Marriage Equality Kentucky is launching a campaign to collect signatures for marriage equality in Kentucky.
From the website:
The Marriage Equality Kentucky Marriage Declaration is a proclamation that marriage is a basic constitutional right that should be extended to all people. Currently, the Commonwealth of Kentucky will not recognize any type of same-sex union. Marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions are all illegal in Kentucky (even if performed in other countries or states).
In 2004*, voters in the Commonwealth approved Constitutional Amendment 233A. Visit the history page for additional information. According to published reports, between 78.2% - 84% of Kentucky's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender population didn't even know a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage was being voted on.
* Kentucky Equality Federation was started in 2005, and Marriage Equality Kentucky was launched in 2008.
Kentucky's Constitution does not allow citizens to propose Constitutional Amendments by direct action (as in California, Maine, and many others). In Kentucky, the House and Senate must approve the amendment and the citizens then approve or reject the amendment in the next general election.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Marriage Equality Kentucky begins collecting pro-gay marriage signatures
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Kentucky Governor bans discrimination for sexual orientation/gender identity
Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear on Monday reversed several worker-related decisions made by his Republican predecessor, most notably by reinstating a ban on discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation.
Beshear signed an executive order that bars state officials from making hiring or firing decisions based on sexual preference or gender identity.
"Experience, qualifications, talent and performance are what matter," Beshear said in a statement.
Democratic former Gov. Paul Patton signed an executive order in 2003 aimed at protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state employees. The policy also bars discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, age and religion.
But Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher removed sexual orientation from the list of specifically protected characteristics as part of an executive order he signed on Diversity Day in April 2006.
Beshear declined to answer questions about the policy change at a news conference shortly before it was announced.
"I'm going to be doing something on that in the very near future," he repeated as his response to two questions about the subject.
The move was applauded by at least two advocacy groups for gay and lesbian rights: the Kentucky Equality Federation, which started an online petition to urge Beshear to take that step, and the Kentucky Fairness Alliance.
The alliance's executive director, Christina Gilgor, said the group was "thrilled" that Kentucky is back among the 27 states that offer such protections specifically to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender state workers.
"This is a major victory for fairness in the Bluegrass State," said state Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, a Lexington Democrat and the state's only openly gay lawmaker. "The executive branch is setting an example of how to treat employees fairly."
But David Edmunds, policy analyst for The Family Foundation of Kentucky, said his group is concerned that Beshear could expand other state policies to gay couples, such as providing state health insurance for domestic partners of gay and lesbian state employees.
"It looks like this is the beginning of his pro-homosexual agenda," Edmunds said.
Beshear, however, made no such campaign promises. He did repeatedly vow during last year's governor's race to veto any legislation aimed at barring public universities from offering domestic partnership benefits to their employees. A bill to do that passed the Republican-led state Senate this spring but died in the Democratic-controlled House.
Also Monday, Beshear began his shake-up of state government by formally elevating the Labor Department to a full cabinet and by bringing back an advisory group on state worker issues. The group is aimed at opening communications between unions and the governor's office.
The restoration of the Governor's Employee Advisory Council -- created by Patton and abolished by Fletcher in 2003 -- doesn't give state workers collective bargaining powers because that can be done only legislatively.
State workers "do not have to join (a union). They do not have to pay dues," Beshear said.
But public employees would be able to express workplace concerns to the governor through union representatives who are used to negotiating with executives, said Dave Warrick, executive director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees' council that covers Indiana and Kentucky.
"The state employees are hungry for this," Warrick said. "They want a voice at work."
About 10,000 Kentucky state workers signed up to be represented by AFSCME after Patton created the advisory group, but the union didn't get a chance to collect any dues from them before Fletcher eliminated the panel, he said.
Beshear also signed an executive order creating the Cabinet of Labor, to be headed by former state Rep. J.R. Gray. That completes a campaign promise Beshear made last year.
His reorganization of the agency provided some hints as to how Beshear might restructure all of state government in the face of a tight budget.
The governor said he will eliminate three high-paying executive director positions -- two that come with salaries of more than $90,000 and one in the low $80,000 range -- to save money.
The Labor Cabinet will share administrative functions, such as accounting, with its two sister agencies: an energy and environment cabinet and the financial regulation cabinet. All had been part of one giant Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet under Fletcher. If effective, he said, he could replicate that in other areas of state government.
One Kentucky blogger, "Righteous in Kentucky" is personally attacking Kentucky Equality's Pres. (here and here) as well as Kentucky Fairness' Board Chair (here) Jody Cofer.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Gay Equality Rally Held in Kentucky Capitol
February 20, 2008 -- Two gay rights groups lobbied lawmakers yesterday and held a rally in the Capitol Rotunda in opposition to the proposed ban on domestic-partner benefits.
The state Senate passed the bill (SB-112) in January. The bills fate now lies in the House of Representatives.
The groups also supported House Bill 33 filed by state Representative Mary Lou Marzian (D) Louisville, which is currently in the House Health and Welfare Committee for consideration.
