CHARLESTON W.Va. – As an LGBTQ civil rights organization continues to advocate for a state law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, West Virginia’s chief executive seemed to punt Friday when a reporter asked whether he would sign such a bill if it came across his desk.
“First and foremost, I’d have to see the bill,” Justice said when asked whether he’d support the Fairness Act. “I mean there’s no question about that. And secondly I would be the first to say as I’ve said thousands of times: We’ve got to be respectful of all. That’s all there is to it.”
“We want to be welcoming, and welcoming to all, but some of this stuff goes a little over the edge to me,” Justice said. “So I’d sure have to see the bill and everything before I could promise to do anything.”
Justice made the remarks during his weekly press briefing Friday morning. WOWK-13 News reporter Mark Curtis explained that the bill prohibits discrimination in the workplace, in housing and in public accommodations like restaurants, but it would not allow transgender people to participate in sports or gender affirming care for minors.
“Don’t you see this as an economic issue?” Curtis asked. “Wouldn’t we be saying to people in other states ‘Look,’ what’s the saying? ‘Y’all means all’? Meaning that if you’re lesbian, gay bisexual, transgender, you’re welcome to come to West Virginia and be a part of our blooming economy, take our jobs here?”
Justice’s comments came as dozens of advocates for LGBTQ West Virginians gathered under the dome for the annual Fairness For All day at the Capitol.
Andrew Schneider, executive director of Fairness West Virginia, a civil rights organization pushing for the legislation, called Justice’s comments disappointing.
Justice is in his last year as West Virginia governor and is running for U.S. Senate. During a debate in his bid for reelection to governor in 2020, Justice said he would support the Fairness Act.
Schnieder said the bill has not changed in the more than 10 years the organization has advocated for it.
“In fact, it’s the same bill Gov. Jim Justice endorsed when he was running for re-election in 2020,” Schneider said in an emailed statement. “Gov. Justice said during a debate that he supports the bill and would sign it if it gets to his desk. I hope he remembers that promise.”
“At the heart of this bill is a belief that all West Virginians deserve to be treated fairly with dignity and respect,” he continued. “It’s about treating other people the way that we want to be treated. There’s nothing ‘over the edge’ about that.”
West Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Mike Pushkin, a Kanawha County delegate and a supporter of the Fairness Act, called Justice’s comments “a cop out.”
“It’s four words,” said Pushkin, D-Kanawha. “It’s always been four words. It’s very simple. And I think that’s been a cop out from people who haven’t supported it. To me that’s a cop out when people say they’ll have to look at it first because it is literally four words. It’s simply adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the Human Rights Act.”
Across West Virginia, 18 cities and towns have passed local versions of the Fairness Act. The legislation governs about 14 percent of the state’s population, spokesman Jack Jarvis said.
Pushkin said while the bill could be viewed as an economic development measure to encourage people of all backgrounds to come to the state, that’s not his motivation for supporting the Fairness Act.
“What motivates me to support it is right there in the title, just fairness,” Pushkin said. “And I think most West Virginians, if you ask them if… it should be legal to fire somebody, or kick them out of their home simply because they’re gay, most people wouldn’t agree with that. I think West Virginians are very accepting and welcoming people.”
While the Fairness Act has had bipartisan support in the past, Pushkin and fellow sponsor Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, said they do not expect this year’s Republican-led Legislature to pass it.
“I’m always hopeful but know the makeup of the current legislature has not been kind to people that don’t look or think or live like them,” Young said.
Story originally published on West Virginia Watch: https://westvirginiawatch.com
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