1 in 4 LGBTI people report discrimination in 2016 - SPECIAL REPORT

A disturbing report was issued by the Center for American Progress about LGBTI discrimination. 1 in 4 LGBT people report experiencing discrimination in 2016.

"This is clearly unacceptable and we must eliminate the Kentucky Religious Freedom Act. We call on the Kentucky Supreme Court to overturn this legislation which is effectively a license to discriminate," stated Jordan Palmer, secretary-general of Kentucky Equality Federation, Marriage Equality Kentucky, Southeastern Kentucky Stop Hate Group, Be Proud - Western Kentucky, Kentucky HIV Advocacy Campaign, Kentucky Equal Ballot Access, and others combined together in the Earth Equality Alliance.

Over the past decade, the nation has made unprecedented progress toward LGBTI equality. But to date, neither the federal government nor most states (including the Commonwealth of Kentucky - http://kentucky.gov) have explicit statutory nondiscrimination laws protecting people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBTI people still face widespread discrimination: Between 11 percent and 28 percent of LGBTI workers report losing a promotion simply because of their sexual orientation, and 27 percent of transgender workers report being fired, not hired, or denied a promotion in the past year. Discrimination also routinely affects LGBTI people beyond the workplace, sometimes costing them their homes, access to education, and even the ability to engage in public life.

Data from a nationally representative survey of LGBTI people conducted by CAP shows that 25.2 percent of LGBTI respondents has experienced discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity in the past year. The January 2017 survey shows that, despite progress, in 2016 discrimination remained a widespread threat to LGBTI people’s well-being, health, and economic security.

Among people who experienced sexual orientation- or gender-identity-based discrimination in the past year:

• 68.5 percent reported that discrimination at least somewhat negatively affected their psychological well-being. 
• 43.7 percent reported that discrimination negatively impacted their physical well-being. 
• 47.7 percent reported that discrimination negatively impacted their spiritual well-being. 
• 38.5 percent reported discrimination negatively impacted their school environment. 
• 52.8 percent reported that discrimination negatively impacted their work environment. 
• 56.6 report it negatively impacted their neighborhood and community environment. 

Unseen harms
LGBTI people who don’t experience overt discrimination, such as being fired from a job, may still find that the threat of it shapes their lives in subtle but profound ways. David M., a gay man, works at a Fortune 500 company with a formal, written nondiscrimination policy. “I couldn’t be fired for being gay,” he said. But David went on to explain, “When partners at the firm invite straight men to squash or drinks, they don’t invite the women or gay men. I’m being passed over for opportunities that could lead to being promoted.”

“I’m trying to minimize the bias against me by changing my presentation in the corporate world,” he added. “I lower my voice in meetings to make it sound less feminine and avoid wearing anything but a black suit. … When you’re perceived as feminine—whether you’re a woman or a gay man—you get excluded from relationships that improve your career.”

David is not alone. Survey findings and related interviews show that LGBTI people hide personal relationships, delay health care, change the way they dress, and take other steps to alter their lives because they could be discriminated against.

Maria S., a lesbian who lives in North Carolina, described a long commute from her home in Durham to a different town where she works. She makes the drive every day so that she can live in a city that’s friendly to LGBTI people. She loves her job, but she’s not out to her boss. “I wonder whether I would be let go if the higher-ups knew about my sexuality,” she says.

CAP’s research shows that stories such as Maria’s and David’s are common. The below table shows the percentage of LGBTI people who report changing their lives in a variety of ways in order to avoid discrimination.

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As Table 1 shows, LGBTI people who’ve experienced discrimination in the past year are significantly more likely to alter their lives for fear of discrimination, even deciding where to live and work because of it, suggesting that there are lasting consequences for victims of discrimination. Yet findings also support the contention that LGBTI people do not need to have experienced discrimination in order to act in ways that help them avoid it, which is in line with empirical evidence on a component of minority stress theory: expectations of rejection.