"It's great that our legislatures are seeing that there is a huge LGBT presence in the commonwealth demanding equality and fairness under Kentucky law," stated Jordan Palmer, President of the Kentucky Equality Federation, a statewide gay rights organization. Palmer added, "Every Kentuckian should feel embarrassed that we have a Senate who wants to micromanage public universities, and kills every bill filed to protect LGBT Kentuckians from discrimination in employment, credit, and accommodations."
After lobbying lawmakers, a rally was held in the Capitol Rotunda where spectators drew inspiration from Kentucky Senator Ernesto Scorsone, Representative Kathy W. Stein, and a local Pastor.
The University of Kentucky, whose domestic-partner benefits program was attacked by the state Senate was represented by UK Gay-Straight Alliance Chairwoman Corinne Keel.
"For the first time in the history of the Gay Rights Movement in Kentucky, we are able to show that gay Kentuckians exist in every region of the commonwealth, and they deserve the same rights and protections as their heterosexual counterparts," stated Paul Brown, Chairman of Bluegrass Fairness of Central Kentucky, a Lexington gay rights group.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Kentucky and Indiana Equality Rally this week.
Two statewide gay rights organizations in the Midwest will be having important battles at respective Capitol's this week to fight for equality:
- Kentucky Equality Rally: February 12, 2008 (click here for additional information). According to their website, Kentucky Equality Federation will be joined by local city organizations, Bluegrass Fairness of Central Kentucky (Lexington) and the Fairness Campaign (Louisville).
- Indiana Equality Rally: February 18, 2008 (click here for additional information)
The most important work is being done by the statewide organizations, and not the Human Rights Campaign.
- Marriage Equality USA will also be having their annual Valentine’s Day marriage registration.
Support gay rights and equality. If you live in or near these states, support these organizations.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Kentucky Museum draws more fire.
From United We Stand, Kentucky Equality Federation's Official Blog:
The anti-gay Northern Kentucky Museum arbitrarily throws science out the door and creates their own evolution timeline. The museum has made a lot of publicity around the commonwealth and indeed, the nation.
We felt the following posts from other bloggers in Kentucky was important enough to post on this site to inform our readers.
From DitchMitchKY: Three days after the Memorial Day opening of Answers in Genesis’ $27 million Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky, a group called Creation Ministries International filed suit in the Supreme Court of Queensland in the Commonwealth of Australia. Among other things, the suit claims the Kentucky group stole subscribers for its Answers magazine by claiming that the Australians’ Creation magazine was “no longer available.”
(Note: This post is a follow-up to the excellent piece that Daniel Phelps, President of the Kentucky Paleontological Society, wrote about the "Anti-Museum" (aka Creation Museum), as well as his disturbing discovery concerning the Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau, as discussed below.)
From: Bluegrass Report: If someone wants to believe that humans once put saddles on the back of dinosaurs and rode them (per the display at left from the Creation Museum), well, knock yourself out. I'm sure they're one of those rare voting blocks that Governor Fletcher (R) has in his pocket.
Here's a page directly from the Bureau's website:
The 50,000 sq. ft. Creation Museum located within the greater Cincinnati area will proclaim the Bible as supreme authority in all matters of faith and practice in every area it touches on. Set to open in June 2007, this “walk through history” museum will counter evolutionary natural history museums that turn countless minds against Christ and Scripture.According to this legislatively-created group we're told that national history museums "turn countless minds against Christ and Scripture." Got that?
After doing a little research, I learned that the President and CEO of the Bureau is a gentleman named Thomas P. Caradonio. Aside from the offensive proselytizing of his organization's depiction of the whackjob museum, I also noted that Caradonio was just appointed by Governor Fletcher as the Chairman of Kentucky's Tourism Development Finance Authority, a public agency that is charged to "assist small tourism attractions obtain financing necessary for the development or expansion of small tourism attractions."
So I guess this begs the question whether the Caradonio-led Tourism Development Finance Authority will be recruiting and spending state dollars on more Creation Museums as they accuse science-based activities as the shunning of Jesus Christ and Scripture?
Seems like another sad black mark on a state that spends so much money trying woo high-tech companies (i.e., those whose business models are firmly rooting in the very science its leadership mocks) to relocate to Kentucky while blasting those of us who (gasp) rely on science to explain things in our history...
Additional United We Stand Comments: I was shocked when I followed the link to the Northern Kentucky CVB and found the page Bluegrass Report mentions. The Northern Kentucky Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is charged with collecting 1% in transient room taxes from hotel owners in the Northern Kentucky area. Anytime someone stays in a hotel in Kentucky they pay a 1% tax the hotel owners then pays to local CVB's to promote tourism.
In order to remain impartial, I agree that the CVB should list the Museum on their website. However, the words "museum will counter evolutionary natural history museums that turn countless minds against Christ and Scripture" should not be listed on the CVB's website.
Would they allow a hotel to place "the best place to have sex in the world," or "the only hotel without roaches," or how about "the best hotel in Northern Kentucky" on their website? I don't think so.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Struggle for Kentucky LGBT rights continues
The battle for Kentucky continues......
The American Family Association of Kentucky has sent mailers in recent days
touting a "rally to protect marriage" on the Capitol steps at 2 p.m. Monday,
even though no one will be there!
Click here to read more from United We Stand.
