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| Working Together for Full Equality in Kentucky |
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| Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 6:29 pm | |
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Statewide work on LGBT rights continues to expand with the Fairness Coalition of allied organizations. The Coalition is a result of a summit convened in the Fall of 2008, to bring together organizations committed to working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Kentucky. The primary goal is comprehensive civil rights protections prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The summit assembled 50 delegates from 11 organizations throughout the state with broad representation across lines of gender, race, class, sexuality, age, and geography. Participants worked with an outside consultant to analyze the political landscape of the state, set goals for the coalition, and develop a shared mission and plan. We realize that to accomplish our long-term goals and to increase the capacity of the individual organizations we must improve communication, share resources, and work together to strengthen and expand the base of support for LGBT equality. Statewide work on LGBT rights continues to expand with the Fairness Coalition of allied organizations. The Coalition is a result of a summit convened in the Fall of 2008, to bring together organizations committed to working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in Kentucky. The primary goal is comprehensive civil rights protections prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The summit assembled 50 delegates from 11 organizations throughout the state with broad representation across lines of gender, race, class, sexuality, age, and geography. Participants worked with an outside consultant to analyze the political landscape of the state, set goals for the coalition, and develop a shared mission and plan. We realize that to accomplish our long-term goals and to increase the capacity of the individual organizations we must improve communication, share resources, and work together to strengthen and expand the base of support for LGBT equality. A Structure Committee came out of the Summit in the Fall of 2008 and was commissioned to compile information from working sessions into a work plan that defines the Coalition, the governance structure, and a decision making process. Structure Committee members from each organization are currently presenting this plan to their leadership teams and designating representatives to sit on a Steering Committee that will be charged with developing an internal communications strategy and financial structure for the Coalition, and to facilitate the committees’ convening. Six working groups were also developed out of the Summit. They are: 1) coalition structure, 2) outreach & membership development, 3) legislative, 4) voter identification, 5) public education, and 6) steering committee. Individuals can elect to join these committees. The 11 organizations that attended the initial Summit include the ACLU of KY, The Fairness Campaign, The KY Fairness Alliance, Lexington Fairness, Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, B-GLAD at Centre College, C-FAIR, KY Commission on Human Rights, KY Equality Federation, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, and the Metropolitan Housing Coalition. Many of these organizations and individuals have worked for LGBT equality in Kentucky for over 20 years. Our combined membership and online contacts reach over 11,000 people. Among our victories are sexual orientation and gender identity anti-discrimination ordinances in Louisville-Jefferson County, Lexington-Fayette County, and in the city of Covington. While Kentucky was in the first wave of states that battled and lost anti-marriage amendments in 2004, the political landscape has begun to shift. In 2008 the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights issued a resolution calling for the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity protections within our state’s Civil Rights Act. This marks the first time the Commission has taken such a bold step to encourage the Governor and our state legislature to take action. During the 2009 General Assembly, legislation was introduced that would have barred an unmarried cohabitating couple from adopting or fostering children. Through our group efforts, and support of unlikely allies, the legislation was stopped in its tracks. We have also supported community efforts in Richmond, and feel that these efforts will lead to a local anti-discrimination ordinance before the end of the year. The ACLU recently mediated a settlement with the McDonald’s Corporation after employees at a restaurant in Louisville verbally abused two men. Our allies within the Coalition kept the pressure on McDonald’s with a public outpouring of support that gained wide media attention. In the settlement, McDonald’s agreed to hold diversity trainings at 30 of its local restaurants and a cash settlement for the plaintiffs. Our press conference to announce the settlement called attention to the need for statewide protections, noting that if this incident had occurred outside of one of the three protected communities that there would have been no recourse. The tide is changing swiftly in Kentucky and the Coalition work seeks to capitalize on this momentum for the rest of 2009 and beyond! |
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