KFA Launches FAIR PAC for Visibility in Voting

Year after year, extremists in Frankfort stonewall the efforts of Kentucky's fair-minded majority to build a the kind of Commonwealth that treats lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents with dignity and respect. Demagogues like Sen. Vernie McGaha, a Republican from Russel Springs, are forever introducing harmful bills like Healthcare Discrimination, and forcing the fairness community to play endless defense.

Fighting off anti-gay legislation year after year diverts our resources away from the goals that will make all Kentuckians' lives safer and happier -- goals like passing the Statewide Fairness and Hospital Visitation bills.

What's the leading statewide organization to do? To borrow from popular political parlance, "throw the bums out!" Or at least, identify and support candidates who won't be hostile to fairness.

That's the idea behind FAIR PAC, the Full & Inclusive Rights Political Action Committe of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance. Thanks to help from our national partners at the Equality Federation and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, KFA has established a PAC with the ability to endorse and contribute to fairness-friendly candidates.

FAIR PAC's inaugural project was the distribution of candidate surveys for contested races in the May 20 Kentucky primary. We'll use candidates' responses (or lack thereof) to help fair-minded voters make informed decisions at ballot boxes around the state.

Without a doubt, FAIR PAC is a work in progress. But over time, we will raise our donor base and our statewide profile to the level where office-seekers can no longer ignore us, let alone marginalize us.

The day is coming when anti-gay attacks will cease to be regarded as political trump cards. Just look how far former Gov. Ernie Fletcher's robo-call stunt got him.

The work of FAIR PAC will help the Kentucky Fairness Alliance hasten that day.