CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The first openly gay man elected to City Council in Washington, D.C., was the keynote speaker at a forum the advocacy group Fairness West Virginia held last weekend in Charleston.
Saturday’s conference at the Civic Center also featured U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, deputy state attorney general Paul Sheridan, and police and FBI officials.
Among the topics which were discussed was a proposed anti-bullying policy that the state Department of Education is set to vote on Dec. 14. It would acknowledge for the first time that sexual orientation and gender identity are common reasons for harassment in schools.
Federal officials talked about hate crime laws, and other panels discussed issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seniors, health care disparities and Facebook’s communications policies.
