Equality. Fairness. Nothing more, nothing less!

Why do we need you to stand with us on February 12th? Look at what we are fighting! This comments are from your elected officials!

It's OK to fire someone if they're gay. Historically, homosexuals haven't suffered. - Representative Joseph Fischer (October 2006)

Homosexuality is aberrant behavior. - Senate President David Williams (January 2008)

The University of the Cumberlands stands for what is positive [by expelling a gay student]. - Senate President David Williams (August 2006)

I don't want to entice any of those people [queers] into our state. Those are the wrong kind of people. – Senator Dick Roeding (July 2006)

The Log Cabin Republican Club of Kentucky, a gay GOP group, "are nothing but a bunch of queers." - Senator Dick Roeding (July 2006)

I wouldn't think that there would be a lot of support in the General Assembly for giving benefits to people that were involved in same-sex relationships. Doing so would be bad public policy. - Senate President David Williams (July 2006)

I am committed to protecting traditional marriage. I proudly supported the Same-Sex Marriage Amendment proposal in Kentucky in 2004 and was pleased to see it pass with 74% of the vote. - U.S. Representative Geoff Davis [part of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation] (July 2006)



We need your support as the opposition has the voices and numbers that we fail to get to the Capitol. The sad truth is the opposition is the minority, but have been able to drum up enough voice in the capitol to seem like the majority. Lets make a difference this year; start doing!

Click here to sign-up now, or visit kefaction.org! Join us! Show your support by standing united with Kentucky Equality Federation and Bluegrass Fairness of Central Kentucky! Your presence will make a real difference in the fight for equality and fairness for LGBT Kentuckians!

Stupid, unfounded Homophobia: Kentucky Basketball Fans Outraged Over Photo of Players' Embrace

From The Official Queen of Shade:

If a photo says a thousand words, apparently this seemingly innocent photo of two University of Louisville basketball players embracing has produced thousands of words spewing gay panic.

Hundreds of irate readers have contacted the Louisville Courier-Journal after the publication of the image. It shows Cardinals players Jerry Smith hugging Juan Palacios in the first half of their game against the University of Louisville after a big, emotional play. One reader accused the legendary conservative newspaper of "pushing the homosexual agenda."

Louisville Courier-Journal public editor Pam Platt explains. "Some of the comments registered by angry, offended and/or baffled readers: 'Awful,' 'an embarrassment,' 'horrible decision,' 'poor judgment,' 'distasteful,' 'a mystery' and 'shame on you.' " Then, she nails it: "What is it about two athletes sharing a moment of physical and emotional closeness in the middle of a big game, in the middle of a basketball court, that puts some people off so much?"

Sports fans should be used to witnessing these moments and photos of athletes bonding and it's just beyond the pale that so many (presumably very! straight!) readers would read gay subtext into an innocent sports photo. Platt makes an interesting argument that content is a Rorschach test and people bring "their own ideas and baggage to what they see and read—or what they don't see and don't read into words and images." Or, perhaps, what they would like to see.

Homophobic Senate President Williams sleeping?

I loved this post from Hillbilly Report. Senate President David Williams appears to be sleeping during the State of the Commonwealth Address. Homophobic Senate President Williams lashed out at House Bill 91 that would require schools to formulate a code of "acceptable behavior and discipline that prohibits harassment, intimidation, or bullying of a student."

The House of Representatives passes this bill yearly; but homophic people such as President Williams prevent the bill from ever becoming law..... One might say Williams has "homosexual issues" that he needs to resolve.

Gay man beaten to death - UPDATE

Received this email about updating us about Ricky Williams. You may recall the post "West Virginia gay man being beaten to death ignored by mainstream media."

Like Kentucky, West Virginia was once part of conservative Virginia, but split from them during the middle of the civil war in 1863. The Ricky Williams attack occurred more than 100 miles from Welch, WV (remember in 2006 the police chief blocked paramedics from performing CPR on a gay man because he falsely assumed the man was HIV positive and therefore a health risk).

Click here for a list of gay hate crimes in Kentucky.

Anyway, below is the email we received about this:

You were the only organization to report the Ricky Williams murder in Milton, WV. Of 3 suspects, only 2, the male, Danny Vaughn, was picked up. People are now reporting that they have seen Vaughn in town with one of the females present at the scene of the beating. Vaughn's name is no longer on the jail website. Rumor has it that he was released due to lack of evidence. If that is the case, one can get away with murder in Milton.

A few residents have been trying to seek justice in this horrific "hate" crime. Calls have gone unanswered at the prosecutor's office. Milton city officials have remained mum. Ricky Williams deserves more than this! Can you help? Can you direct us to someone who can?

We are trying to keep the issue alive on a site graciously provided by Stephanie Heck (http://miltonwv.org). Maybe some of your members can help us by posting. The readership averages over 1,300 views per day. We know some city, county and state ppl are reading it. We just can't let Ricky's brutal death be forgotten. Thanks for any help you can offer.

LGBT blogger slams Barack Obama

There are many pieces floating around blogs right now about Barack Obama’s relationship with the LGBT community. Below are exerts from InterstateQ (North Carolina based LGBT blogger). Thoughts?

President Barack Obama? Could it really happen? If so, the LGBT community should be worried. While many may applaud the junior senator from Illinois’ “big tent” approach to his campaign, it is also a strategy that has left the LGBT community standing at odds with forces from the religious right and rabidly anti-gay “ex-gay” movement.

In South Carolina, Obama’s “big tent” campaign strategy coalesced in the form of gospel concerts attracting huge numbers of African-American voters and featuring a “respected leader” in the “ex-gay” movement.

From New Hampshire state Rep. Mo Baxley:
Obama lost the support of many in the LGBT community when he featured [anti-gay] entertainer Donnie McClurking at campaign events in South Carolina and then went ahead with the events even after being personally informed of the entertainers’ very public and virulently anti-gay remarks - making him the only Democratic candidate to be protested by members of our community. While Obama certainly has a pro-LGBT platform, in this circumstance, his actions speak louder than his well-intentioned words and we can not support a candidate that harmed the LGBT community in South Carolina in his quest to become president.

If Obama wins the U.S. presidency the LGBT community is in for four years of being subjected to a dangerously employed “big tent” strategy that places an oppressed group of citizens at the same table as their oppressors. Obama’s presidency would see James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Donnie McClurkin and other anti-gay leaders sitting down with LGBT community leaders telling them how much they are evil while Obama sits back and says, “We should work together and hope for change.”

Obama may not have the courage to stand up to the right-wing bullies if he becomes president, just like he wasn’t able to stand up against them and say, “I’m sorry Donnie, but your views do not match my view of America. My campaign is about one of equality and that isn’t something you stand for. I’ll have to ask that you not perform. I can’t give you a platform for hate.”