West Virginia § 18B-1G-1 Definitions

West Virginia Statutes

§ 18B-1G-1 — Definitions

West Virginia § 18B-1G-1

Ch. 18BHIGHER EDUCATION

Art. 1GDIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION OFFICES AND OFFICERS PROHIBITED

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Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 18B-1G-1 (2026).

Text

As used in this section:

(1)"Diversity, equity, and inclusion" means any action, attempt, or effort to:

(A)Influence hiring or employment practices with respect to race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, other than through the use of color-blind and sex-neutral hiring processes in accordance with any applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws;

(B)Promote or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, or national origin;

(C)Promote policies or procedures designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, other than to ensure compliance with an applicable court order or state or federal law; or

(D)Conduct trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, et

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As used in this section:

(1) "Diversity, equity, and inclusion" means any action, attempt, or effort to:

(A) Influence hiring or employment practices with respect to race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, other than through the use of color-blind and sex-neutral hiring processes in accordance with any applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws;

(B) Promote or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, or national origin;

(C) Promote policies or procedures designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, other than to ensure compliance with an applicable court order or state or federal law; or

(D) Conduct trainings, programs, or activities designed or implemented in reference to race, color, ethnicity, or national origin, other than trainings, programs, or activities developed for the sole purpose of ensuring compliance with an applicable court order or state or federal law.

(2) "Diversity, equity, and inclusion office" means an office, division, or other unity of an institution of higher education tasked with diversity, equity, or inclusion actions, attempts, or efforts;

(3) "Diversity, equity, and inclusion officer" means any officer, employee, or agent of an institution of higher education tasked with diversity, equity, or inclusion actions, attempts, or efforts;

(4) "Ethnic group" means a category of population that is set apart and bound together by common ties of race, language, nationality, or culture;

(5) "Race" means any one of the groups that humans are often divided into based on physical traits regarded as common among people of shared ancestry; and

(6) "Sex", when this term is used to classify or describe a natural person, means the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth. There are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female:Provided, That individuals with congenital and medically verifiable "DSD conditions" (sometimes referred to as "differences in sex development", "disorders in sex development", or "intersex conditions") are not members of a third sex and must be accommodated consistent with state and federal law.