Faith Leaders for Fairness

Faith leaders across the Mountain State agree: It’s time to pass comprehensive nondiscrimination laws to protect LGBTQ West Virginians from discrimination.

As faith leaders, we believe we must do everything in our power to make sure that West Virginia is a safe place to live, work, and raise a family for all people, including members of the LGBT community. That’s why we are calling on our elected leaders to pass comprehensive nondiscrimination protections like the Equality Act and the Fairness Act — common sense and bipartisan bills that will update our laws to protect LGBTQ West Virginians from discrimination in employment, housing, and public spaces.

LGBTQ people are our friends, neighbors, family and coworkers. We are all God’s children and we all deserve to go about our daily lives without the fear of discrimination. We recognize the harm caused to our community when our state lacks the vital protections to ensure that no one is fired from a job, denied housing or refused service simply because of who they are or who they love.

Despite our diversity of faith traditions and backgrounds, we share the fundamental belief that we are all called to treat others with the respect we desire for ourselves. We encourage our fellow clergy, our elected officials, and indeed all people of faith to join us in this public commitment to equality, respect and justice for all by supporting nondiscrimination.

Current Signers

Rev. Dawn Adamy | Bream Memorial Presbyterian Church | Charleston
Rev. Kay Albright | Bridges of Grace United Church of Christ | Charleston
Rev. Chris Bailey | Marshall UKIRK | Huntington
Rev. Stephen Baldwin | Ronceverte Presbyterian Church | Ronceverte
Ibtesam Sue Barazi | Islamic Association of West Virginia | Charleston
Rev. Kerry Bart | Barboursville First UMC | Barboursville
Rev. Seby Bell | New River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship | Beckley
Rev. Wes Bergen | Morgantown Church of the Brethren | Morgantown
Rabbi Joe Blair | Temple Israel/B’nai Israel | Charleston
Rev. Margaret Blanchard | St. Andrew’s Episcopal | Oak Hill
Rev. Bob Bondurant | Presbyterian, retired | Huntington
Rev. David Bower | Retired, Presbyterian
Pastor Justin Bowers | New Community Church | Buckhannon
Rev. Bonnie Boyce | Spring Valley Presbyterian Church | Huntington
Rev. Cindy Briggs-Biondi | United Methodist Church | Charleston
Rev. Darick Biondi | United Methodist Church | Upper Kanawha Valley
Rev. Monty Brown | St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, retired | Charleston
Pastor Larry Buckland | Life United Methodist Church | Fairmont
Rev. Claire Butler | Presbyterian Church | Charleston
Rev. Dr. Susan Sharp Campbell | Frankford Presbyterian Church | Frankford
Rev. Susan Claytor | St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church | Beckley
Rev. Caitlin Coillberg | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston | Charleston
Rev. Jacque Compton | Central Christian Church | Huntington
Rev. Timothy Dixon | Grace Christian Fellowship | Huntington
Rev. G. Dee-Ann Dixon | New Street United Methodist Church | Shepherdstown
Rev. Zach Drennen | New River Episcopal Ministries | Charleston
Bishop (ret) Ralph W. Dunkin | Trinity Lutheran | Wheeling
Rev. Rose Edington | Unitarian Universalist Congregation | Charleston
Rev. Ron English | Ferguson Memorial Baptist Church | Huntington
Pastor Misty Lineberg Francis | 365 Church | Martinsburg
Rev. Sharon Gearing | First Presbyterian Church of South Charleston | South Charleston
Rev. Valerie Gittings | First Baptist Church of Fairmont | Fairmont
Rabbi Joseph Hample | Tree of Life Congregation | Morgantown
Rev. Cinda Harkless | Kuhn Memorial Presbyterian Church | Barboursville
Rev. Kent Higgins | Episcopal Church, retired | Charleston
M.Div. Amanda Kathryn Hill | WVU Medical Center | Morgantown
Rev. Donald Hill | Lawrencefield Parish Episcopal Church | Wheeling
Rev. Joseph Hill | District Supervisor, United Methodist Church | Charleston
Director of Spiritual Formation & Campus Ministry Ethel Hornbeck | Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church | Shepherdstown
Rev. Marquita L Hutchens | St. John’s Episcopal Church (fmr.) | Charleston
Rev. Shauna Hyde | United Methodist | Parkersburg
