CHARLESTON, WV — Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) applauds Patrick Morrisey on his gubernatorial win in West Virginia and looks forward to working with him to advance our Women’s Bill of Rights legislative package in the state in 2025.

As Attorney General, Morrisey consistently took a stand for women’s rights and equal opportunity.

In 2023, Morrisey was one of the first Attorneys General to support the Women’s Bill of Rights, which would legally define basic sex-based terms, like “woman” and “man.”

The next year, in 2024, as West Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate, he signed Independent Women’s Voice’s Stand with Women Commitment, promising “to uphold legislation that preserves female opportunities and private spaces” like the Women’s Bill of Rights legislative options.

Morrisey was joined by Independent Women’s Voice Ambassador Riley Gaines for a ceremonial signing and press conference celebrating his commitment to stand with women. Morrisey and Gaines also wrote a joint op-ed calling on the need for legislation like the Women’s Bill of Rights legislative options to define sex-based terms like “male” and “female,” so that it is clear that these concepts are rooted in biology and that women should be free and able to share private spaces and competitions with only women. 

“Independent Women’s Voice has been at the helm of the growing movement to hold leaders accountable to stand with women,” said Governor-elect Patrick Morrisey. “As Attorney General, I was an early supporter of their Women’s Bill of Rights legislative options and was disappointed it did not pass in the 2024 Legislative Session. That won’t happen under my watch. As Governor-elect of West Virginia, you can be sure that one of my first priorities will be ensuring all West Virginia women and girls are defined and protected in our laws and men are not allowed to take their athletic or academic opportunities or enter their private spaces. I look forward to working with Independent Women’s Voice and the legislature to codify sex-based terms in law in the upcoming session.”

“Patrick Morrisey has always sent a clear message to West Virginians that he will prioritize standing with women. West Virginia has a governor who is pro-woman, pro-science, pro-truth, and will fight for policies that prevent sex discrimination and preserve women’s rights, safety, and opportunities. Morrisey was a day-one supporter of Independent Women’s Voice’s Women’s Bill of Rights, and now as the Governor of West Virginia, I look forward to Morrisey prioritizing the advancement of the critical legislative package in 2025,” said Riley Gaines, Independent Women’s Voice Ambassador.

BACKGROUND:

Words like ‘female,’ ‘male,’ ‘man,’ and ‘woman’ are used thousands of times in state and federal law. Bureaucrats and elitists on the federal and state level are increasingly redefining these words to fit a false narrative. As a result, women and girls across the country have been forced to sacrifice their opportunities, privacy, and safety. It has become a priority for state leaders to stand with women by defining sex-based words.

Women’s Bill of Rights legislative options, developed by Independent Women’s Voice (IWV) and Independent Women’s Law Center (IWLC), preserve the legal existence of women, as distinct from men. These options do so in several ways, including by codifying the common sense—and previously self-evident—definition of “male” and “female” terms. The Women’s Bill of Rights legislative package was developed to prevent judges and unelected bureaucrats from twisting the meaning of words that have been used for centuries to mean something other than their intent. 

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Independent Women’s Voice fights for women by expanding support for policy solutions that aren’t just well intended, but actually enhance freedom, opportunities, and well-being.