Not only can threatened discrimination bar LGBTI people from living authentically—it can also deny them material opportunities. Rafael J.,* a gay student in California, told CAP that he “decided to apply to law schools only in LGBTI-safe cities or states,” denying him the opportunity pursue his graduate education at schools he might otherwise have applied to. “I did not think I would be safe being an openly gay man,” he said. “Especially a gay man of color, in some places.”

Unique vulnerabilities in the workplace
Within the LGBTI community, people who were vulnerable to discrimination across multiple identities reported uniquely high rates of avoidance behaviors.

In particular, LGBTI people of color were more likely to hide their sexual orientation and gender identity from employers, with 12 percent removing items from their resumes—in comparison to 8 percent of white LGBTI respondents—in the past year.

Similarly, 18.7 percent of 18- to 24-year-old LGBTI respondents reported removing items from their resumes—in comparison to 7.9 percent of 35- to 44-year-olds.

Meanwhile, 15.5 percent of disabled LGBTI respondents reported removing items from their resume—in comparison to 7.3 percent of nondisabled LGBTI people. This finding may reflect higher rates of unemployment among people of color, disabled people, and young adults; it may also reflect that LGBTI people who could also face discrimination on the basis of their race, youth, and disability feel uniquely vulnerable to being denied a job due to discrimination, or a combination of factors.

Unique vulnerabilities in the public square
Discrimination, harassment, and violence against LGBTI people—especially transgender people—has always been common in places of public accommodation, such as hotels, restaurants, or government offices. The 2015 United States Transgender Survey found that, among transgender people who visited a place of public accommodation where staff knew or believed they were transgender, nearly one in three experienced discrimination or harassment—including being denied equal services or even being physically attacked.

In March 2016, then North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed H.B. 2 into law, which mandated anti-transgender discrimination in single-sex facilities—and began an unprecedented attack on transgender people’s access to public accommodations and ability to participate in public life.

That year, more than 30 bills specifically targeting transgender people’s access to public accommodations were introduced in state legislatures across the country. This survey asked transgender respondents whether they had avoided places of public accommodation from January 2016 through January 2017, during a nationwide attack on transgender people’s rights.

Among transgender survey respondents:

• 25.7 percent reported avoiding public places such as stores and restaurants, versus 9.9 percent of cisgender LGBTI respondents 
• 10.9 percent reported avoiding public transportation, versus 4.1 percent of cisgender LGBTI respondents 
• 11.9 percent avoided getting services they or their family needed, versus 4.4 percent of cisgender LGBTI respondents 
• 26.7 percent made specific decisions about where to shop, versus 6.6 percent of cisgender LGBTI respondents These findings suggest that ongoing discrimination in public accommodations pushes transgender people out of public life, making it harder for them to access key services, use public transportation, or simply go to stores or restaurants without fear of discrimination. 

Disabled LGBTI people were also significantly more likely to avoid public places than their nondisabled LGBTI counterparts. Among disabled LGBTI survey respondents, in the past year:

• 20.4 percent reported avoiding public places such as stores and restaurants, versus 9.1 percent of nondisabled LGBTI respondents
• 8.8 percent reported avoiding public transportation, versus 3.6 percent of nondisabled LGBTI respondents
• 14.7 percent avoided getting services they or their family needed, versus 2.9 percent of nondisabled LGBTI respondents
• 25.7 percent made specific decisions about where to shop, versus 15.4 percent of nondisabled LGBTI respondents

This is likely because, in addition to the risk of anti-LGBTI harassment and discrimination, LGBTI people with disabilities contend with inaccessible public spaces. For example, many transit agencies fail to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, requirements that would make public transportation accessible to people with visual and cognitive disabilities.

