| Abbreviation | KEF |
|---|---|
| Formation | November 1, 2005 |
| Type | NGO |
| Purpose | LGBT rights |
| Headquarters | Lexington, Kentucky (USA) |
Region served | Kentucky (USA) |
| Jordan Palmer | |
Main organ | Board of Directors |
| Affiliations | Marriage Equality Kentucky, Kentucky HIV/AIDS Advocacy Campaign, Kentucky Equality PAC, and Kentucky Equal Ballot Access |
Staff | 3 |
Volunteers | 18 |
| Website | www |
Kentucky Equality Federation is an umbrella organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender civil rights in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, consisting of Federation for Kentucky Equality, Inc., Kentucky Equality Coalition, Inc., and Kentucky Equality PAC. Kentucky Equality Federation is a member of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
Originally called Kentucky Equal Rights, the organization changed its name to Kentucky Equality, with either "Association" or "Federation" always appearing afterward. Kentucky Equality has "The Equality Party", "Commonwealth Equality", "Kentucky Equality Federation", and "Kentucky Equality Association" listed as assumed names with the Kentucky Secretary of State.
Kentucky Equality Federation believes all people are endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness and fulfillment free from oppression, discrimination, school bullying, and hate crimes regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, creed, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other defining characteristic. The end of discrimination is not simply the elimination of flagrant abuses, rather it is the ability of a person to fully exercise their Kentucky human rights to the same full extent enjoyed by their peers, without fear of retribution, aspersion, or harm, be that harm political or social.
Kentucky Equality Federation assists and acts as public advocate for people who have been bullied, discriminated against, or victimized in addition to assisting them with legal remedies. When the laws have not caught up to the moral needs of society, we will seek their modification, pursuant to the creation of a just society. [1]
The following organizations are listed a members of Kentucky Equality Federation:
The corporations that make-up Kentucky Equality Federation are formal membership organizations. The acceptance of new members must be approved by unanimous vote of existing members ("Permanent and Official Membership"). Permanent and Official Membership have a say in the structure and priorities of the organizations. Permanent and Official Membership elect the Board of Directors and the President; they must also approve amendments to Bylaws. Permanent and Official Membership ensure the continuation of Kentucky Equality Federation; both the Board of Directors and the President serve at the pleasure of Permanent and Official Membership. All non-board members serve at the pleasure of the president. [1] [5]
In early 2006 Jordan Palmer founded Kentucky Equal Rights (later renamed Kentucky Equality Federation by a majority vote of its members) to advance the interests of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
In March 2007 the Kentucky Equality Federation won a MySpace Impact Award (since 2006) in the area of Social Justice, beating Do Something and Loose Change to Loosen Change. The Federation was awarded a $10,000.00 cash prize and promotional support from MySpace.
Kentucky Equality was involved getting the first Gay-Straight Alliance approved at Boone County High School in Northern Kentucky. [6] On July 19, 2006, Boone County High School ended more than a year of stonewalling and avoided a federal and state lawsuit by finally approving the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance. Jordan Palmer, founder and president of the Kentucky Equality Federation, warned school officials that he would file a lawsuit in federal court for violating the federal Equal Access Act which requires schools to treat Gay-Straight Alliances as they would any other school group, and a separate lawsuit with the Kentucky Court of Justice for violating the Kentucky Education Reform Act. [7]
Prior to the November 2006 General Election Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer verbally attacked Kentucky Representative Joseph Fisher (R) after he stated "homosexuals have not experienced the same type of insidious discrimination in housing and employment as blacks and women." In addition, Fischer stated he believed homosexuals could easily change their sexual orientation. [8]
On September 7, 2006, the Kentucky Equality Federation announced they would act as a "buffer" for victims of discrimination, hate crimes, and school bullying establishing a toll-free number, (877) KEF-5775 and an online complaint system to report incidents. The federation stated they believe a lot of incidents go unreported each year throughout Kentucky because of bad experiences in working with law enforcement, while others feared being "outed" or reprisals would ensue from their perpetrators. [9]
On January 9, 2008, Kentucky Equality Federation's General Advisory Council condemned Kentucky Fairness Alliance. [10] [11] According to published reports, one reason for the dispute between the two organizations was related to Bluegrass Fairness of Central Kentucky, once a chapter of Kentucky Fairness Alliance. Kentucky Equality Federation's General Advisory Council also cited problems in working with the Executive Director of Kentucky Fairness Alliance.
