W.Va. Senate Votes to Add Sexual Orientation to Human Rights Act

The Legislature has revisited one of the thornier topics of last year's session.

As The Associated Press reports, the Senate voted 23-10 Friday to send the House a bill that would include sexual orientation among the categories covered by the state Human Rights and Fair Housing acts.

Supporters included Judiciary Chairman Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, who argued from the floor that "I will not shrink from, nor be silenced by, the political attacks of any group who preaches discrimination over dignity, intolerance over fairness, or fear over hope," AP reported.

Opponents countered that the "muddled, vague legislation...could unleash a wave of lawsuits along with other unintended consequences," the article said.

Minority Leader Don Caruth, R-Mercer, "argued that under the bill's language, a heterosexual fired from a job could theoretically sue on the basis of discrimination over sexual orientation," AP reported. "'By passing this bill, we would literally destroy employment at will in the state of West Virginia,' he's quoted as saying.

The bill would exempt religious institutions while also adding age as a category in the Fair Housing Act.

Update: MetroNews also has a report, and audio from the floor debate.