A hearing exploring the need for a state constitutional amendment limiting marriage adjourned without a recommendation in West Virginia on Tuesday. The crowded hearing was in front of a Joint Committee of the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. Stephen Skinner, President of Fairness West Virginia was invited by the committee to testify as was the ACLU of West Virginia. Skinner’s testimony focused on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of West Virginia: “I tried to connect with the Delegates and Senators to help them understand that sexual orientation is not a choice. I believe a few of them left the room with a new understanding.”
HRC worked with Fairness West Virginia on preparing testimony, including providing background research and message development. West Virginia already has a law on the books defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman, but some continue to press for an amendment to the state constitution.
A summary of the press coverage is available at the Fairness WV blog or go directly to the Charleston Gazette’s coverage. West Virginia Public Radio also has a radio segment.
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