Community Challenge | Promote Fairness, support HB 117
February 15, 2010
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20100215/OPINION02/2150303/Community+Challenge+|+Promote+Fairness++support+HB+117Today our state has the opportunity to once again stand as the pioneer of fairness and equality among its southern peers, and we challenge each and every Kentuckian to add their voice to the call for comprehensive civil rights legislation in the commonwealth.
On Jan. 5, Louisville Rep. Mary Lou Marzian and three other Kentucky legislators (Reps. Kelly Flood, Joni Jenkins and Ruth Ann Palumbo) filed House Bill 117 — a statewide Fairness law — that seeks to amend our state's Civil Rights Act to include "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" as protected classifications, prohibiting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Kentuckians in employment, housing and public accommodations. Even today, any person suspected of being gay or transgender outside Lexington, Louisville or Covington may be legally fired from their job, denied housing, or withheld access to any public accommodation — such as a bus ride or service in a restaurant.
