- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✔ No censorship
- Changing Gender
- ✔ Legal, no restrictions
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✖ Legal, but restricted for minors
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Discrimination
- ✖ Illegal in some contexts
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- ✖ No protections
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✔ Legal
- Conversion Therapy
- Varies by Region
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Public Opinion
Recent surveys in West Virginia have revealed a mixed response towards LGBTQ+ rights and issues.
Have you lived in or visited West Virginia?
Share your experience of being LGBTQ+ in West Virginia.
Take SurveyHistory
Homosexual activity in West Virginia is legal.
This is because West Virginia's first constitution authorized that laws of Virginia in effect at the time of separation would remain in force. The punishment for sodomy was 1-5 years in jail.
In 1930, a code revision eliminated the term "buggery" and replaced it with "crimes against nature." The punishment for "crimes against nature." in the code revision was "not less than one nor more than ten years" in the penitentiary (a prison for people convicted of serious crimes).
Same-sex marriage in West Virginia is legal.
Censorship of LGBT issues in West Virginia is no censorship.
Right to change legal gender in West Virginia is legal, no restrictions.
Gender-affirming care in West Virginia is legal, but restricted for minors.
Despite largely being advertised as a full ban there is an exception: for a child to access gender-affirming care, all of the following conditions must apply:
1. The child was diagnosed with "severe gender dysphoria by no fewer than two medical or mental health providers" (at least one must specialise in adolescent medicine and both must be trained in gender dysphoria).
2. Both professionals must agree in writing that GAC is medically necessary to treat "psychiatric symptoms and limit self-harm, or the possibility of self-harm".
3. The child's parents, legal guardians and the minor’s primary physician agree in writing to the child receiving gender-affirming care.
4. Any use of GAC is for "purposes of pubertal modulating and hormonal therapy limited to the lowest titratable dosage necessary to treat the psychiatric condition and not for purposes of gender transition".
5. The child is prepubescent.
Doctors and parents of the child may be prosecuted under HB2007.
LGBT discrimination in West Virginia is illegal in some contexts.
LGBT employment discrimination in West Virginia is sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBT housing discrimination in West Virginia is no protections.
However, the Human Rights Campaign states, "The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires grantees and participants of HUD programs to comply with local and state non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity. HUD also prohibits inquiries regarding the sexual orientation or gender identity of a prospective tenant or applicant for assisted housing in every state (March 2012)."
Intersex infant surgery in West Virginia is not banned.
Serving openly in military in West Virginia is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
From now on, The U.S. military will prohibit transgender individuals from enlisting, and will cease providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
In January of 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that bans transgender people from serving in the military. However, before his executive order can take effect, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth needs to submit a plan on how the military will implement the order.
Blood donations by MSMs in West Virginia is legal.
Conversion therapy in West Virginia is varies by region.
Morgantown quickly followed in October 2021.
State law supersedes local laws and the ban is at risk of being rendered defunct if state legislatures were to nullify the legitimacy of the scope of these laws.
No ban had been considered by state legislatures as of January 2025.
In January 2024, a bill to mandate conversion therapy of trans people under 21 was pending.
Equal age of consent in West Virginia is equal.