Teaching sexual orientation in Kentucky schools; Kentucky Department of Education Model Curriculum Framework

Lexington, KY -- The Family Foundation of Kentucky yesterday unleashed an absurd attack on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for mentioning "sexual orientation" a single time in the KDE's draft Model Curriculum Framework. In addition, it appears that the Family Foundation of Kentucky is opposed to mentioning critical thinking. The Kentucky Equality Foundation, by contrast, strongly encourages consideration of sexual orientation and critical thinking.

This is a sad attempt by the Family Foundation of Kentucky to gain legitimacy by jumping into the education-policy brawl between think tanks and candidates.

"Teaching children that people have different sexual orientations is a step in the right direction and would lead to less school bullying, suicides, in addition to drug/alcohol abuse," said Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer.  "These are not ‘special interests’ as classified in the press release issued by the Family Foundation of Kentucky, rather Kentucky schools will prepare our children for a Commonwealth and world full of diversity.  However, in the past the Kentucky Senate has held hearings on such things without public notice and behind closed doors, allowing only the Family Foundation of Kentucky to speak, lead by Senate President David Williams who classified any attempt to elevate school bullying laws, adoption, or teaching sexual orientation in schools as teaching 'aberrant behavior'." (source WKYT-TV)   

Kentucky Equality Federation Public Relations and Media Director Josh Koch also commented. "What makes this truly despicable is that the Family Foundation has chosen to make this bid for legitimacy by injecting nonsense and needless venom into a serious discussion," Koch said. "This is a tragic attempt to buy relevance at the expense of decency and common sense.

I grew up among fundamentalists who reverenced groups like the Family Foundation. These allegedly 'pro-family' groups routinely use demagoguery and subtle fear tactics about social issues to manipulate their donors and supporters into supporting an establishment which routinely sells out those donors and supporters on more important issues. Sadly, these propaganda pushes also have negative public fallout, from discrimination to hate crimes. Tactics like these are why I left the Republican party and the 'social conservative' roots with which I was raised. I believe people should treat each other as neighbors, not as enemies, and I believe in critical thought."

"The Commonwealth is filled with a variety of families, extended families in addition to being born straight or lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or intersex," stated Kentucky Equality Federation Mental Health Outreach Director Kelly Gill.

Gill continued: "Children learn from their environments, from birth they learn from our actions. We instill values in them often without notice. However, we also instill hate and prejudice. If we start teaching our children at a young age that something as simple as sexuality is not a choice, but how people are born we would be taking a large leap toward a new level of acceptance. People tend to believe that being homosexual is a choice, it is not. No one chooses to be outcast by family, ridiculed in school, and forced to hide who they are. When we ignore the situation is does not go away it turns to bullying and growing negativity. Some of the very children sitting in a classroom hearing a teacher speak about homosexuality in a neutral way may be hearing what they need to hear in order to be more comfortable with who they are, likewise it may be a child who could have turned into a bully had they not been taught about sexuality. We are asking you to support your children and who they are without turning this into a self serving political agenda."

Kentucky Equality Federation Assistant Southern Kentucky Regional Director William Taylor stated: "By teaching sexual orientation we are prepping the children for life outside of school, in the real world and not the small bubble the Family Foundation of Kentucky apparently lives in, this has nothing to do with 'political correctness' as they indicated, it is about teaching our children about the different cultures, including different sexual orientation they will encounter. This is political propaganda which the Family Foundation of Kentucky is famous for, such as their 2009 seminars to 'save marriage,' save it from what? We believe Kentuckians are tired of so-called "family foundations," which serve so other purpose that to spread hate and indifference.  The influence of the Family Foundation of Kentucky has diminished considerably in the past couple of years."

Second Kentucky church stops signing marriage licenses

Lexington, KY -- Kentucky Equality Federation applauds Rev. Dawn Cooley and the First Unitarian Church located on South 4th Street in Louisville for being the second Kentucky Church to take a stand for equality.

Douglass Boulevard Christian Church was the first to take the initiative.

Both churches have stated they will continue to perform religious marriage ceremonies for straight and gay couples but would no longer perform the civil function of signing marriage licenses on behalf of the Commonwealth.

In addition, Jim Daly, the president of the massive religious-right organization Focus on the Family, conceded that his group had basically lost the argument on gay marriage in an interview with a Christian magazine.

This is welcomed news for marriage equality, and applauded by Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky. 

Marriage Equality Kentucky is a group funded by Kentucky Equality Federation since 2008 for which Halyn Roth had served as Managing Director.

"Both churches deserve medals for taking such a stand for equality and justice and they will be remembered by history in our struggle for inalienable human rights," stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. “Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and intersex people (LGBTI) contribute considerably to the Commonwealth's economy yet we are denied equality in every sense of the word; we are denied protection from bullying, discrimination in housing, employment, credit, and accommodations in addition to more than 100 rights the Commonwealth denies us related to marriage."

