Board of Directors Report

Chip Begley, KFA Board of Directors

Once again it is election year and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives have voted on a Constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. Forty-five states have either amended their constitutions to ban same sex marriage or passed laws prohibiting same-sex unions. In Kentucky, a 20 year old honor student was expelled from school for revealing he has a boyfriend on MySpace.com.

The Governor, by executive order, has removed legal protection for gays and appropriated tax dollars to a sectarian school that openly discriminates against homosexuals.  A 14-year veteran policy-maker referred to the possibility of a state university offering domestic partner benefits as “repulsive” and said “those are the wrong kind of people” we want to attract to our state.  

It could appear to some that we are losing ground in our fight for equality and civil rights. However, let’s take this opportunity to review our accomplishments.

On the political front, Kentucky Fairness Alliance has been extremely effective in defeating discriminatory legislation. Every year our opponents introduce bills to rescind local fairness ordinances (4 bills in 2006 alone), and we have defeated them every time. The statewide Fairness bill had a record 13 co-sponsors this past year (up from 10 the previous year), and the anti-bullying bill passed the House unanimously. 

We have an ever growing number of Friends and Family members who contribute regularly on a monthly or yearly basis. Over 5,000 Kentuckians subscribe to our email alerts and several hundred receive our paper newsletter Amper&and.

In terms of education, KFA volunteers recruited hundreds of citizen co-sponsors for the statewide Fairness law, collecting signatures at pride festivals in Cincinnati, Lexington, London, Louisville, and Nashville. 

In the press, fair-minded Kentuckians read about the prejudice and hatred endured by the GLBT community and are beginning to speak out against blatant discrimination as morally wrong.

We are making progress.

Several years ago, after coming out to my friends and family, I found myself waiting for a gay Martin Luther King, Jr. to come along, or a gay Gandhi. I thought that if some powerful leader would take up the cause of equality and civil rights for GLBT folks, then I would be inspired to join the cause and be a part of a movement that would change the hearts and minds of every American. 

Here is the good news:  The movement is happening and you are who we’ve been waiting for. I invite each of you who are reading this to seize the opportunity to be a “Martin Luther King, Jr.” or a “Gandhi” of the GLBT equal rights movement.  All it takes is courage. 

Talk openly about equality for everyone at home, at work and at the grocery store. When closed-minded comments are made, have the fortitude to speak up in a fair-minded way. Be proud of the stand you take for equality in housing and employment. Accept every opportunity to change the world one person at a time.

Some may say we are losing ground in the fight for GLBT equal rights, however, ours is a young movement. Remember, the liberation of slaves did not happen with a stroke of the pen. The fight for equality for African-Americans has spanned generations and continues today. 

The key to ending discrimination is to change the hearts and minds of the population. This can be achieved with your leadership. I invite you to step up and become that leader today by planting yourself in the foundation of a movement that is going places; a movement that history will prove is right. 

There is no down time, so get invested now. Host a house party to identify others in your area who would be interested in getting involved in the campaign for Fairness. Participate in KFA’s Action Saturdays where we'll go door-to-door to identify fair-minded voters in key House and Senate districts. Join us at the Fancy Farm Picnic or Gay Day at the Kentucky State Fair. Be a table captain at KFA’s Second Annual Fairness Dinner and fill the table with fair-minded friends and family. Find a way to get involved that calls to you.

The future of our movement rests in your hands.