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West Virginia Senate passes bill defining 'men' and 'women' after extended floor debate
Summary
On Feb. 28, 2025, the West Virginia Senate passed Engrossed Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 456, which defines 'men' and 'women' in state code and restricts certain single‑sex spaces; the measure passed on third reading 32‑1 with one senator absent after multiple senators delivered floor remarks both supporting and criticizing the bill.
Engrossed Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 456, defining "men" and "women," passed the West Virginia Senate on third reading Feb. 28, 2025, by a vote of 32 ayes, 1 nay and 1 absent, the chamber announced after the roll call.
The bill, offered on third reading, inserts a statutory definition of "men" and "women" into state law and includes provisions that domestic public‑occupancy restrooms and changing rooms "should be designated for the exclusive use of either males or females," according to the bill text read on the floor.
Supporters argued the language preserves privacy and safety for women in certain single‑sex spaces. The senator who presented the bill on third reading, identified in the transcript as the Junior Senator from the Seventh Senatorial District, said…
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