This is great news. From an email:
In an historic vote, the West Virginia Senate just passed Senate Bill 238 banning discrimination in employment and housing based on sexual orientation. All of our supporters who called and emailed this week put us over the top. This is a big victory for us, but the fight isn't over.
Here are two things you can do today to help us move this bill from the House of Delegates to Governor Manchin's desk.
Tell your friends and family to sign up for Fairness West Virginia: the more voices we have, the more effective we can be.
Consider donating to Fairness West Virginia to help us keep up the fight.
This is a major step forward for us. As sponsors of the legislation, Senators Brooks McCabe, Jeff Kessler, Dan Foster, Herb Snyder, and Erik Wells worked hard to get us to this point. We honor their courage and thank them and the rest of the Senators who voted for fairness. But now we need to finish the job. No one should ever be fired from their job or denied housing because of their sexual orientation. With your help, we can ensure that everyone in West Virginia is treated fairly under the law.
Please take a few minutes today to tell your friends and family about this legislation and contribute to Fairness West Virginia.
The bill will move to the House soon, and we'll keep you updated on its progress.
Thanks,
Stephen Skinner
Congratulations to the ACLU of West Virginia which has done tremendous work on this issue from the beginning.
Our own WV26003 points to this WV Metro News link which has audio from today's vote.
Here's a breakdown on the votes:
Here is a complete list of how the WV Senate voted on SB 238.
Voting yes - Bowman, Browning, Chafin, Edgell, Fanning, Foster, Guills (R), Helmick, Jenkins, Kessler, Laird, McCabe, Minard, Oliverio, Palumbo, Prezioso, Snyder, Unger, Wells, White, Williams, Yost, and President Tomblin.
Voting no - Barnes, Boley, Caruth, Deem, D. Facemire (D), K. Facemeyer, Green (D), Hall, Stollings (D), and Sypolt.
Absent - Plymale.
This is tremendous news. This is about equality and if that's not important to you it's also about the state's economy. Many major corporations, including those that give primarily to Republicans like Lockheed Martin and Marriott, have "gay friendly" work places. When they look to locate their offices, one of the factors they consider is they want to move to locations that make sure all of their employees are treated equally.
On to the House of Delegates!
UPDATE:
Here's an email from the Senate Bill 238 Coalition:
Subject: We Passed the Senate
Friends,
We have passed the State Senate. The Vote was 23 for, 10 against, and 1 Senator absent.
Be sure to check your local media outlets for coverage of the vote including floor speeches in support of the initiative from Senators McCabe, Wells, Palumbo (D's-Kanawha), and the powerful closing argument from Senator Jeff Kessler (D-Marshall).
A more specific update will be coming in the next few days. We are hard out work mapping out our House strategy.
But for now, please take time to do two things.
1. Give yourself a pat on the back. Your calls and emails have made a decisive difference during this campaign. We would not be here without you, and you should take time to appreciate the first half of this victory.
2. Spread the word and build this group. There will be a lot of positive media surrounding today's passage. When you see stories in the papers or on the news, please look them up online and pass the links around to your progressive friends and ask that they become a part of this group. Today was a big win, but let me tell you, the real work has only started.
The rightwing will spare no expense on defeating our Bill. We have a streetfight on our hands and will need as many people as possible making calls and sending emails to legislators to put this through the House of Delegates.
So, if you have friends in West Virginia and outside the state whom you believe are sympathetic to the cause of equal treatment of ALL Americans, send them a link to a news story and ask that they join this group.
Outlets that will have coverage are WSAZ-channel 3, Charleston-Huntington, The Charleston Gazette, The Charleston Daily Mail, and West Virginia Public Broadcasting.
Thank you again for your hard work. Rest assured, I will be asking for it again.
Seth DiStefano |