Unique vulnerabilities in health care 
In 2010, more than half of LGBTI people reported being discriminated against by a health care providers and more than 25 percent of transgender respondents reported being refused medical care outright. Since then, LGBTI people have gained protections from health care discrimination—most notably, regulations stemming from the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, have prohibited federally funded hospitals, providers, and insurers from discriminating against LGBTI patients. Despite progress, LGBTI people, and transgender people in particular, remain vulnerable to healthcare discrimination: In 2015, one-third of transgender people who saw a health care provider reported “at least one negative experience related to being transgender.” These negative experiences included being refused treatment or even being physically assaulted. Transgender people of color and people with disabilities reported particularly high rates of discrimination from health care providers.

Unsurprisingly, people in these vulnerable groups are especially likely to avoid doctor’s offices, postponing both preventative and needed medical care:

• 23.5 percent of transgender respondents avoided doctors’ offices in the past year, versus 4.4 percent of cisgender LGBTI respondents 
• 13.7 percent of disabled LGBTI respondents avoided doctors’ offices in the past year, versus 4.2 percent of nondisabled LGBTI respondents 
• 10.3 percent of LGBTI people of color avoided doctors’ offices in the past year, versus 4.2 percent of white LGBTI respondents 

These findings are consistent with research that has also identified patterns of health care discrimination against people of color and disabled people. For example, one survey of health care practices in five major cities found that more than one in five practices were inaccessible to patients who used wheelchairs.

A call to action 
To ensure that civil rights laws explicitly protect LGBTI people, Congress and all States should pass an Equality Act, a comprehensive bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, public accommodations, housing, credit, and federal funding, among other provisions.

*Authors’ note:  All names have been changed out of respect for interviewees’ privacy.

Methodology 
To conduct this study, CAP commissioned and designed a survey, fielded by Knowledge Networks, which surveyed 1,864 individuals about their experiences with health insurance and health care. Among the respondents, 857 identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender, while 1,007 identified as heterosexual and cisgender/nontransgender. Respondents came from all income ranges and are diverse across factors such as race, ethnicity, education, geography, disability status, and age. The survey was fielded online in English in January 2017 to coincide with the fourth open enrollment period through the health insurance marketplaces and the beginning of the first full year of federal rules that specifically protect LGBT people from discrimination in health insurance coverage and health care. The data are nationally representative and weighted according to U.S. population characteristics. All reported findings are statistically significant unless otherwise indicated. All comparisons presented are statistically significant at the p < .05 level.

Separate from the quantitative survey, the authors solicited stories exploring the impact of discrimination on LGBT people’s lives. Using social media platforms, the study authors requested volunteers to anonymously recount personal experiences of changing their behavior or making other adjustments to their daily lives to prevent experiencing discrimination. Interviews were conducted by one of the study authors and names were changed to protect the identity of the interviewee.

Additional information about study methods and materials are available from the authors.

#KY #KYGA17 #kygov #weareky Kentucky Election/Political Statement

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So many protests continue around the country related to the latest election. Several have contacted the Kentucky Equality Federation regarding protests. To reiterate our position, this press release is being issued again:

"With so many Kentuckians worried about an uncertain future as well as their physical safety given the hateful attacks against the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) community, women, and many others from political candidates who have now been elected, we do not blame them.  But we must remember that our work has never ended.

The political ideology in Frankfort, Kentucky will change drastically when the Kentucky House and Senate convene in January.  The LGBTI community, Women, and other minority groups will continue to fight for equality and inclusiveness.

Kentucky Equality Federation​ invites the new members of the Kentucky Senate​ and the Kentucky House of Representatives​ to join us.  Our community has endured; it will continue to endure long after the terms of those who will assume office have ended.

As we had so many times in the past, we will continue to overcome obstacles placed in our path.  We will not be silenced, and we will not accept whatever legislative agendas our elected officials attempt to force upon us should they violate anyone’s civil liberties.

This is OUR future. Our commonwealth! #WeAreKY

Oh, and would someone PLEASE tell Governor Matt Bevin​ that he stole my saying "We ARE Kentucky!? I've been using that on and off since 2010, especially during the so-called Kentucky Religious Freedom Act, effectively nullifying city local ordinances."

