Frankfort Becomes Fifth Ky. City With Antidiscrimination Ordinance

[William769]

Kentucky's state capital just became the fifth city in the state to adopt an LGBT-inclusive antidiscrimination ordinance, as the Frankfort Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 to enact a "fairness" law.

After almost an hour of sometimes tense public testimony, Frankfort mayor Bill May and commissioners Tommy Haynes and Katie Flynn Hedden casting their votes in favor of the comprehensive antidiscrimination bill this morning, reports the pro-LGBT Fairness Coalition.

The law prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based on someone's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. The ordinance is based on a similar law passed in Vicco, Ky., in January, making that town the country's smallest to outlaw anti-LGBT discrimination. Covington, Lexington, and Louisville have also passed antidiscrimination protections for LGBT people.

The Fairness Coalition notes that a quarter of Kentucky's residents now live in a jurisdiction where people cannot be fired or denied services based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. A statewide antidiscrimination bill has been repeatedly introduced in the state legislature for the past 15 years, without ever reaching the floor for a debate, despite 83% public support for such a law, according to the coalition.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/2013/08/29/frankfort-becomes-fifth-ky-city-antidiscrimination-ordinance

As the song goes:

The sun shines bright in My Old Kentucky Home,
'Tis summer, the people are gay;
The corn-top's ripe and the meadow's in the bloom
While the birds make music all the day.

The young folks roll on the little cabin floor,
All merry, all happy and bright;
By 'n' by hard times comes a knocking at the door,
Then My Old Kentucky Home, good night!

Chorus:

Weep no more my lady
Oh weep no more today;
We will sing one song
For My Old Kentucky Home
For My Old Kentucky Home, far away

Some bueatiful pics of Kentucky.

Thank you my fellow Kentuckians, you may not be blue yet but at least your fair despite ol Mitch McConnell.

[nomorenomore08]

1. Wow... 83%, even in Kentucky, support an anti-discrimination law?

That has to be a sign of positive change in this country.

[theHandpuppet]

2. Way to go!!

I have high hopes that old buzzard Mitch McConnell will be sent packing, too. Alison Lundergan Grimes looks to be really promising.

[gopiscrap]

3. Excellent

[DemocraticWing]

4. We seem to be picking up steam.

There are grassroots efforts in several other cities in the state, so I wouldn't be surprised if more local governments adopt fairness ordinances. The main statewide effort right now is to get statewide anti-discrimination protections, although the conservative makeup of the state legislature will probably make that difficult.