Kentucky Fairness Alliance Takes the Lead in Defending LGBT Students' Equal Access to Education
April 13, 2006

Frankfort --- The Kentucky Fairness Alliance on Monday will announce its plan to confront the University of the Cumberlands on its discriminatory admission and enrollment policy. The university unapologetically expelled a student because of his sexual orientation last week.

The organization delivered nearly 400 letters from constituents yesterday to the office of Governor Ernie Fletcher. The messages asked the Governor to use his line-item veto power to strip $11 million dollars in allocations to the university's proposed pharmacy school from the 2006-2008 budget.

KFA has vowed to bring a legal challenge against the allocation, under Section 189 of the Kentucky Constitution, which prohibits public funding of "any church, sectarian or denominational school."

In addition, the organization will appeal to the Accrediting Council for Pharmacy Education, urging the ACPE to withhold accreditation from the University of the Cumberlands because of its discriminatory practices. The ACPE's own diversity policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Executive Director Christina Gilgor says KFA's plans are in no way intended to hamper the university's freedom of association or religious practice. Rather, the organization seeks to protect the First Amendment's provision against respecting an establishment of religion. "Lawmakers have no business spending public funds to subsidize any religious dogma," she said.

"Fair-minded Kentuckians are rightfully outraged that our tax dollars have been allocated to a program in which every Kentuckian is not welcome," Gilgor added. "We plan to do everything in our power to put an end to this injustice."