--> This was a prepared statement from the communications director for the Office of the Secretary-General, Jordan Palmer​ of United Kentuckians for Equality, Kentucky Equality Federation, and Marriage Equality Kentucky​, Kentucky Equal Ballot Access​, and Kentucky HIV / AIDS Advocacy Campaign​ (collectively referred to as the "Federation Alliance") as well as the managing director of EACH organization.

Related: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/election/article111778822.html

www.KentuckyEquality.org

#KY #KYGA17 #kygov #weareky Kentucky Election/Political Statement

"With so many Kentuckians worried about an uncertain future as well as their physical safety given the hateful attacks against the LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex) community, women, and many others from political candidates who have now been elected, we do not blame them.  But we must remember that our work has never ended.

The political ideology in Frankfort, Kentucky will change drastically when the Kentucky House and Senate convene in January.  The LGBTI community, Women, and other minority groups will continue to fight for equality and inclusiveness.

Kentucky Equality Federation​ invites the new members of the Kentucky Senate​ and the Kentucky House of Representatives​ to join us.  Our community has endured; it will continue to endure long after the terms of those who will assume office have ended.

As we had so many times in the past, we will continue to overcome obstacles placed in our path.  We will not be silenced, and we will not accept whatever legislative agendas our elected officials attempt to force upon us should they violate anyone’s civil liberties.

This is OUR future. Our commonwealth! #WeAreKY

Oh, and would someone PLEASE tell Governor Matt Bevin​ that he stole my saying "We ARE Kentucky!? I've been using that on and off since 2010, especially during the so-called Kentucky Religious Freedom Act, effectively nullifying city local ordinances."

--> This was a prepared statement from the communications director for the Office of the Secretary-General, Col. Jordan Palmer​ of United Kentuckians for Equality, Kentucky Equality Federation, and Marriage Equality Kentucky​, Kentucky Equal Ballot Access​, and Kentucky HIV / AIDS Advocacy Campaign​ (collectively referred to as the "Federation Alliance") as well as the managing director of EACH organization.

Related: http://www.kentucky.com/news/politics-government/election/article111778822.html

www.KentuckyEquality.org

Kentucky Equality Federation concerned with the voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools

House Republicans want to pass the voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints in public schools," stated Kentucky Equality Federation Southeastern Kentucky Regional Director Will Taylor. "The proposed legislation, House Bill 426 could create an 'open season' on gay and lesbian students (LGBTI) or any non-Christian student."

Kentucky Equality Federation Eastern Kentucky Regional Director Matt Berry stated: "Religious expression is any form of expression that is not a disturbance to the day-to-day function of the school or instruction. According to the Kentucky Department of Education, no school employee may endorse, promote, or discriminate against a religion when acting in their official capacity."

"House Bill 426 could blur or repeal existing school bullying laws in the name of religious freedom," concluded Southeastern Kentucky Regional Director Will Taylor and Eastern Kentucky Regional Director Matt Berry.

Kentucky Equality Federation respects the right of every person to their personal religious beliefs so long as those beliefs do not infringe on the civil rights or religious beliefs of others.


House Bill 426:

Amend KRS 158.183 to permit students to voluntarily express religious viewpoints in school assignments free from discrimination and to organize prayer groups, religious clubs, or other religious gatherings before, during, and after school to the same extent that students are permitted to organize other noncurricular student activities and groups; create a new section of KRS Chapter 158 to require each board of education to adopt and implement a policy regarding voluntary student expression of religious viewpoints and to establish a limited public forum for student speakers at all school events at which a student is to publicly speak, including graduation; designate procedure for selection of student speakers; require subject of speech to be relevant to event; require district disclaimer indicating nonendorsement of the content of voluntary expressions by students. 

 Kentucky Equality Federation will continue to monitor the legislation.

