Photo Courtesy/WV Governor’s Office Gov. Patrick Morrisey held ceremonial bill signings Wednesday in Summers County for bills banning DEI and closing loopholes for gender-affirming care for minors.

CHARLESTON — Gov. Patrick Morrisey praised the passage of bills codifying his executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state government and education programs; and a bill closing remaining loopholes that allowed for medication gender-affirming care.

Morrisey traveled to the Summers County Memorial Building in Hinton Wednesday morning for a ceremonial bill signing for Senate Bill 474, ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

“When I gave my inauguration speech, I pledged to root out DEI and eliminate the woke virus from the schools,” Morrisey said. “Now I can report to you that we’re following through with that promise. DEI is dead in the Mountain State.”

SB 474 would eliminate DEI programs and related positions across the state’s executive branch, public schools and higher education institutions. The bill, introduced during the 2025 legislative session on behalf of Morrisey on Feb. 14, codifies an executive order issued by Morrisey on Jan. 14.

“Unfortunately for far too long, West Virginia — including state government and the educational system — harbored a number of discriminatory practices,” Morrisey said. “These so-called DEI practices might sound well-meaning, but they’re actually designed to divide and pit people – one set of groups – against another. We don’t think that is appropriate and I don’t think that should ever happen in West Virginia.”

DEI, as defined by SB 474, includes actions that influence hiring based on race, color, sex, ethnicity or national origin except through color-blind or sex-neutral processes, the promotion of special benefits based on these characteristics or the implementation of policies or training referencing these characteristics.

“Every person should be treated with dignity and respect, and we should view people equally, both under the eyes of God and the rule of law. That’s what this is about,” Morrisey said. “God looks at us as equals, and we have to make sure we’re carrying that out through the legislative process and the executive branch process.”

“When we discriminate against someone based on their race, that is evil,” said state Sen. Tom Willis, R-Berkeley. “It is evil because it is contrary to the nature of God. The (Bible) tells us that in Heaven, there is every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation. If it’s good enough for God to treat everybody equally, maybe it should be good for us too.”

Morrisey said he would be asking the Legislature to make further changes to the law after the House of Delegates amended SB 474 to protect public colleges and universities that might be required to maintain DEI programs to meet certain accreditation standards.

“There was an unfortunate amendment that was included in the House side that we need to address,” Morrisey said. “I’m going to ask the Legislature to go in and clean that up. That amendment should have never been in the final law.”

Morrisey also held a ceremonial signing for Senate Bill 299, modifying state regulations on pubertal modulation, hormonal therapy, and gender reassignment. SB 299 eliminates narrow exceptions for the use of medication gender-affirming care for minors.

“There have been a lot of efforts over the years, including here in West Virginia, to allow young men to supposedly become young women and young women to supposedly become men,” Morrisey said.  “This is all nonsense, and we have to call it out for what it is. We’re putting an end to that here in West Virginia.”

SB 299 would further restrict certain medical practices related to gender transition for individuals under age 18 beginning Aug. 1. The bill prohibits physicians, physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses from providing these interventions to minors, with specific exceptions for certain medical conditions unrelated to gender dysphoria. 

SB 299 also mandates a legislative rule regarding telehealth to include a prohibition on prescribing or dispensing gender altering medication. Violations would be considered unprofessional conduct subject to license revocation and the bill outlines legal recourse and enforcement by the attorney general.

“(Supporters) call these irreversible and experimental drugs ‘gender-affirming care,’ but they’re affirming nothing but their own delusions while harming and disfiguring our youth while making a profit,” Morrisey said. 

The bill closes an exemption that was included two years ago in House Bill 2007 prohibiting physicians from providing irreversible gender reassignment surgery or medication for gender-affirming care, such as hormones or puberty blockers, to a person who is under 18 with certain exceptions.

HB 2007 included guardrails to limit use of medication gender affirming care to adolescents who have been diagnosed with severe gender dysphoria by multiple physicians to address psychological issues and prevent self-harm and as long as the medication is limited to the lowest doses necessary.

“West Virginia did pass legislation banning these practices for minors, but it left open a loophole someone could drive a truck through, and that was being used by doctors to continue mutilating our kids,” Morrisey said. “So today, I will also be ceremonially signing Senate Bill 299 to close that loophole and officially end the practice of child mutilation in the State of West Virginia.”

“That legislation that previously passed this Legislature … has been misused by activist doctors,” said state Sen. Jack David Woodrum, R-Summers. “It’s a great honor for me to be part of correcting that loophole.”