From the Director's Desk

Strengthen and Sustain with your Family Membership

Christina Gilgor, Executive Director

It's going to be a busy and exciting 2008 for fairness supporters. We're already gearing up for a contentious legislative session, with issues of healthcare grabbing the headlines. We're counting on monthly donations from Family members to keep us on the front lines of the fight for fairness.

Kentucky's anti-fairness industry has vowed to continue its assault on fair healthcare at the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville.

According to a Lexington Herald-Leader/Action News 36 election poll released in October, less than 10% of Kentuckians consider attempts to ban domestic partner benefits at state universities a top priority for the General Assembly. That won't stop the small but noisy minority of extremists from trying to force their agenda onto the rest of us.

On the positive side, 2008 will be the first year in which the General Assembly convenes with a pro-fairness bill already on the books. Rep. Mary Lou Marzian of Louisville pre-filed the hospital visitation bill in November, seeking to keep families together in times of medical crisis.

If 2008 is like most years, we'll also be lobbying in support of statewide fairness in housing, employment, public accommodations, and credit. The anti-fairness industry will probably counter with an anti-fairness bill intended to roll back protections for LGBT Kentuckians in Louisville, Lexington, and Covington.

Phew! And that's just the first three months of the year! Summer '08 will bring back our efforts to connect with communities through local pride events. Come fall we'll be neck deep in the 2008 election process, and then comes next winter when we gear up for the '09 legislative session.

The Kentucky Fairness Alliance needs your support in order to sustain our efforts and spur our growth. You can be a part of every single KFA initiative with a $10 monthly contribution to our Family program.

Your Family membership creates a two-fold statement about your support for a fair Kentucky.

First, KFA relies on monthly Family contributions to help us conduct our day-to-day business. Those contributions give us predictable, stable funding that allows us to plan and execute pro-fairness activities. Kentuckians Value Fairness Day, Unbridled Pride, and Community Fairness Forums are all made possible, in large part, by Kentuckians like you who commit to Fairness through Family membership.

Second, and in many ways more importantly, your Family membership makes a powerful statement to elected officials. Many of you call, e-mail, and visit your legislators to tell them you support fairness. As a Family member, you demonstrate just how much. You don't just say you're committed to a fair Kentucky, you make a monthly contribution toward the work of making it happen!

I urge you to visit KFA's secure online server right now, and become a Family member at $25, $15, or $10 per month. Join our core group of financial supporters and take your place as a leader in the struggle for a fair Kentucky.