and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender West Virginians.
“Our state senators are pushing for a bill that would completely overturn 20 different local fairness laws that have been adopted by communities across our state. These local ordinances ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, because our state has failed to ban discrimination everywhere.
Hundreds and thousands of people across this state have been working diligently for years to end discrimination and make our communities a more welcoming place. But now, Republicans in the Senate want to completely undo all that work by voting for Senate Bill 579.
We don’t have a moment to lose. Can you email Senators right now and tell them to vote no on SB 579?
Every community is different, and they need the ability to develop their own policies to reflect the unique needs and values of the people living there. City councils and local governments know the values of their community and what is best for the people who live there. These leaders are people we see every day at the grocery store, at school events, walking their dogs in our community — and they can best respond to the changing needs of the local area.
So why would politicians in Charleston tell local governments they can’t adopt policies that make sure everyone is included? Why would they want to legalize discrimination in these 20 communities?
Many of these laws have been on the books for years, some more than a decade. And do you know what they’ve accomplished? They’ve protected our community from discrimination. They’ve made our communities more welcoming and inclusive.
And guess who they’ve hurt? No one.
Legal discrimination sends the wrong signal to companies considering whether to relocate here. Those businesses need to recruit the best and brightest
employees, but young people don’t want to start a family and grow their careers in communities where discrimination is legal. Discrimination doesn’t pay!
So please, join us and make your voice heard. Tell senators to ditch this hateful campaign and allow municipalities to adopt common sense ordinances that make their communities safe and more inclusive.
Yours in Fairness,
Andrew Schneider
Executive Director