Elaine McMillion of the Daily Mail reports on the possible repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell and her interview with Pepe Johnson.  This follows up Hoppy Kercheval's interview of Pepe last week.  The corresponding Metronews article is here along with the interview.

Read our statement on today's historic Senate vote on the passage of the Hate Crimes Bill.  This is the first piece of major legislation to recognize the entire LGBT community.  It allows US Attorneys to prosecute crimes that might not otherwise be prosecuted by local law enforcement because of stereotypes and prejudice.  Fairness thanks out entire congressional delegation for supporting the bill.  Although Senator Byrd was not present for the final vote for the bill, he voted for cloture earlier in the day.  Senator Rockefeller, Congresswoman Capito, Congressman Mollohan, and Congressman Rahall all voted for the bill.

On October 11th, dozens of Fairness WV supporters marched alongside tens of thousands of people from across the country at the National Equality March in Washington, DC. Click here for slideshow of pictures from the event. Enjoy!

If you having trouble viewing the slideshow, here is a list of images:

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West Virginian Sam Trammell, star of HBO's hit series True Blood, attended GLSEN's respect awards last night.  GLSEN stands for the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.  GLSEN does amazing work promoting safe school environments and supporting Gay Straight Alliances in schools.  It's great to see Trammell supporting GLSEN's work.   

If you're planning on coming to the National Equality March this Sunday in Washington, D.C., march with Fairness West Virginia.

We've updated our earlier announcement and changed locations. We'll all be meeting up before that march at the Starbucks at 14th and New York Avenue NW - just a few blocks south of the McPherson Square metro station on the Orange/Blue lines.

I'll be there at 11. We'll all head over to the march, just a few blocks away, around 11:45. Hope to see you there!

Are you planning on attending the National Equality March on October 11th in Washington, D.C.? If so, march with us!

Here are the details so far:

1. West Virginia folks will be meeting prior to the march at 11 a.m. at Capitol Lounge (229 Pennsylvania Ave NW, near the Capitol South metro stop). Some folks from Fairness WV will be there and it’ll be a great way to meet other supporters.
2. The march will begin at noon somewhere near the grounds of the U.S. Capital building.

I’ve set up some message boards on the Fairness WV site for those of you looking to carpool or if you just want to share ideas. Check it out here: http://www.fairnesswv.org/?q=forum. 

There is a whole weekend of events planned if you make it up on Saturday. Here’s the official schedule for the weekend: http://nem.gaycities.com/events/655-national-equality-march-guide/more.

While I’m a proud West Virginian, I currently live in Washington so if you have any questions about the city—parking, getting around, attractions—don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to help.

West Virginia Blue covered the election of Richard Trumka to be the new AFL-CIO president. In an email Trumka reiterates labor's commitment to ending discrimination: "We want a nation where it doesn't matter what the color of your skin is...or what sex or religion you are...or whether you're gay or straight or what country your family's from because here, in America, we believe everyone ought to have their chance to step into the winner's circle."

The Gazette's Davin White covers the growing PFLAG group in Kanawha County.