The condemnation was short lived; on April 18, 2008, Kentucky Equality Federation's Board of Directors rescinded the General Advisory Council's condemnation of Kentucky Fairness Alliance and terminated 9 of the 14 members on the General Advisory Council. [12]
Kentucky Equality led a protest at the Governor's Annual Derby Breakfast on May 6, 2006. The protest was in response to Governor Ernie Fletcher's refusal to veto funding to the University of the Cumberlands after expelling a student for revealing he was gay on the social networking site MySpace.
On July 7, 2009, Kentucky Equality Federation condemned the University of the Cumberlands for uninviting the Broadway Baptist Church of Texas' church choir from participating in its community based Mountain Outreach Program because of their "tolerant stance toward homosexuality." [13] The following day Kentucky Equality Federation also condemned $1.2 million in federal funding to expand programs at the university. [13] [14]
In February 2009 Palmer organized gay and lesbian couples going to county court clerks offices in Kentucky to apply for a same-sex marriage license only to be denied. Palmer told the media his intention was to raise awareness of Kentucky's ban on same-sex marriages. [15] [16] The action was condemned by the Family Foundation of Kentucky, which Palmer dismissed as "another example of how so-called family organizations are some of the most useless, money-hungry scams in the world with their bizarre and all-encompassing 'gay fetish.'" [17] Palmer later organized churches refusing to sign marriage licenses until gay marriage was recognized in Kentucky. [18]
On March 15, 2012, the Kentucky State Police assisted the FBI in arresting David Jenkins, Anthony Jenkins, Mable Jenkins, and Alexis Jenkins of Partridge, Kentucky, for the beating of Kevin Pennington during a late-night attack in April 2011 at Kingdom Come State Park, near Cumberland. The push came from the gay-rights group Kentucky Equality Federation, whose president, Jordan Palmer, began lobbying Washington, D.C., [19] to prosecute after stating he had no confidence in the Harlan County Commonwealth's Attorney to act. [20] "I think the case's notoriety may have derived in large part from the Kentucky Equality Federation efforts," said Kerry Harvey, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. [21] Mable Jenkins and Alexis Jenkins plead guilty.
On May 25, 2012, [22] a controversial billboard condemning homosexuality and abortion was posted on New Circle Road near Leestown Road in Lexington, KY. That same billboard was later stolen, defaced, and displayed in a local Lexington eatery. [23] The billboard owner replaced the billboard shortly thereafter. The Kentucky Equality Federation, after receiving a complaint, took action. On July 31, 2012, the billboard was confirmed as removed citing complaints launched by Jordan Palmer, President, and Brandon Combs, Chairman of the Board. [24]
On September 10, 2013, the Kentucky Equality Federation sued the Commonwealth of Kentucky in Franklin Circuit Court claiming Kentucky's 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage violated sections of the commonwealth's constitution. [25] Case # 13-CI-1074 was assigned by the Franklin County Court Clerk [26] (the location of the Kentucky State Capitol). The lawsuit was conceived by President Jordan Palmer, written and signed by Vice President of Legal Jillian Hall, Esq. Jordan Palmer stated to the media that:
Kentucky added a facially unconstitutional amendment to its constitution via a ballot initiative process. Thus, the attempt to abrogate constitutional sensibilities in favor of a ballot initiative, as was done for Section 233A of the Kentucky Constitution in 2004, is against the very notion of equal protection as guaranteed to each and all of Kentucky's population. This should be held as true as a matter of law by the Courts, regardless of the ballot's outcome. [27]
Governor Steve Beshear's legal representatives initially responded by citing foreign laws, and that gay and lesbian people could not reproduce as a reason to quash the lawsuit. [28]
On April 16, 2015, Kentucky Equality Federation v. Beshear , also known as Kentucky Equality Federation v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, was ruled on by Franklin County Circuit Court Judge Thomas D. Wingate. Judge Wingate sided with Kentucky Equality Federation against the Commonwealth and struck down Kentucky Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriages. Judge Wingate also struck down all laws passed by the Kentucky General Assembly. At the request of Governor Steve Beshear's legal representation, the Judge also placed a stay on the order pending a ruling from a Kentucky appellate court (such as the Kentucky Court of Appeals or Kentucky's court of last resort, the Kentucky Supreme Court) or the U.S. Supreme Court. [29] The lawsuit was a significant victory for the Kentucky Equality Federation and the same-sex marriage civil rights movement.
Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriage void and unenforceable for violating Plaintiff and Plaintiff's Members Constitutional Rights", ruled Judge Wingate. [30]
.
Jordan Palmer is an American social activist, Kentucky politician, civil rights activist, entrepreneur, [31] and the founder of the Kentucky Equality Federation. Palmer is from Hazard, Kentucky and is credited for having Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1 (banning same-sex marriage), being struck down by a Kentucky judge, pushing the first hate crime convictions under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, and holding the first equality protests against a sitting governor and members of the Kentucky House of Representatives. [32] [33]
On July 14, 2011, Matthew Vanderpool, the first openly gay person to run for the Kentucky House of Representatives, and Palmer's roommate, committed suicide. Palmer was also the campaign manager for Vanderpool. [34]
Palmer stepped down in 2012 from the Kentucky Equality Federation. [35] In 2014, he ran running for Kentucky State Senate, being the first openly gay person in Kentucky to do so. [36] Palmer lost to the incumbent and returned to lead the Kentucky Equality Federation and its member organizations.
On July 9, 2021, Palmer threatened to sue the Leslie County Board of Education in Southeastern Kentucky for not allowing a lesbian couple to attend prom together and painting over a pride flag. [37]
As of 2023, Palmer continued to be an advocate for equality across Kentucky and the United States. [38]
In 2024, Palmer appears to have left social activism behind, appearing on WKYT-TV Morning Kentucky to promote his new medical spa. [39]
Palmer is the son of a Church of Christ minister. [40]
Palmer served on the board of directors of Marriage Equality USA from 2006 to 2009. Palmer worked across the state of California to fight 2008 California Proposition 8. During and after the No Prop 8 Campaign, Palmer told change.org and Time Magazine that he was concerned that the organization did not utilize the grassroots community to its potential and recognize the harm associated with a campaign run by political consultants without sufficient accountability or transparency to the larger community. [41] [42]
When Kevin Pennington was attacked in the Appalachian mountains, Palmer demanded the U.S. Department of Justice prosecute his assailants under the U.S. Matthew Shepherd and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. [43] Palmer succeeded and was active in the preparation of the trail. [44] David Jason Jenkins, of Cumberland, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, of Partridge, was indicted and convicted in U.S. District Court in London, KY. [45] [46]
After the trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky promised to step-up hate crime conviction, a move hailed as progress by Palmer. [47]
This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2003.
John William Conway is an American lawyer and politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. A member of the Democratic Party, Conway served as the 49th attorney general of Kentucky from January 7, 2008, to January 4, 2016. Prior to his election as attorney general, he was the nominee for Kentucky's 3rd congressional district in the 2002 elections, narrowly losing to Republican incumbent Anne Northup.
The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Fiji have evolved rapidly over the years. In 1997, Fiji became the second country in the world after South Africa to explicitly protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation in its Constitution. In 2009, the Constitution was abolished. The new Constitution, promulgated in September 2013, bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. However, same-sex marriage remains banned in Fiji and reports of societal discrimination and bullying are not uncommon.
Ernesto Scorsone is a notable LGBT advocate, American lawyer, politician and retired judge from Kentucky.
Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 1 of 2004, is an amendment to the Kentucky Constitution that made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize or perform same-sex marriages or civil unions. The referendum was approved by 75% of the voters.
