Fairness Wins Out in 2007 General Assembly

Kentuckians Value Fairness

Kentuckians Value Fairness Day in February brought 110 citizen lobbyists to Frankfort, our largest ever single-day lobbying force. More than 200 allies rallied in the Rotunda, loudly enough to be heard in the legislative chambers.

The Kentucky Fairness Alliance and Louisville’s Fairness Campaign worked together on the event, mobilizing allies from all over the Commonwealth. More than 100 fair-minded Kentuckians lobbied their legislators in the morning, and nearly 250 rallied for a fair Kentucky in the afternoon.

Speakers at the rally courageously told their personal stories, illustrating the need for policies to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Kentuckians and their families. Among them:

• Jennifer Crossen of Lexington told the crowd about being shut out of her partner’s health insurance.
• Rev. Todd Ekloff of Louisville recalled being fired from Kentucky Farm Bureau for taking a public position supporting marriage equality.
• Andy Frueh of Elizabethtown shared his story of being denied an apartment because of his sexual orientation.

KFA Executive Director Christina Gilgor closed the rally by announcing “a great honor,” the organization’s selection for the Political Action Committee Project. Administered by the Equality Federation and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, the PAC Project will connect Kentucky’s leading GLBT advocacy organization with electioneering and legal advice.

She added, “You’ve helped to ensure that Frankfort won’t soon forget: Kentuckians Value Fairness.”

Healthcare Discrimination

The anti-fairness industry pulled out all the stops to impose their agenda on Kentucky in 2007. Senate Bill 152, which would ban all state agencies from offering health insurance to the loved ones of unmarried employees (also known as domestic partner benefits), passed the Senate 27-8 in February. SB 152 was defeated in an 8-8 vote in the House Health and Welfare Committee March 7.

Three national anti-fairness groups intruded on the General Assembly with the help of the Family Foundation of Kentucky. Colorado-based Focus on the Family and the Washington, D.C.'s Family Research Council issued Action Alerts urging members to call Kentucky legislators in support of healthcare discrimination. Attorney Glen Lavy of the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund flew in to personally testify at a legislative hearing, proclaiming himself an expert on Kentucky's Constitution. The Family Foundation then seized Lavy's testimony as indisputable truth and spread it across the Commonwealth via church bulletin inserts.

Thanks to the dedicated work of fairness allies, House leadership resisted those calls to revive healthcare discrimination as the session drew to a close. University of Louisville professors whose families just started receiving benefits won't have to give them up this year. And at the University of Kentucky, fair healthcare is free to go into effect in July. This despite an all-out assault on Kentucky's unmarried couples by an extremely well organized and well funded opposition.

Safe Schools

Despite some early optimism fueled by positive comments from Senate leaders, it turned out to be another frustrating session for supporters of the Safe Schools Bill (also known as the Anti-Bullying Bill), which would require all school districts to have policies addressing bullying, and to track and report to the state cases of repeated bullying. This year, HB 64 passed the House 91-4 only to die in the Senate once again.

Statewide Fairness

This session marked the first time since 2000 that no legislator introduced a bill to ban anti-gay discrimination statewide. Representatives Kathy Stein (D-Lexington) and Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), and Senator Ernesto Scorsone (D-Lexington) have introduced Statewide Fairness Bills in the past, but despite KFA's multiple appeals, chose not to do so this year.

Next year, we will redouble our effort to include GLBT people in state laws that ban discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. In 2006 the Statewide Fairness Bill was supported by a record 13 co-sponsors, which represents a 40% increase from 2005.

Anti-Fairness

The legislators who traditionally file bills to repeal the Fairness ordinances in Louisville, Lexington, and Covington, also took a break this year. There are at least two possible reasons why Representatives Joseph Fischer (R-Ft. Thomas) and Mike Harmon (R-Junction City) did not file anti-fairness bills this year. Both faced spirited challenges from more moderate candidates in 2006. Also, Fairness supporter Rep. Kathy Stein ascended to chair the House Judiciary Committee (to which the anti-fairness bills are always sent).

Hospital Visitation

Rep. Mary Lou Marzian introduced a hospital visitation bill that would allow anyone over 18 to designate another person to be treated as family for visiting purposes. Introducing the bill this year was just step one in our effort to keep families together during times of medical crisis.