#KY #KYGA14: Special Statement: Bourke v. Beshear and equality across the commonwealth

Richmond, KY - Kentucky Equality Federation welcomes the decision by Judge Heyburn. We believe strongly in equal rights and state sovereignty, and that both are not mutually exclusive.

"However, when a group of religious radicals defaced the Kentucky Constitution in 2004, making a document which guarantees freedom of conscience, life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, their decision had broader ramifications than they expected. It is not acceptable to vandalize the Kentucky Constitution and violate the Commonwealth's own Bill of Rights, and then seek shelter behind the Federal Constitution's Tenth Amendment," stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer.

Kentucky Constitution, Section 2: "Absolute and arbitrary power over the lives, liberty and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority."

Kentucky Constitution, Section 26: "To guard against transgression of the high powers which we have delegated, We Declare that every thing in this Bill of Rights is excepted out of the general powers of government, and shall forever remain inviolate; and all laws contrary thereto, or contrary to this Constitution, shall be void."

Palmer continued:  "By these sections of the Kentucky Constitution's Bill of Rights, such a ban is unconstitutional. There is no special exception made for popularity of a measure, or whether absolute and arbitrary powers are granted by a later amendment. We stand with Kentucky and its own Constitution. While we wish the legislature had protected the constitutional rights of its own citizens without requiring a federal court's intervention, their inaction made this case inevitable. Free people will seek legal recourse from their oppressors, and they are to be commended when they do.

As president, I issue a warning to Kentuckians that this decision, while important, has a very narrow application. We expect that compliance with the decision will lag or be outright refused in some jurisdictions. Further, it still does not rectify, as it could not, the inability of LGBTI couples to marry within Kentucky, nor did it add a statewide LGBTI Civil Rights protection law."

Vice President K. Joshua Koch stated: "These issues must be addressed in the immediate future, or Kentucky will continue to be wracked by lawsuits. The legislators of Kentucky would do well to recognize that their inaction thus far has been rejected by concerned citizens, and further inaction will not be tolerated. The citizens of Kentucky are seeking equality by any means necessary. If our lawmakers in the Kentucky House and Senate are not up to the task of removing barriers of discrimination for certain citizens and taxpayers, those vulnerable members of society have a right to seek seek Judicial recourse or vote them out of office."

NOTICE: Some comments made by Vice President K. Joshua Koch have been moved by the President's Legal Department to our official blog. To read those comments, please click here.

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Kentucky House overrides Governor's veto of House Bill 279

House Bill 279 Statement

BY:  Jordan Palmer

Kentucky Equality Federation is extremely disappointed with House leadership for overriding House Bill 279, the "Forced Religion Imposition Act."  Allowing the House Democratic Caucus to vote 'anonymously' to decide to override the veto isn't open government and it isn't transparency, it is however cowardly. 

People and organizations around the commonwealth from mayors to citizen activists organized to oppose this dreadful and hurtful legislation. Kentucky Equality Federation has pushed to have this bill vetoed before it passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, but with overwhelming support from Republicans and Democrats, this is legislation we couldn't kill with a simple telephone call or meeting.

House Bill 279 does nothing more than give people permission to discriminate based on their religious beliefs thereby taking it beyond ‘freedom of religion’ to ‘forced religion’ because they can impose their religious beliefs on others with legal authority to do so.

Kentucky lawmakers needed to define language in House Bill 279 before it became law such as what constitutes a ‘burden’ and what constitutes a ‘substantial’ burden to someone’s religious beliefs.

As noted by our Vice President of Legal, Jillian Hall, Esq., similar laws to this proposed bill have been passed in several other states after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1997 (as applied to the states), though it remains federal law.

Until last night however, this law did not apply to the commonwealth of Kentucky.
As I have said before, the Kentucky Democratic Party is out of touch with the national Democratic Party. However, this was expected, given the continued loses Democrats have suffered since the 2010 election to Tea Party Republicans, Democrats cannot appear to be soft on Religion. Even with loses, this does not justify sacrificing your political beliefs.

