New bill seeks to protect LGBTQ+ West Virginians from hate crimes

Article owned and originally published by WDTV 5 News on Feb. 12, 2024.

Original Article

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) - West Virginia Senator Charles Trump just became the lead sponsor of Senate Bill 744.

SB 744, introduced on February 12, 2024, seeks to update existing law surrounding what is and isn’t considered a hate crime, as well as the language of hate crimes in general.

Fairness WV said in a press release Monday that new data released by the FBI in 2022 showed a 13.8 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Hate crimes that were motivated by gender identity rose 32.9 percent.

They say more than 1 in 5 hate crimes during the time of the report were motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ bias, and that these types of crimes don’t just affect the victim, but also instill fear in members of the community to which the victim belongs.

“Anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes are on the rise nationally, and yet West Virginia law still does not protect members of our community,” said Andrew Schneider, executive director of Fairness West Virginia. “It’s time to change that. We cannot allow our leaders to become numb to the violence that our community faces every day. This is an important step forward, and I appreciate Sen. Trump’s willingness to be the bill’s lead sponsor.”

Under current West Virginian law, all persons within the boundaries of the state have the right to be free from violence or intimidation committed against them because of their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, or sex.

One of the changes proposed by the new bill would be the inclusion of disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to that list.

Schneider said “Politicians across the country have continued to dehumanize LGBTQ+ people, and transgender people especially, with dangerous rhetoric and by passing harmful legislation. This has created an environment where people with violent tendencies feel emboldened to attack members of our community. Passing Angel’s Law would be a positive step forward, but more than anything, we need our leaders to stop these attacks and stand in solidarity with our community.”

The press release retold the story of Angel’s Law to illustrate the need for hate-crime legislation:

“Senate Bill 744 is named Angel’s Law in honor of Angel Harless, a woman who was physically attacked outside of a Charleston bar. Angel was out for what was supposed to be a night of fun at The Empty Glass in Charleston when a man she had never met began harassing her with homophobic taunts and slurs. She ignored his repeated harassment, but he only became more aggressive.

Eventually he attacked her from behind, knocking her to the ground and beating her unconscious with a beer bottle. When a bar patron confronted him and asked him how he could hit a woman, he responded, ‘That’s a man.’

Since Angel’s Law is not on the books, our state law doesn’t consider that assault a hate crime.”