Posted: May 2, 2003

Activists Cheer Kentucky Town's New Law

Covington, KY--After much lobbying by gay rights activists, a small Kentucky town on Tuesday expanded its human rights ordinance to include nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Kentucky Fairness Alliance (KFA) spearheaded Tuesday's vote in Covington amid stiff opposition from a Cincinnati-based anti-GLBT group and its Kentucky offshoot, according to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF). The town has a population of less than 45,000. The KFA had worked closely with the Covington Human Rights Commission.

"In yet another victory for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, Covington, Kentucky, city commissioners voted unanimously (5-0) to expand their existing human rights ordinance by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to the already protected classes of the ordinance," said Lorri L. Jean, executive director of NGLTF, while showering praise on the KFA struggle.

The KFA's central and eastern Kentucky organizer Matt Nicholson added, "The coalition building KFA did with various communities, including the NAACP, the disabilities community and various faith-based communities is unprecedented -- and the quality of life not just for GLBT people, but for all historically oppressed Kentuckians, is that much better due to this fair-minded vote by the Covington city commissioners."

The Covington vote followed on the heels of the NGLTF's Ohio Valley Power Summit, attended by 120 GLBT community leaders and allies from diverse U.S. cities. That summit focused on preparing for ballot measures and legislative campaigns.

According to Dave Fleisher, NGLTF director of organizing and training, last year's $1 million Arcus Foundation Grant and a recent anonymous gift of $1.1 million enabled the NGLTF to fit the needs of GLBT communities "not only in the Ohio Valley, but across the country as well." Ohio Valley has the reputation of being a main battleground for pro- and anti-GLBT activists.

In 1993, Cincinnati became the only U.S. city with a charter (Article XII) banning civil rights protections based on sexual orientation, largely due to the anti-gay Citizens for Community Values (CCV), headed by Phil Burress. However, in a reversal, Cincinnati adopted a hate crimes ordinance in February that is inclusive of sexual orientation.

NGLTF's Jean said, "Anti-GLBT organizations are going the way of 8-track tapes in today's MP3 world."