Morehead closer to a fairness ordinance

In January of this year, the Rowan County KFTC Chapter voted to begin working with the Kentucky Fairness Coalition on a fairness ordinance for the city of Morehead.

After educating themselves on the issue, chapter members met with members of the city council to express their support for fairness and provide useful information from the Kentucky Coalition.  At the end of August and beginning of September, the chapter helped organize the impressive turn out for the September 6 city council meeting, where chapter members Annie Adams and Cody Montgomery and Maria Horn, a student representative from Morehead State University’s Gay Straight Alliance, spoke in favor of the legislation.

Council members thanked fairness supporters for their informative presentations, supporting materials and attendance and voted unanimously to draft an ordinance.

Much work remains, but the Rowan County KFTC Chapter is hopeful that Morehead will soon be the sixth city in Kentucky to pass a fairness ordinance.

The Fairness Coalition consists of members and allies of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, Fairness Campaign, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Kentucky Fairness Alliance and Lexington Fairness.

Here's the story in the Morehead News.

The statement from Annie Adams:

My name is Annie Adams. I’m here as a Morehead resident and member of the Rowan County Chapter of the Kentuckians For The Commonwealth.

Our local chapter is working with the Fairness Coalition to safeguard the rights of LGBTQ folks in our community.  Right now, the state ensures that people cannot be discriminated against in housing or hiring practices based on their age, gender, race, nationality, or religion, we’d just like to make sure that the same applies to sexual orientation and gender identity.  KFTC may be best known for its environmental work, but it has a strong record on issues of social justice, and we’d like to augment this record by doing whatever we can to get a Fairness Ordinance passed in Morehead.

Currently, five Kentucky cities have Fairness Ordinances: Louisville, Lexington, Covington, Vicco, and, most recently, Frankfort.  We’d like for Morehead to be the sixth. One of the city’s top employers, Morehead State University, already has a strong record on LGBTQ issues, guarding against discrimination and providing partner benefits, and many Morehead residents that we’ve spoken to are in favor of Fairness.  An Ordinance would formalize these tolerant beliefs and signal to folks outside the city what we already know, that Morehead is a great place to live and work.

The Rowan County KFTC Chapter supports a Fairness Ordinance because we believe that such an Ordinance aids in economic and social justice.  We’re willing to do whatever we can to aid the Council in the formulation and passage of this legislation because we know that Morehead is a community where everyone, regardless of age, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity, should be able to provide for their families, put a roof over their heads, and participate in public activities without a fear of harassment.

Statement from Cody Montgomery:

My name is Cody Montgomery. I am a resident of Morehead. On behalf of myself and many others, I ask The Morehead City Council to pass a fairness ordinance that will prohibit discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodation based on sexual orientation and gender identity. It is the right thing to do and it will send a message that we are a welcoming community, committed to making sure all of our friends and neighbors are treated fairly. Everyone in our community should be able to earn a living, eat at their favorite restaurant, and have a place to live without being refused just because of who they are.