Board of Directors Report

Jody Cofer, Chair

The Board of Directors of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance (KFA) is studying the relationship between the KFA chapters and the statewide organization. Chapters do play an important role in engaging grassroots efforts toward a statewide fairness law.

In August, the Board created an ad hoc Chapter Development Committee to examine the operations, programming, and long-term sustainability of our chapters and to determine what is most needed from the statewide KFA to further chapters’ local work. The Committee will be collecting needed information from chapter representatives about what the chapter representatives view as the top local priorities where state organization assistance would be helpful. The Board will hear the report of those findings at our next quarterly meeting in December.

Our current strategic plan notes the significance of membership development and chapter building before a statewide fairness law can ever be achieved. While much work and responsibility is required from those interested individuals organizing a local chapter, there are many benefits.

Principally, we have seen some of our goals become realized. Similarly, the local chapters become places where community public education and alliance building on a range of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues can take place. Finally, local chapters give all of us an opportunity to work with others who share our commitment to fairness. 

Chapters are provided with federal tax protection as IRS 501(c)4 entities and do have access to IRS 501(c)3 coverage when necessary. Chapters receive quarterly e-news, the website, and press release and event announcement preparations from the state KFA office to assist them. KFA staff members are also available to chapters to help them work through operational decisions and programmatic planning.

A good example of excellent chapter activity is the work currently under way in the Richmond, KY area to pass a local fairness ordinance. The KFA staff is assisting local Gray Dove chapter members with message development and foundation building success initiatives.   

Public education and alliance building is not only a function for local chapters but remains a central focus of the state KFA. We continuously monitor how fair-minded social progress is taking place across the Commonwealth and adapt our messages in the most appropriate manner. We utilize consciousness-raising methods to tell our stories and share the real life experiences of LGBT persons. 

Recently, the media has provided coverage of some of the fair-minded decisions at some of our state institutions of higher education regarding partner benefits.  Those are significant steps toward fairness, and we encourage all KFA members to congratulate those institutions on their actions. We hope that others will join us as they see our work produce results.

In addition to chapter building, there are other ways to become active at the local level in the Kentucky Fairness Alliance. Everyone is encouraged to join the Friends & Family program. This program lets individuals take part in the operations of the organization, without having to be a chapter member.

You can contribute in a variety of other ways – help in getting out the word, speaking up when fairness is at issue, letting your elected and appointed officials know that you value fairness, contributing money so that others can work on these issues in your behalf, etc.

Achieving fairness requires effort from all who are concerned and the vigilance to maintain it. I’m glad we are all sharing that duty.