Still, it remains to be seem if House Bill 279 can withstand a court challenge which our legal department is working on now. 

In the future, because of threats related to House Bill 279, not only will our toll-free number override anonymous callers, but being calling the Office of Chairman of the Board (the Chair and Vice Chair) or members of the Office of the President (the President and all Vice Presidents) will be recorded.  One lady also called to ask if it was legal to say LGBTI people are abominations at the rally the Family Foundation of Kentucky held on Tuesday.

House Bill 279 has the potential to harm local ordinances in place in Covington, Louisville, Lexington and Vicco.  Kentucky Equality Federation's legal department will sue the commonwealth of Kentucky with the first complaint we receive that House Bill 279 has been used to justify discrimination, termination, or school bullying regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. 

People also made threats about the Red State Brief which Kentucky Equality Federation signed with 25 other statewide organizations with the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief contends that many local state laws are designed to routinely deny gay citizens basic civil rights, and many state codes are woven in a tangle that can only be unraveled by the courts.

Kentucky Equality Federation again thanks every person and every organization who made a stand with us on the right side of history.

Kentucky Equality Federation Condemns House Bill 279 - Forced Religious Imposition Act

KENTUCKY EQUALITY FEDERATION RESPONDS TO HOUSE BILL 279

CONDEMNS 'FORCED RELIGION IMPOSITION ACT'

“Kentucky House Bill 279 lays the groundwork for legalized discrimination and is detrimental to the equal rights movement for all LGBTI residents of the Commonwealth,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation’s Chairman of the Board, Brandon Combs. “This legislation also has the potential to negatively impact a wide-range of individuals beyond the LGBTI community, such as single parents and divorced couples. The passing of this legislation threatens to push the state back to the 1960s prior to the passage of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act.”

“House Bill 279 represents a clear and present danger to the gay and lesbian community and other minority groups around the commonwealth,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation president Jordan Palmer. “Thousands of Kentuckians are opposing the legislation. We urge Governor Steve Beshear to veto the legislation. Both the Kentucky and U.S. constitutions provide for freedom of religion and Kentucky Equality Federation supports freedom of religion. However, what we need is freedom from religion; lawmakers use religion as a means to deny someone a fundamental civil right. In 2010 the Kentucky House of Representatives passed Resolution 232, the Manhattan Declaration making Christianity the official religion of the Commonwealth. (voting record). House Bill 279 does nothing more than give people permission to discriminate based on their religious beliefs thereby taking it beyond ‘freedom of religion’ to ‘forced religion’ because they have imposed their religious beliefs on others with legal authority to do so.”

KENTUCKY EQUALITY FEDERATION - LEGAL DEPARTMENT SUMMARY:

To break it down, Kentucky Equality Federation’s Vice President of Legal, Jillian Hall, Esq. stated: “House Bill 279 has the potential to harm local ordinances in place in Louisville, Lexington and Vicco. Essentially, an individual can continue to discriminate against a gay individual in violation of the ordinance and be protected under this new law by showing that it is in conflict with their closely held religious beliefs. While the language adding “substantial” to the burden (via an amendment to the bill) does add some protections, as it is very difficult to meet the level of “substantial burden” in the courts (as would have to be shown by the discriminating party), the law still is a major step backward for the equality movement."

Hall continued:  "Right now, people discriminate freely and openly against the gay community without recourse due to the lack of a Kentucky statewide equality law. Similar laws to this proposed bill have been passed in several other states after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the U.S. Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 1997 (as applied to the states). This law is nothing more than a poor recitation of the First Amendment, and is a thinly veiled move by the legislature showing their lack of respect or tolerance for the LGBTI community. While I do not feel that this will significantly affect anything in the courts, this law, along with the Manhattan Declaration of 2010 as mentioned by Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer, acts to block forward progress and is a continued embarrassment for the Commonwealth.”

