A bill to extend the law's application to include oral sex, whether heterosexual or homosexual, passed the House of Delegates in 1917, but failed in the Senate.

In 2009, a bill that would amend the Constitution of West Virginia to ban same-sex marriage in the state was overwhelmingly voted down (67–30) by the House of Delegates.

In December 2011, Delegate John Doyle introduced a bill to legalize civil unions in West Virginia as one of his last acts before retirement in 2012.

[12] On June 10, 2014, Judge Chambers ordered a stay of proceedings until a ruling in Bostic v. Shaefer, a same-sex marriage case in the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.

A bill that would have prohibited discrimination based on one's sexual orientation was passed by the state Senate in March 2009,[16] though was killed by the House later that month.

[20] Several cities have adopted anti-discrimination ordinances, prohibiting unfair discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations.

[14] In addition, Kanawha County,[24] Buckhannon,[25] and Elkins have policies banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity against county/city employees.

In July 2021, the judicial committee council within Charleston passed an ordinance - but is awaiting an upcoming procedural final "floor vote".

[36][37] West Virginia law permits transgender individuals to change the gender marker on their IDs, driver's licenses and birth certificates.

[44] In January 2023, a federal judge in West Virginia upheld the legislation banning transgender individuals within female sports youth teams.

[46][47][48] In August 2022, a court ruled declared that the 1997 ban on sexual reassignment surgery within West Virginia healthcare Medicaid insurance programs was unconstitutional.

[50] The bill was formally passed by the West Virginia Legislature in March 2023, banning puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery for transgender minors, except in cases of "severe dysphoria" as diagnosed by at least two physicians.

[52][53][54][55] Recent opinion polls have shown that support for LGBTQ people across the U.S. state of West Virginia is increasing significantly and opposition is decreasing.

[57] A 2017 Public Religion Research Institute survey showed that 48% of West Virginians supported same-sex marriage, 45% were opposed and 7% were unsure.

[58] A 2022 Public Religion Research Institute poll found that 62% of West Virginia residents supported same-sex marriage, while 38% were opposed and 1% were unsure.