Because the Commonwealth does not recognize same-sex marriages, these are some of the human rights LGBTI people are denied that many take for granted:

• Accidental death benefit for the surviving spouse of a government employee;
• Appointment as guardian of a minor;
• Beneficial owner status of corporate securities;
• Bill of Rights benefits for victims and witnesses;
• Consent to post-mortem examination;
• Control, division, acquisition, and disposition of community property;
• Criminal injuries compensation;
• Death benefit for surviving spouse for government employee;
• Disclosure of vital statistics records;
• Eligibility for housing opportunity allowance program of the Housing, Finance and Development Corporation;
• Exemption from claims of Department of Human Services for social services payments, financial assistance, or burial payments;
• Exemption from conveyance tax;
• Family violence prevention and services;
• Funeral leave for government employees;
• Income tax deductions, credits, rates exemption, and estimates;
• Insurance licenses, coverage, eligibility, and benefits;
• Legal status with partner’s children;
• Making partner medical decisions;
• Payment of wages to a relative of deceased employee;
• Payment of worker's compensation benefits after death;
• Permission to make arrangements for burial or cremation;
• Public assistance from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services;
• Right to change names;
• Right to inherit property;
• Rights and proceedings for involuntary hospitalization and treatment;
• Spousal privilege and confidential marriage communications;
• Tax relief for natural disaster losses;

Palmer continued: "Additionally, we call on all churches in the Commonwealth to follow the lead of the First Unitarian Church, and the Douglass Boulevard Christian Church.  Kentucky Equality Federation has a volunteer who has attended the First Unitarian Church for over 4 years."

We will repeal the Commonwealth's 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions. It is only a question of when; just as gender-neural marriage is illegal in Kentucky, so was gender-neutral voting. As with voting, marriage equality will be made gender neutral.

You do not realize what it is to be treated as a second class citizen until the government treats you like one; the danger in allowing the inalienable human rights of even one person to be violated is that it opens the door to additional government oppression, when the majority denies rights to minorities simply because they are the majority.

We have only a handful of Representatives in the Kentucky House of Representatives who bravely support marriage equality. This shows that our concept of marriage must mature. Marriage is a contract between the State and two loving people, nothing more, nothing less."

Out of State Anti-Equality National Leader to be Keynote Speaker at Bluegrass Freedom Rally 2011

In 2007, a UCLA report reflected the attitudes of college freshmen nationwide. The acceptance of same-sex marriage grew even as far back as 2005 and 2006, when the national poll was conducted. The study found that 61% of incoming freshmen in 2006 agreed that same-sex couples should have the right to marriage, up 3.3 percentage points from 2005.

Last week, a Gallup poll showed that a majority of Americans support gay marriage. It was the third such survey this spring, and if you add in the number of Americans who support civil unions, public support for same-sex relationships has become the dominant opinion on the matter in the United States.

"These polls reflect the overall opinion of people actually polled," said Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. "The people polled typically change with each random poll, and not all polls agree. However, on a national level Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky see the changing minds of the American people. Americans are showing their receptive nature, and, while the growth is slower than we would like, we are gratified to see that positive attitudes toward equality are trending positively."

"Unfortunately, the state which passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1966, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, does not seem to be leading in this trend; if they did, we would see changes in our elected lawmakers in Frankfort. We have only a handful of Representatives in the Kentucky House of Representatives who bravely support marriage equality. This shows that our concept of marriage must mature. Marriage is a contract between the State and two loving people, nothing more, nothing less."

"Once the contract is signed, couples are arbitrarily entitled to over 100 benefits offered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and over 1000 offered by the United States Government. The government is using these benefits to artificially determine what does or does not constitute a marriage. Oddly enough, when considered in this light, many so-called 'social conservatives' are actually arguing for bigger government and fewer rights for citizens."

Yesterday Jim Daly, the president of the massive religious-right organization Focus on the Family, conceded that his group had basically lost the argument on gay marriage in an interview with a Christian magazine. Daly, a significantly less odious character than his predecessor, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, also says that Christians should perhaps work on their own marriages instead of trying to prevent others from having families to focus on. His new plan: Let the state go to the perverts and polygamists and have the church set much higher standards for marriage and divorce.

Palmer worries that some Republican operatives who are seeking to gain power within the Kentucky Tea Party culture are actively fighting equal rights, using the label of "liberty" as a cover for their anti-freedom and anti-equality rhetoric.

"What alarms us at Kentucky Equality Federation is that Matthew D. Staver, the Founder and Chairman of anti-equality Liberty Counsel will be visiting the Commonwealth on May 26, 2011 for an event titled 'Bluegrass Freedom Rally 2011,'" Palmer said. "Unfortunately for Liberty Counsel, which supported California's Prop 8, hundreds of tickets remain available because citizens in Lexington are not interested in hate speeches; we have all grown tired of it. Liberty Counsel, the Family Foundation of Kentucky, and the American Family Association of Kentucky should join Focus on the Family and focus on building stronger existing families instead of trying to use cheap mob rule tactics to create intrusive laws which destroy the loving families of tomorrow."