Kentucky Equality Federation will continue to monitor House Bill 279 and may challenge it in court if it undermines equality efforts.

Special Rights for Some; Kentucky House of Representatives continues to stall Statewide Equality Law

JOINT STATEMENTS (in order):
Jordan Palmer, President
Brandon Combs, Chairman of the Board
Jillian Hall, Esq., Vice President of Legal
Mike Mansfield, Frankfort Council Organizer with MoveOn.org

FRANKFORT, KY – "The Commonwealth of Kentucky was the first state South of the Mason-Dixon line to pass a Civil Rights Act, the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966," stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. "The Kentucky Civil Rights Act was signed into law by Governor Edward T. Breathitt, and prohibits discrimination and protects people from discrimination based on race, national origin, color, and religion.

The Kentucky Civil Rights Act has been amended many times to include protected groups based on familial status, disability, age, collective bargaining agreements, a protection from discrimination because a person does or does not smoke (KRS 344.040), to name a few. However, sexual orientation and gender identity have never been included as a protected group in Kentucky. Kentucky Equality Federation receives regular complaints from the Commonwealth’s citizens about employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kentucky, once the leader in civil rights, has fallen behind other states without question due to the lack of action by the Kentucky Legislature to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kentucky Civil Rights Act. Indeed, due to said lack of action, subdivisions of the Commonwealth have created their own civil rights agencies with less success, less funding, and fewer resources than the Commonwealth’s principal agency responsible for enforcing and ordering correction or remedial action in discrimination cases.

Though legislation is filed yearly to add these protections, the Kentucky House and Senate stall the proposed additions. It is both unethical and immoral to deny a targeted group of people protection under the law while giving special rights to others. However, the subject of adding sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected group has never even passed a Committee vote to go to the full floor of either Chamber.

However, after consulting both Republican and Democratic leadership, the moral act of adding sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class, not to mention repealing Kentucky’s 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships does not pass Committee even though each respective Committee in the House have had enough votes for years to get this critical legislation to the full floor, bringing it closer to being passed into law.

Why file legislation if you do not intend to push it and ensure the Committee Chair doesn't kill it in Committee, especially considering the House has enough votes to get both out of Committee? The only answer can be that House Democrats fear reprisal from the Kentucky Democratic Party and the House Caucus.

The Governor has made his position clear by enacting an executive order 2008-0473, prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Kentucky’s Government. The U.S. President similarly made his position clear, with the U.S. Vice President going so far as to be the first, highest ranking elected federal official to be in favor of gender neutral marriage, and the position of the U.S. President mirroring the Vice President’s a few days later.

The Kentucky Democratic Party is both out of sync and out of touch with the national Democratic Party. The Democratic Platform states: “We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.”

Per the U.S. Bill of Rights which the Commonwealth of Kentucky ratified, the federal government and the states share joint, parallel sovereignty. People can scream federal overreach until they turn blue, but when our Frankfort lawmakers continue to fail us; we are left with no other option but to appeal to our lawmakers in the District of Columbia, the Kentucky Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

People in Frankfort tout Kentucky sovereignty against an oversized and intrusive federal government in circumstances hardly believable because the reliability of the Kentucky Legislative to do what is best for the Commonwealth and protect all of her citizens has been stretched beyond belief."

Palmer concluded: "I urge the Commonwealth's lawmakers to willfully place Kentucky back in the forefront of civil rights; without adding sexual orientation and gender identity you have effectively given "special rights" to other protected classes including national origin, religious beliefs, family status, age, and race, amongst others. If our lawmakers want to show Kentucky sovereignty and freedom, do it now before the order to do so is handed down by the courts."

