The Toughest Job in Frankfort

Reflections of your KFA Lobbyist

Kentucky Fairness Alliance Legislative Liaison Wes Wright

It was January, 2006. I’m positive I had that “deer in the headlights” look as I tried to learn my way around the Capitol complex in Frankfort, and learn how to have successful meetings with legislators. I was in my first month of a new assignment as ‘legislative liaison’ for the Kentucky Fairness Alliance when a fellow progressive lobbyist, after we exchanged introductions, smacked a rookie upside the head with what turned out to be the truth.

He said something like “Of all the lobbyists here in Frankfort, you have the toughest job of all.” I thought to myself, “Well, thanks for those encouraging words, buddy.”

I knew lobbying for gay rights in a red state, my home state, wouldn’t be easy. My predecessor warned me it would be hard, hard work. But here was a friendly fellow lobbyist, telling me that of the hundreds of people registered to lobby in Kentucky for causes ranging from agriculture to zoo funding, from education to health care, from big business to mountaintop removal, my challenge was absolutely the steepest of all.

Now, after working for Fairness in Frankfort for two legislative sessions, I know those warnings were definitely not overstatements. I’m glad I had 23 years of journalism, government, and political work under my belt, to prepare me for this work.

There are many reasons why we have a lot more hard work ahead of us, if we are to achieve our mission of “equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.” Here are a few of those reasons.

First, our opponents are well-organized, well-funded, and have an infrastructure in place for fundraising and mobilizing people. They work hand in hand with the most extreme right-wing religious organizations and denominations, churches of which are plentiful in Kentucky.

By the way, the so-called “Family Foundation” was a strong presence in Frankfort every day the legislature was in session in February and March, lobbying to ban domestic partner benefits at state agencies. They actually sent churches materials to insert in Sunday bulletins too! Fortunately, Senate Bill 152 failed by one vote in a House committee.

Second, our education levels in Kentucky don’t help us one bit. The more enlightened we become as a state, the more likely we are as a people to use our own minds and re-examine scriptural interpretations that are often used to bash gay and lesbian people. The more enlightened we become, the more likely we are to embrace diversity and challenge “the way it’s always been.” The less enlightened we are, the more likely we are to accept those old-school interpretations as gospel, and the more likely we are to reject diversity and embrace discrimination instead.

Third, statesmanship is a rare commodity in Frankfort. Our elected officials are directly responsive to their constituents, regardless of their education levels, and regardless of whether the elected official actually agrees with his or her constituents. Now on most issues, it’s okay for an elected official to vote the views of their constituents.

But sometimes, aren’t our elected officials supposed to vote according to their own conscience, even if it conflicts with the views of voters back home? Sometimes our elected officials, privy to a lot more information than the average voter back home, can see the big picture better. Aren’t they supposed to do what’s best for the future of Kentucky, and not necessarily what’s best for their next re-election campaign? Don’t go to Frankfort looking for public servants in the mold of Henry Clay.

I wish I had a dollar for every time a rural Representative or Senator told me about their gay friends or their favorite cousin, who happened to be a lesbian. It’s not uncommon for a legislator to tell me, “I don’t support discrimination in any form. But I have to vote the views of my district.” So many legislators have told me that they support equality for gay and lesbian people in their hearts, but readily admit they don’t have the guts to support us with their votes.

Even legislators who have been our strongest allies in the past betrayed us at one point this year. They failed to introduce a Statewide Fairness Bill to ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and other areas. Support for the bill had been steadily increasing every year since 2000, with a total of 13 co-sponsors in 2006. We are still waiting on a reasonable explanation of why our most important piece of legislation, a ray of hope for GLBT people around the state, was not filed this year.

So, yes, the challenges that lie ahead remain mountainous. We must become better organized and better funded, to counter our opponents’ vast resources. We must reach out to the many moderate and progressive religious leaders in Kentucky who support Fairness, to counter the loud voices of religious bigotry we hear so often.

We must be constantly working to improve education in Kentucky, because in general, an educated electorate is good for Fairness. More specifically, we must strengthen our efforts to educate our fellow Kentuckians about the pros of Fairness and the cons of discrimination.

We must continue to sow seeds of support for Fairness around the Commonwealth. Only when legislators from northern, southern, eastern and western Kentucky join their counterparts from the population centers in Louisville and Lexington in supporting our issues in Frankfort will we truly achieve Fairness and equality, not to mention liberty and justice, for all.