It can be a difficult thing, opening up old definitions and systems to new ways of respecting the wide range of human experience and identity.  Kudos to the WV Legislature for moving forward with adding sexual orientation to the State Human Rights and Fair Housing Act.  http://www.news-register.net/page/content.detail/id/41591.html?isap=1&nav=535

When relationships are between consenting adults, no one should be threatened with losing their jobs or their housing simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.  Next to prejudice against obese people, this discrimination may be the last of the great irrational and openly socially-endorsed hatreds.

Seth DiStefano, a field organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union, recently commented on the Legislature’s direction:  “It really affirms what West Virginians believe about work. People who work hard deserve respect.  The kind of employers we’re trying to attract to West Virginia pay very close attention to how states are dealing with this issue.”

Create WV consistently works to provide public education on the role of this dynamic reality in the new economy, and in creative communities.  It is important that West Virginians stretch themselves out of their current comfort zones in multiple areas, and recognize that a fully developed definition of human rights is a critical step.  Sure, a cross-dressing school teacher might take some getting used to…..but if our children are to grow and thrive in the global economy, and to feel comfortable stretching their own wings in the world, we can’t use institutionalized fear-based discrimination against harmless law-abiding members of our communities as a tool to prepare them.

No one need change their personal beliefs – though it might not be a bad idea – but we all need to make room for new generations and new populations to make their own decisions, and to be what we all ultimately hope for:  a world where the passage of time leads us closer to a sense of family, peace, and acceptance of one another for the greater good of all.