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Election

West Virginia Lawmaker, Subject of Anti-Trans Robocall, Loses Race

STEPHEN SKINNER

Stephen Skinner, an out gay member of the House of Delegates, was trying to move up to the state Senate.

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Stephen Skinner, a gay member of the West Virginia House of Delegates who hoped to move up to the state Senate, has lost his bid to do so, according to Victory Fund, which had endorsed him.

Skinner became the subject of a transphobic robocall during the campaign because of his support of a bill that would have banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the state. The call featured a 12-year-old girl saying Skinner "pushed the city councils to let men into our showers." She then asked voters to support Skinner's Republican opponent, Patricia Rucker.

The robocall was funded by the Family Policy Council, a state organization affiliated with the national conservative Christian group Family Research Council. The Family Research Council has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, because of the misleading information it spreads about LGBT people.

Skinner was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2012, when he made history as the first out lawmaker in West Virginia.

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
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