Rev. Joseph Jarrett | Asbury United Methodist Church | Charleston
Rev. Dr. Patricia A. Jarvis | United Methodist, retired | Charleston
Rev. Diane Jarvis-Santelli | UCC chaplain | Huntington
Rev. Matthew Johnson | Suncrest UMC | Morgantown
Rev. David Johnston | Concord United Methodist Church | Athens
Pastor Jeffrey Kanode | Alderson UM Charge | Alderson
Rev. Dr. Sky Kershner | Unity of Kanawha Valley Church and the Kanawha Pastoral Counseling Center | Charleston
Rev. Noha Khoury-Bailey | St. Mary’s Medical Center | Huntington
Rev. Dr. Daniel Kimble | Bridgeport UMC | Bridgeport
Rev. Angela Gay Kinkead | Pea Ridge United Methodist | Huntington
Bishop W. Michie Klusmeyer | Episcopal Diocese | Charleston
Dr. Roy Knight | Retired, United Methodist
Ms. Vivian Kost | St. John’s Episcopal Church | Huntington
Jared Lallone | Community of Christ | Wellsburg
Rabbi Joshua Leif | Temple Shalom | Wheeling
Rev. John Elliott Lein | St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church | Morgantown
Rev. Jim Lewis | St. John’s Episcopal (fmr.) | Charleston
Rev. John Lipphardt | Christ Church United Methodist | Charleston
Rev. David Long-Higgins | Heartland Conference | Charleston
Rev. Kent Higgins | Episcopal Church, retired | Charleston
Rev. Patterson Lyles | Kananwha United Presbyterian Church | Charleston
Rev. Deacon Nancy Martin | Ascension Episcopal Church | Hinton
Rev. Ron Miller | Clifton Presbyterian Church | Maxwelton
Rev. Emily Misfeldt | Ruby Memorial Hospital | Morgantown
Rev. Monte Mitchell | Beckley Presbyterian Church | Beckley
Herb Montgomery | Renewed Heart Ministries | Lewisburg
James Morley | Presbyterian chaplain, United Hospital Center | Bridgeport
Rev. Zachary Morton | Presbyterian Church | Morgantown
M.Div. Chris Mullett | Formerly of the Clarksburg Mission | Mannington
Rev. Gusti Newquist | Shepherdstown Presbyterian Church | Shepherdstown
Rev. Amy Parker | Presbyterian Church
Rev. Kayla Parker | Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston (fmr.) | Huntington
Rev. Stephen Peck | Catholic Universalist Church | Parkersburg
Priest in Charge Charles Pope | St. Mark’s Episcopal | Saint Albans
Rev. Stephen Prince | Mountaineer Charge, United Methodist Church | Morgantown
Pastor Robin Ray | Bridgeport Presbyterian Church | Bridgeport
Moira Reilly | WVU Medicine Children’s chaplain | Morgantown
Rev. Krysta Rexrode Wolfe | United Methodist Church | Charleston
Rev. Randolf Richardson | Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church | Charleston
Pastor Bob Roberts | First Christian Church | Morgantown
Rev. Maggie Rust | First Presbyterian | Bluefield
Rev. Josh Saxe | St. James’ Episcopal Church | Lewisburg
Rev. Christopher Scott | United Methodist | Winfield
Rev. Gregory Sears | First United Methodist Church | Huntington
Rev. Mark Seitz | Canon to the Ordinary, West Virginia Episcopal Diocese | Charleston
Rev. Pamela Shier | Prince of Peace Episcopal Church | Salem
Rev. Richard Skaggs | St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church | Wheeling
Rev. Lyle Sorrell | The LGBT Christian Network | Fairmont
Rev. Anna Pinckney Straight | Presbyterian Church | Lewisburg
Rev. Clare Sulgit | United Methodist | Saint Mary’s
Pastor Dana Sutton | Highlawn Presbyterian | Huntington
Rev. Jeff Taylor | United Methodist Church | Huntington
Rev. Jordan Trumble | Christ Episcopal Church | Fairmont
Rabbi Victor Urecki | B’nai Jacob | Charleston
Canon Donald Vinson | St. John’s Episcopal | Charleston
Rev. Elizabeth Walker | Greenbrier Episcopal Ministries | White Sulphur Springs
Rev. Matthew Watts | Grace Bible Church | Charleston
Rev. Shawn Weaver | Cheat Lake United Methodist Church | Morgantown
Rev. Joe Webb | Provisional Deacon, United Methodist Church
Rev. Alan Kim Webster | St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church | Charleston
Rev. James Wicker | Cross of Grace Lutheran Church | Hurricane
Rev. John Willard | Zion Episcopal Church | Charles Town
Rev. Alan Williams | United Methodist | Huntington
Rev. Jennifer C. Williams | United Methodist Church | Morgantown
Georgiana Williams | First Congregational Church | Huntington
Rev. Rick Wilson | Highlawn Presbyterian Church (fmr.) | Huntington
Rev. Cheryl Winter | St. Timothy’s In-The-Valley Episcopal Church | Hurricane