LGBTQ equality
"When I first came to Kentucky, my employer did not have domestic partner benefits, and we couldn't pay all our medical bills. As a lesbian/member of the LGBTQ community, I am proud to belong to an organization that fights for equality for all Kentuckians."
Meta Mendel-Reyes
Madison County
Resources
Kentucky Commission on Human Rights
Eastern Kentucky Fairness on Facebook
As KFTC has grown, expanding our vision of equality for all Kentuckians has been a labor of love and a transformative internal process. While many members shared this vision of equality for decades, in 2004 our Steering Committee shared a series of deeply emotional conversations, meetings, and personal reflections and eventually adopted language to our platform to include our LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer or Questioning) communities. Since then (and well before), our local chapters and statewide members have contributed to a growing movement for fairness, safety and celebration of diversity in Kentucky and beyond.
From offering our staff domestic partner benefits to lobbying our elected officials for fairness ordinances and anti-bullying legislation, KFTC members continue to prioritize our vision for a better Kentucky all Kentuckians deserve. As you can read in our blog feed below, our local chapters have recently prioritized LGBTQ equality through Fairness Ordinance organizing in Berea, safe restroom campaign in central Kentucky, creating LGBTQ support networks in Perry County, and much more.
What is a Fairness Ordinance: A Fairness Ordinance would prohibit discrimination in the workplace, housing, and public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity. We believe that all Kentuckians have a right to live without fear of unjust discrimination, regardless of their race, religion, sexual orientation, or gender identity. As written, Kentucky law does not guarantee this right, and must be changed. We support a statewide Fairness law and also Fairness ordinances at a local level until a statewide law is establish.
East Kentuckians Support Statewide Fairness
Lots of well-publicized energy has been put into Fairness organizing and strategizing in eastern Kentucky communities over the last year or more. Bereans for Fairness has had an exponentially growing wave of organizing efforts for a city ordinance in support of fairness and human rights, including several strong shows of local and statewide support at city council meetings and rallies. Last summer, there was great public outcry after two men were ejected from the Hazard Pavilion pool for alleged public displays of affection.
Madison County: Voter Registration and Fairness
As election season approaches, the Madison County KFTC is partnering with student groups from Berea College to register people from around the College and the community to vote. With the assistance of Berea College's Bereans For Appalachia and the College's Student Government Association, the Madison County chapter was at Berea College's dining hall and Mountain Day Festival to encourage people to register to vote in the upcoming election.
First Pictures of Today's Fairness Rally and March in Berea
Here are some of the first pictures of today's huge, powerful, and fun Fairness Rally and March in Berea.
Madison County KFTC Works for Fairness
KFTC opposes discrimination of any kind, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. That is why the Madison County chapter KFTC is joining with the Fairness Campaign in their fight to end discrimination against members of the LGBT community by passing a fairness law in Berea that would make it a crime to discriminate against gay or transgendered people in employment, restaurants, housing, or other businesses.
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