Star City Council asked to consider adding anti-discrimination ordinance

STAR CITY — Star City Town Council made changes to its personnel manual this week, after a request from a town resident.

DeeDee McIntosh suggested earlier this year that council enact measures to protect residents of and visitors to Star City from discrimination based on factors such as sexual orientation and gender identity.

At a town council meeting Tuesday night, McIntosh once again stood before the council to ask that it consider forming an anti-discrimination ordinance for the town.

McIntosh first proposed the idea at the Jan. 28 meeting, when council agreed to alter its personnel handbook to incorporate more inclusive verbiage.

On Tuesday, McIntosh began her address to the council with, “I don’t want to repeat the things that I’ve said in the past meetings, and I know later on in the agenda you have the personnel [handbook policy] revision.”

McIntosh said Athens in Mercer County recently passed “the exact same ordinance” she proposed.

“I never wanted this to be about me,” McIntosh said. “The people of Star City — the people who come here to shop, to dine, to spend money in the stores, the people who own businesses and the people who work in the businesses and the people who live here — need to be able to do that without any form of discrimination.”

McIntosh reiterated to the council that it is legal under West Virginia state law and Star City policy for residents to be evicted, fired and denied service by businesses based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.

“We need an ordinance,” McIntosh said, “a non-discrimination ordinance. I’m asking the council to please pass that.”

Council addressed its agreement with McIntosh to revise the Star City Personnel Handbook to update its verbiage and to become more inclusive of minority groups.

Emma Luzader said, “the [Star City] Ordinance Committee reviewed the equal employment opportunity policy in the personnel manual and made a few changes.”

Luzader said marital status and sexual preference were removed from the manual, and the committee “added ancestry and blindness to match the state code.” The
committee also added gender identity and sexual orientation to
the manual.

The changes were approved by the council.

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