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Amend the Kentucky Civil Rights Act to include Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity!
  1. Signatures
    769 out of 1,000
    Petitioning
    1. The Governor of KY (+ 34 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • The Governor of KY
      • The KY State Senate
      • The KY State House
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Johnny Bell)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Jimmie Lee)
      • Kentucky Senate (Senator Kathy W. Stein)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Jim Stewart)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Lonnie Napier)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Tom Burch)
      • Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of the Governor (Governor's Communications Office)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Carl Rollins)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Ron Crimm)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo)
      • Minority Caucus Chair, Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Bob M. DeWeese)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative David Watkins)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative David Osborne)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Rick G. Nelson)
      • Kentucky Senate (Senator Alice Forgy Kerr)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Joni L. Jenkins)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Susan Westrom)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Mary Lou Marzian)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Tom Riner)
      • Speaker Pro Tem, Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Larry Clark)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Sannie Overly)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Dennis Horlander)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Tommy Turner)
      • Board of Directors (Kentucky Equality Federation)
      • Kentucky Senate (Senior Senator Julian M. Carroll)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Kelly Flood)
      • Former Speaker, Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Jody Richards)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Senior Representative Jim Wayne)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Tommy Thompson)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Robert R. Damron)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Leslie Combs)
      • Kentucky House of Representatives (Representative Charles Miller)
  2. Created By
    Kentucky Equality Federation
    Somerset, KY

The LGBTI community makes a significant contribution to the economic welfare of the Commonwealth and our entire Union.  This year, Kentucky Equality Federation has invested significant resources representing people across the Commonwealth who filed complaints with our Discrimination, Hate Crimes, and School Bullying Committee for being terminated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. 

Add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966 as a protected class along with religion, smoking, disability, race, sex, ancestry, veteran status, and disability. We need an equality law the compass the entire Commonwealth! 

That's right, you cannot be terminated in Kentucky for being a smoker, but you can be terminated because of your sexual orientation or gender identity. 

In 2008 when Governor Steve Beshear signed Executive Order 2008-473 protecting LGBTI people from discrimination in Kentucky Government, he stated: "A person should be hired or dismissed on the basis of whether they can do the job. Experience, qualifications, talent and performance are what matter."  We completely agree, and the Governor's Exeuctive Order should be passed into law by the Kentucky Legislature.  As head of state and government, the Governor may issue executive orders on all branches of the Commonwealth and its government; executive orders carry to force of law on the Kentucky Government.  However, only the Kentucky Legislature may make discrimination against the LGBTI community illegal under public law.

In 1966, Kentucky became the 1st state in the South to pass a civil rights law.  The Commonwealth also became the first in the south to establish enforcement powers over civil rights violations on a state level.  The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights becomes the state enforcement authority of the Act.  

What happened to us? 

At what point did our great Commonwealth lose its leadership in the area of civil rights?  

The discrimination and exclusion of people because of the sexual orientation or gender identity undermine the integrity and dignity of our great Commonwealth.

"If you turn a blind eye and allow any government founded on our authority to trodden on fundamental civil liberties entitled to all citizens, you open a Pandora's Box to allow Governments to suppress additional civil liberties. Denial of civil rights to specific people is immoral regardless of how people try to justify it.  If history has taught us anything, it is that denial of human rights to one group of people leads to the denial of human rights to another." - Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer

Why People Are Signing
Recent Signatures

Amend the Kentucky Civil Rights Act to include Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity!

Dear Kentucky Lawmaker and the Honorable Steve Beshear, Governor of the Commonwealth:

As a citizen of the Commonwealth, I hereby request the Kentucky Legislature add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966 as a protected class along with religion, smoking, disability, race, sex, and disability.

The LGBTI community makes a significant contribution to the economic welfare of the Commonwealth and our entire Union. LGBTI people in the both the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky can be terminated because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. You cannot be terminated for being a smoker in Kentucky, but you can be terminated for being yourself.

In 1966, Kentucky became the 1st state in the South to pass a civil rights law. The Commonwealth also became the first in the south to establish enforcement powers over civil rights violations on a state level. The Kentucky Commission on Human Rights becomes the state enforcement authority of the Act.

What happened to us? At what point did our great Commonwealth lose its leadership in the area of civil rights?

Along with religion, smoking, disability, race, sex, ancestry, veteran status, and disability, No ONE should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

Add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966 as a protected class along with religion, smoking, disability, race, sex, ancestry, veteran status, and disability. We need an equality law the compass the entire Commonwealth!

"If you turn a blind eye and allow any government founded on our authority to trodden on fundamental civil liberties entitled to all citizens, you open a Pandora's Box to allow Governments to suppress additional civil liberties. Denial of civil rights to specific people is immoral regardless of how people try to justify it. If history has taught us anything, it is that denial of human rights to one group of people leads to the denial of human rights to another." - Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer

The discrimination and exclusion of people because of the sexual orientation or gender identity undermine the integrity and dignity of our great Commonwealth.

cc: Kentucky Equality Federation Board of Directors
cc: Jordan Palmer, President
cc: Josh Koch, Vice President of Policy & Public Relations
cc: Kentucky Equality Federation Ambassadors of Goodwill

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