"The fact that our Kentucky lawmakers continue to refuse to act is an unacceptable failing on the part of our allies," stated Kentucky Equality Federation Chairman Brandon Combs. “At this juncture we must seriously evaluate our position, and take the next step, for the betterment of our Commonwealth. Priority legislation has sat idly in committees for far too long. The Board supports President Jordan Palmer in taking every step necessary to move these legislative priorities from their pigeonhole in committees, including reactivating our political action committees to both fund and endorse candidates who support our Mission Statement. We will get these legislative priorities from their pigeonhole in House committees."

Kentucky Equality Federation's Vice President of Legal, Attorney Jillian Hall added: "As part of the Office of the President and head of the legal department it saddens me that the people in Frankfort will not act. As a member of the straight community I fervently believe all people are entitled to equality and to be treated the same under Kentucky laws. The Kentucky Legislature should not have to wait for the federal government to do it for us, and given the lack of progress by our legislature to protect its citizens, every Kentucky citizen should be outraged."

Mike Mansfield a Frankfort Council Organizer with MoveOn.org stated: “Many of those who call themselves progressive Democrats are homophobic. I understand them pretty well, though. I was part of their "club" until about 1993."

Religion and Politics in Kentucky Schools: Kentucky Equality Federation petitions the Government of the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Even after an apology and a reprimand, Kentucky Equality Federation’s Southern Kentucky Regional Management today condemned the actions of a Southern Kentucky educator. South Laurel High School teacher, Ms. Kendra Baker wrote on the top of her school board “You can’t be a Democrat & go to Heaven.” Kentucky Equality Federation is filing complaints with the Kentucky Department of Education, the Kentucky Office of Secretary of Education, as well as every member of the House Standing Committee on Education on the inappropriate conduct of school officials in Clay, Grant, and Laurel Counties.

--> Legislation Proposed by Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer (.pdf)

“The School Superintendent reprimanded the Laurel County teacher, citing that she broke with policy regarding the environment of the classroom and we thank Superintendent Doug Bennett for his swift action,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. “Kentucky Equality Federation contends the objective of such a message was to scare children into thinking a certain ideology by damaging the thought process, scaring the Commonwealth’s youth, introducing partisan politics in the classroom, imposing one-sided views on the classroom and generally directing the students into confined thinking. Regardless of the origin of the statement, the teacher had the greater responsibility to remain objective.

Though I am a practicing Christian and Taoist, religion or partisan politics have no place in our classrooms as Kentucky Equality Federation stopped Bibles from being distributed in Grant County last week, which the Superintendent had approved.”

Kentucky Equality Federation’s Board members who represent the straight community were the most critical. Board member Miles Meehan stated: While we can celebrate political diversity, such statements only polarize and divide. Furthermore, any statement like what was written on the board has no place in a classroom - or even a church! - where a child or anyone else might feel slighted or like a second class citizen. It is my opinion that faith and politics are a nasty concoction. Hopefully Ms. Baker can learn from this mistake and her zeal can be refocused into uniting students and preparing them to become our future leaders.”

Board member Kristina Curry added: “The statement was not one to be made by someone teaching and shaping our young minds and future leaders of our Commonwealth. It wouldn't have been anymore right if she had posted it the opposite way.”

"Ms. Kendra Baker's actions during the election illustrate the divisiveness and polarization of American politics today," stated Chairman of the Board Brandon Combs. "It is my understanding that Ms. Baker is a Social Studies and Civics teacher, where discussing politics is typically acceptable. Once presented with this quote by a student, it should have immediately been disregarded as inappropriate for classroom discussion. Children should not be introduced to partisan politics or threatened with religious punishment while in the classroom. This lack of judgment is very concerning considering Ms. Baker is educating our future community leaders and work force."

Kentucky Equality Federation’s Religious Outreach Director, Minister Edith Baker, Ph.D., was outraged stating: “The statement nullifies the death of Jesus. The teacher condoned a statement that says being a registered Republican is what saves us, not Jesus, or faith in God, which as I stated in the Grant County incident last week, religion (and politics) should be taught at home. This 'teacher' is in dire need of learning. Where in this world or from what Bible did this woman garner this vital information?”