This bill aims to amend West Virginia's existing law regarding the prohibition of civil rights violations by expanding the definition of protected characteristics to include gender and sexual orientation. Specifically, it modifies the language in Section 61-6-21 to ensure that individuals are protected from violence or intimidation based on their race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, political affiliation, gender, or sexual orientation. The bill also establishes penalties for those who willfully injure, intimidate, or interfere with others based on these characteristics, classifying such actions as felonies punishable by fines up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to ten years.

In addition to the insertions of "gender" and "sexual orientation," the bill removes the previous mention of "sex" from the list of protected characteristics. It also clarifies that any crime committed with the intent to violate an individual's civil rights based on these characteristics will be considered an aggravating circumstance during sentencing. The bill maintains provisions that protect lawful self-defense techniques and labor union activities from being deemed unlawful under this section. Overall, the legislation seeks to enhance the protection of civil rights for all individuals in West Virginia.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 61-6-21