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No Immediate WV Impact From Marriage Rulings
By: Associated Press
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West Virginia still defines marriage as between a man and a woman following a pair of U.S. Supreme Court rulings.
The state also doesn't recognize same-sex marriages granted elsewhere, and Wednesday's decisions don't affect that either.
State lawyers are reviewing how one of the rulings might change federal benefits that are otherwise available to married couples.
House Minority Leader Tim Armstead said fellow Republicans will continue efforts to add the state's definition of marriage to its constitution. The Kanawha County lawyer believes most West Virginians would vote for that amendment.
Delegate Stephen Skinner believes the rulings highlight the inequality faced by the estimated 57,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender West Virginians. Skinner's working to change that. The Jefferson County Democrat and lawyer is also the Legislature's first openly gay member.