Here are the basics concerning Parkersburg's Non-discrimination Ordinance. Some of these questions have been asked by members of the community during Parkersburg City Council meetings.
We hope you will find these answers helpful. The West Virginia Human Rights Act provides citizens equal opportunity for employment, housing, and public accommodations. Equal opportunity is declared to be a human right or civil right for all persons without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, blindness, disability, or familial status. According to the West Virginia Human Rights Act, denial of these rights to properly qualified persons is contrary to the principles of freedom and equality of opportunity and is destructive to a free and democratic society.
Why does Parkersburg need to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the human rights or civil rights list? Currently, LGBT persons in Parkersburg have no protection from being fired, evicted or denied basic public accommodation just for being who they are. We believe all Parkersburg city residents should be able to live with dignity and free from discriminatory treatment. Who brought this to Parkersburg? Local Parkersburg residents who are LGBT reached out to Fairness West Virginia, a statewide civil rights advocacy organization dedicated to fair treatment of and civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender West Virginians.
These residents are contributing members of our community. They are our neighbors, co-workers, friends and family and they deserve equal treatment and protection in Parkersburg. No, ten other cities and towns in West Virginia have already passed inclusive non-discrimination ordinances since Why should Parkersburg enact a Non-discrimination Ordinance?
This does not go unnoticed by businesses, families or individuals considering investing in and relocating to Parkersburg. Parkersburg was recently ranked by WalletHub, a financial services website, as the least culturally diverse city out of of the largest cities in the United States. How will a non-discrimination ordinance effect businesses regarding employment? These policies do not simply reflect a moral choice. Major companies are aware that to recruit and retain the best and brightest people, they must have an inclusive workplace environment and non-discrimination policies.