"We will repeal the Commonwealth's 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions. It is only a question of when; just as gender-neural marriage is illegal in Kentucky, so was gender-neutral voting.  As with voting, marriage equality will be made gender neutral. This has been the sole goal of Marriage Equality Kentucky, a group funded by Kentucky Equality Federation since 2008. This will happen, whether radical reactionaries accept it or not. We, as Kentuckians, have a choice: Will we lead on this issue, as we did with the 1966 Civil Rights Act, or will we cede our tradition of leadership to other states? As citizens of this Commonwealth we must all rise up and challenge carpetbagging 'conservative' or 'traditional value' operatives from stopping our progress as a Commonwealth and as a nation toward equal rights."

In 2007, a UCLA report reflected the attitudes of college freshmen nationwide. The acceptance of same-sex marriage grew even as far back as 2005 and 2006, when the poll national poll was conducted.

The study found that 61% of incoming freshmen in 2006 agreed that same-sex couples should have the right to marriage, up 3.3 percentage points from 2005.

Last week, a Gallup poll showed that a majority of Americans support gay marriage. It was the third such survey this spring, and if you add in the number of Americans who support civil unions, public support for same-sex relationships has become the dominant position.

"These polls reflect the overall opinion of people actually polled," said Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. "The problem is that the people polled typically change with each random poll, and not all polls agree. However, on a national level Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky see the changing minds of the American people."

Palmer continued: "Unfortunately, the state which passed the first Civil Rights Act in 1966, the Commonwealth of Kentucky does not seem to share the overall poll results; if they did, we would see changes in our elected lawmakers in Frankfort. We have a handful of Representatives in the Kentucky House of Representatives who support marriage equality. Marriage is a contract between the State and two loving people, nothing more, nothing less and once the contract is signed couples are entitled to over 100 benefits offered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and over 1000 offered by the United States Government."

Yesterday Jim Daly, the president of the massive religious-right organization Focus on the Family, conceded that his group had basically lost the argument on gay marriage in an interview with a Christian magazine.

Daly, a significantly less odious character than his predecessor, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, also says that Christians should perhaps work on their own marriages instead of trying to prevent others from having families to focus on. His new plan: Let the state go to the perverts and polygamists and have the church set much higher standards for marriage and divorce.

Palmer continued: "What alarms us at Kentucky Equality Federation is that Matthew D. Staver, the Founder and Chairman of anti-equality Liberty Counsel will be visiting the Commonwealth on May 26, 2011 for an event titled 'Bluegrass Freedom Rally 2011.' Unfortunately for Liberty Counsel, who was in favor of California's Prop 8 hundreds of tickets remain available. Citizens in Lexington are not interested in hate speeches; it is an old argument and we have all grown tired of it. Liberty Counsel, the Family Foundation of Kentucky, and the American Family Association of Kentucky should join Focus on the Family and accept defeat. We will be repealing the Commonwealth's 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions, it is only a question of when. This has been the sole goal of Marriage Equality Kentucky, a group funded by Kentucky Equality Federation since 2008."

Kentucky Equality Federation terminates alliance with the Libertarian Party of Kentucky

Lexington, KY -- Kentucky Equality Federation today officially terminated a strategic alliance with the Libertarian Party of Kentucky today that began on April 10, 2008. (previous press release) This announcement is being released by Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer.

"Until recently we had open dialogue with the Libertarian Party of Kentucky and they rallied with us in favor of amending the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966 to include sexual orientation and gender identity," said Palmer. "Since the leadership changed, we have had extensive communication gaps with the new leaders of the party. This distance has caused us great concern as we have watched the Libertarian Party of Kentucky become increasingly under the influence of the amorphous Tea Party elements whose anti-equality rhetoric is alarming."

Speaking for the Board of Directors, Chairman Richard T. Jones agreed with the decision which came directly from the Office of the President on the advice of several Regional Directors and confidential political advisers. (Board Resolution - Role of the Chairman and the Office of the President)

"Until recently, the Libertarian Party of Kentucky condemned anti-equality and homophobic comments made by politicians who the media associated as being part of the Libertarian Party of Kentucky," Jones said. "We sincerely hope that they will renew their commitment to the cause of equality by being an influence on their allies, rather than distancing themselves from beliefs they once held dear by standing united with us to bring equality to Kentucky."

Palmer continued: “Kentucky Equality Federation Regional Directors, Assistant Regional Directors, Outreach Directors, and stand-by volunteers requested the Office of the President reevaluate our alliance with the Libertarian Party of Kentucky. In doing so we realized there are far too many Tea Parties factions in the Commonwealth who oppose equality and associate themselves as being part of the Libertarian Party of Kentucky; it is the responsibility of the Libertarian Party of Kentucky to confirm or deny their affiliations, which they have failed to do. We however will not have a standing alliance with any organization which opposes social and political equality or have not made their positions clear."