Lawmakers introduce LGBTQ Fairness bill, cities welcome Pride Month

June 1, 2021

Steve Rogers,

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – On the first day of Pride Month, State Rep. Patti Minter announced she will re-introduce her Statewide Fairness bill for the 2022 legislative session.

The proposal comes as a number of cities across the state issued statements welcoming the month.

Minter’s bill would ban discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill would add to Kentucky’s existing civil rights law, which already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, and other factors.

“I’ve been in the trenches of the Fairness movement for most of my adult life, fighting for marriage equality, anti-discrimination laws, and the basic human rights that should belong to us all,” Minter said. “This bill will help us work toward a Kentucky where all people — regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity — feel seen and loved, are welcomed with open arms, and know that they belong.”

Minter introduced a previous version, HB 116, in the legislative session earlier this year with bipartisan support and House Democratic Leader Joni Jenkins as primary cosponsor. Minter was previously primary cosponsor on the Fairness bill in the 2019 and 2020 sessions.

Currently, 21 cities in Kentucky have passed Fairness Ordinances, which enact the same anti-discrimination protections at the local level, first in Lexington and Louisville in 1999 and most recently in Crescent Springs in March 2021.

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton was among the mayors welcoming the month.

“Happy Pride Month, Lexington! Lexington is a supportive community, dedicated and proud of its diversity. Our LGBTQ community members are just like you and me … business owners, employees, community volunteers, parents, grandparents, and students,” Gorton said in a social media post.

“In 1999, Lexington was the first city in Kentucky to pass a countywide Fairness Ordinance (it was my first year on Council, and I was proud to support fairness); we have the state’s only historic markers for LGBTQ history; and we were the first city in Kentucky to install rainbow crosswalks. I sponsored domestic partner benefits for city employees, and recently worked with Council to pass LGBTQ youth protections from conversion therapy.

“I am so proud to support our LGBTQ community to help make sure they are protected, respected, and celebrated. Even though this year’s Lexington Pride Festival takes place in September (delayed because of the pandemic), we can be proud to be home to a vibrant LGBTQ community each and every day,” Gorton concluded.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Lisa Willner of Louisville announced this afternoon that she has pre-filed three bills designed to make the Commonwealth “much more welcoming for LGBTQ Kentuckians and a better place for us all.”

The Democratic legislator highlighted the legislation at a press conference held at the First Unitarian Church in Louisville, and said that state Rep. Kim Banta, a Fort Mitchell Republican, would serve as primary co-sponsor of two of the bills, a proposed statewide fairness law and another that would ban conversion “therapy” for Kentuckians younger than 18. Rep. Willner’s third bill would have public schools provide age-appropriate, medically accurate, and LGBTQ*-inclusive health education for their students.

“I have truly enjoyed working with Representative Banta as we and so many others work to end discriminatory practices based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and to stop so-called conversion ‘therapy’ for minors. It means so much that bipartisan support for this work has grown in recent years,” Rep. Willner said. “Let’s make 2022 the year these bills become law.”

Rep. Willner said several of the KYA students sponsored legislation this year that would ban conversion “therapy” for those younger than 18 in Kentucky. That bill cleared KYA’s legislature without a dissenting vote, she said, noting that Kentucky lawmakers should follow the good example of middle school student leaders from across the commonwealth.

“The Kentucky Youth Assembly was an exciting experience and I am glad our work continues to have an impact,” said Celie McKay, a 13-year-old who was one of the bill’s sponsors and who just finished the eighth grade at Lexington’s Sayre School. “I’m happy to be a part of ending the harmful practice of conversion therapy.”

“The legislative session may still be seven months away, but the work to raise public awareness and support for these critical issues is a year-round effort. That’s especially true during important times like Pride Month,” Rep. Willner said. “I’ve been heartened to see a growing number of legislators sign onto these bills and be willing to listen to discuss them.”

Willner noted the importance of Pride Month and her pre-filed bills to families and young people. She thanked the many educators, religious leaders, health providers, lawmakers, and students across the state who affirm the inherent worth and dignity of all people by celebrating the LGBTQ community.