The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is a landmark United States federal law, passed on October 22, 2009, and signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009, as a rider to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010. Conceived as a response to the murders of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr., both in 1998, the measure expands the 1969 United States federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
Equality Maryland (EQMD) was a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, now based in Baltimore. It was at the time, the largest organization in Maryland whose activities focused on advocacy and education with regard to LGBT social and political movements. Its mission included: the passage of laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity; the expansion of Maryland's hate-crimes statute; the increase of domestic partner benefits; the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Maryland and laws banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. In 2016, the organization merged with FreeState Legal Project, to form FreeState Justice.
Mary L. Bonauto is an American lawyer and civil rights advocate who has worked to eradicate discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and has been referred to by US Representative Barney Frank as "our Thurgood Marshall." She began working with the Massachusetts-based Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, now named GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) organization in 1990. A resident of Portland, Maine, Bonauto was one of the leaders who both worked with the Maine legislature to pass a same-sex marriage law and to defend it at the ballot in a narrow loss during the 2009 election campaign. These efforts were successful when, in the 2012 election, Maine voters approved the measure, making it the first state to allow same-sex marriage licenses via ballot vote. Bonauto is best known for being lead counsel in the case Goodridge v. Department of Public Health which made Massachusetts the first state in which same-sex couples could marry in 2004. She is also responsible for leading the first strategic challenges to section three of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
In the United States, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people have a long history, including vibrant subcultures and advocacy battles for social and religious acceptance and legal rights.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the U.S. state of Indiana have been shaped by both state and federal law. These evolved from harsh penalties established early in the state's history to the decriminalization of same-sex activity in 1977 and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2014. Indiana was subject to an April 2017 federal court ruling that discrimination based on sexual orientation is tantamount to discrimination on account of "sex", as defined by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling establishes sexual orientation as a protected characteristic in the workplace, forbidding unfair discrimination, although Indiana state statutes do not include sexual orientation or gender identity among its categories of discrimination.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Virginia enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. LGBT rights in the state are a relatively recent occurrence; with most improvements in LGBT rights occurring in the 2000s and 2010s. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Virginia since October 6, 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal in the case of Bostic v. Rainey. Effective July 1, 2020, there is a state-wide law protecting LGBT persons from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. The state's hate crime laws also now explicitly include both sexual orientation and gender identity.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of South Dakota may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Dakota, and same-sex marriages have been recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. State statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal under federal law.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Nebraska may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nebraska, and same-sex marriage has been recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. The state prohibits discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County and a subsequent decision of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission. In addition, the state's largest city, Omaha, has enacted protections in public accommodations.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Kentucky still face some legal challenges not experienced by other people. Same-sex sexual activity in Kentucky has been legally permitted since 1992, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy statute for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage is legal in Kentucky under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision, which struck down Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriages and all other same-sex marriage bans elsewhere in the country, was handed down on June 26, 2015.
Equality Alabama (EA) is a statewide non-profit civil rights organization that advocates for the rights of LGBTQ people in Alabama.
The Fairness Campaign is a Louisville, Kentucky-based lobbying and advocacy organization, focusing primarily on preventing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The Fairness Campaign is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(4) organization. The organization is a member of the Equality Federation.
The lead cases on same-sex marriage in Kentucky are Bourke v. Beshear, and its companion case Love v. Beshear. In Bourke, a U.S. district court found that the Equal Protection Clause requires Kentucky to recognize valid same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions. In Love, the same court found that this same clause renders Kentucky's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Both decisions were stayed and consolidated upon appeal to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard oral arguments in both cases on August 6, 2014. On November 6, the Sixth Circuit upheld Kentucky's ban on same-sex marriage.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Kentucky since the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges on June 26, 2015. The decision, which struck down Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriages, was handed down on June 26, 2015, and Governor Steve Beshear and Attorney General Jack Conway announced almost immediately that the court's order would be implemented.
Kimberly Jean Davis is an American former county clerk for Rowan County, Kentucky, who gained international attention in August 2015 when she defied a U.S. federal court order to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Citations
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