Media Update - Hazard Pavilion and Berea City Ordinance Hearing

Hazard, KY -- Kentucky Equality Federation will not back down from its position that the person involved in the incident at The Pavilion should be reassigned to another area of government or terminated since an official apology from the person involved is not forthcoming. Kentucky Equality Federation Chairman Richard T. Jones, and President Jordan Palmer stand behind the decisions made by our regional directors, assistant regional directors and our outreach directors.

Video footage from The Pavilion to show the behavior in question has been requested; the two men involved did not hug and kiss each other in public, but even if they did the same standard must be applied to all citizens, including married couples. Ollie Adams, co-owner of Mending Hearts, said a staff member told her that the Pavilion employee told the group to leave "after one of the men sat on the other's knee and put his arm around him while sitting outside the pool."

If all public displays of affection are prohibited, it must be applied in a uniform manner. We stand behind the two men in question as well as Mending Hearts, Inc.

Will Taylor, Kentucky Equality Federation's Assistant Regional Director for Southern Kentucky continues to plan a protest for this weekend.  When an exact date is know, it will be released to the media.  

However, Kentucky Equality Federation continues to work with the City Manager and City Attorney to reach a satisfactory solution.

Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer spoke to City Manager Carlos Combs as late as 4:00 PM today with the city hoping to avoid a protest.

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Berea, KY -- Kentucky Equality Federation is not opposed to the hearing in Berea tonight to pass a non-discrimination ordinance if it a citizen driven movement. Kentucky Equality Federation however believes our fight must continue to be waged in the Kentucky Legislature and not municipality by municipality with local ordinances which each city must find the money to assign investigators and enforce.

We continue on the path of an equality law that will protect everyone in the Commonwealth from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Kentucky has 120 subdivisions (counties), in some cases with multiple cities located within each county, especially in Northern Kentucky, Southern Central Kentucky, Western Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Southern Kentucky itself. In addition, legislation has been filed multiple times to rescind the authority of cities to pass these local ordinances.

We remain committed to long-term objectives, and we will not sacrifice them for illusory short-term victories. A statewide equality law would give jurisdiction to the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, a state agency.

In addition, no city ordinance could have prevented the events in Hazard.

Kentucky Equality Federation continues to fight to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966 as a protected class along with religion, smoking, disability, race, sex, ancestry, veteran status, and disability. We need an equality law the compass the entire Commonwealth!

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The Public Relations and Media Director can be reached at (877) KEF-5775 - Ext. 1.  


MEDIA UPDATE:  Kentucky Equality Federation, the City of Hazard, and Mending Hearts close the case on the incident involving two gay men forced to leave The Pavilion.