A proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in West Virginia will not be moving forward, according to chairwoman of the WV House Constitutional Revision Committee.

Delegate Barbara Fleischauer (D), said there is already a law in West Virgina that permits marriage only between a man and a woman, so there is no need to discuss an amendment to ban gay marriage.

“A number of states throughout the country have recognized homosexual marriage and we think we need a safeguard to keep that from happening here and we think the people of West Virginia want that safeguard, so there’s a frustration out there, and we think it should be brought to the House and debated,” said Minority Leader Tim Armstead (R).

The republican minority is hoping to force a debate on the issue by requesting that the amendment be removed from the committee and taken directly to the house floor.

The bill’s supporters say the constitutional ban is necessary to prevent the state Supreme Court from overturning the law in the future.

Tags: LGBT Rights, Marriage Equality, West Virginia

Filed under: West Virginia