Kentucky LGBT Advocacy Information - Recently Updated Pages

Kentucky Equality Federation

kylgbtmod — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 20:40:37 CDT

Current Status:
Active

Website:
kyequality.org

Summary:
Kentucky Equality Federation is a leading civil rights organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens of Kentucky. This organization is occasionally abbreviate as simply Kentucky Equality, or KEF.

Kentucky Equality Federation successfully settled discrimination disputes with Applebee's of Hazard, Boone County High School, Northern Kentucky University, a Steak n' Shake in Louisville, a Florence Nursing Home, and the Laurel County Sheriff's Department without resorting to mainstream media attention. Kentucky Equality Federation still offers dispute resolution and mediation by completing an online form; a dedicated toll-free number for complaints was discontinued in 2008 due to budget constraints.
Kentucky Equality Federation is a member of the International Lesbian & Gay Association, the oldest LGBT civil rights organization fighting for equality at the United Nations.

Break from Traditional Methods:
Kentucky Equality Federation's operating methods are a break from typical LGBT advocacy; specifically, Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer's directness is sometimes the subject of controversy and wide-spread media attention. Some look at him as standing up for the LGBT community in a bold new way; others say his statements are "over the top."

Just prior to the 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. Palmer responded by inviting Fischer to "change his sexual orientation to homosexual for 48 hours," a request Representative Fischer declined. The highly publicized exchange between Palmer and Fischer led to Kentucky Equality Federation and Northern Kentucky University's CommonGround holding a protest labeled "The Fischer Re-Education Rally" outside a debate held between Fischer and his Democratic challenger.
During the 2008 Presidential Election, the organization condemned Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin's (Governor of the State of Alaska) church for promoting a conference that promised to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. Palmer's response: "Pray for world peace, a cure for AIDS, an end to hunger, or an end to judgment and fear of things you don't understand or can't tolerate. I am a gay Christian and I find their 'prayers' to convert me offensive, and a laughing matter. You cannot change someone's born sexual identity; we call on Governor Palin to clearly identity her position on her churches activities, and ask for a response from the Log Cabin Republicans, who endorsed the McCain/Palin ticket." Stating that religion is a personal relationship between an individual and God, Palmer also stated that he prayed for a day when self-righteous politicians stopped using religion as a tool to appeal to voters.

Corporate History:

Major Events:

Equality - Don't Stop Believin' - June 20, 2009
This year, Kentucky Equality Federation will be sponsoring or co-sponsoring events around the Commonwealth this year to raise money to fight attacks against the LGBTI community when the Kentucky General Assembly reconvenes in January.

The biggest event is: Equality - Don't Stop Believin' presented by Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky featuring Pop Singer Brian Kent and Gay Comedian Ryan Hill!

Equality - Don't Stop Believin' will take place on June 20, 2009 at Adonis in Cincinnati, with after party events taking place at Yadda Club in Covington, KY.

Gay Comedian Ryan Hill: Though best known as a stand-up comedian, Ryan is also famous for his television commercials, especially freecreditreport.com, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and Doritos. Ryan has made numerous TV appearances: Girls Club (Fox), Earth 2 America (HBO and TBS), Carson Daly Bash (MTV), and the Dogeball Movie Special (MTV).

Gay Singer Brian Kent: After releasing his first full length debut album in 2008 "Breathe Life," Brian has been a sensation in the music industry; his high-energy, emotional voyage in music expressed in radio-ready and club-friendly tracks. His current single, "Whatcha' Doin To Me" already hitting the Billboard Charts at # 35 (as of April 23, 2009) and is his second #1 on Sirius Satellite Radio's Hot 20 Charts. In 2008, the gay and lesbian channel LOGO listed him as one of the ‘top artists of the year’.

Click here to purchase tickets, watch one of Brian Kent's music videos, or watch Ryan Hill doing stand-up live! Sponsor information can also be located on this page!

Kentucky Log Cabin Republicans

jordanpalm — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:34:23 CST

No active chapter in Kentucky.

11/21/2008 - I received the following email from Log Cabin Republicans:

There's a battle going on for the GOP's future. Log Cabin is pleased to be in the middle of this fight, but we need your help. Please support our work to rebuild the Republican Party.

It remains to be seen whether our Party will learn the right lessons from the GOP's defeat. Not surprisingly, social conservatives want to push the GOP further into the ditch. But there's good news—more and more leading Republicans understand we need to build a Party of the future, not a Party of the past.

Last weekend, one of the new Republican leaders in the House outlined a positive path forward focused on what unites us not what divides us. Congressman Pete Sessions from Texas spoke at the annual Grand 'Ol Party hosted by Log Cabin—Dallas. Sessions is the newly elected Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). As head of the powerful and important NRCC, he'll lead candidate recruitment and election strategy for House Republicans in 2010. Hearing his speech to our members in Dallas and speaking with Congressman Sessions, I am encouraged by his message. He understands more of the same is a recipe for defeat. At last Saturday's Log Cabin event, Sessions said, "Our Party needs new focus, new energy, and new ideas. For the Republican Party, it's been real easy to get elected...just run on the things you already know about: guns, God, gays, taxes..you get elected! The bottom line is that our Party can no longer successfully do that, and should not...do that."

Even Republicans from a conservative state like South Carolina get the message. GOP governor Mark Sanford told his colleagues at last week's Republican Governors Association meeting that the GOP must do better reaching young voters (66% voted for Obama compared with the 59% support Reagan received from young voters in 1984). Governor Sanford specifically cited the party's intolerance on gay issues as one big reason why so many young voters are supporting Democrats.

Former Maryland Lieutenant Governor Michael Steele is gaining momentum in his effort to become Chairman of the Republican National Committee. The leader of the RNC will be the most important person in shaping the Party's future. Steele believes in a big tent GOP. He has worked closely with Log Cabin ally Christine Todd Whitman at the Republican Leadership Council. In an interview with NPR this week, he specifically mentioned the importance of reaching out to Log Cabin and other mainstream GOP groups as the Party looks to chart a future course.

Even with this positive progress, our opponents are formidable. We need your help to confront people like Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council—who absurdly says the GOP must go further right on social issues to win again. What planet has he been on? Exit polls show moderates made up 44% of the electorate and 60% of them voted for Barack Obama. Perkins says the passage of California's anti-marriage Proposition 8 shows the potency of social issues. Earth to Tony! The California results actually prove the opposite. Sen. Obama received 61% support in California; even as the amendment passed—demonstrating that just because someone opposes marriage equality doesn't mean they'll vote Republican. In fact, 37% of the yes on Prop 8 votes came from Obama supporters.

Perkins also fails to point out that a similar measure in California passed with 61% in 2000. This year, it passed with only 52%. Momentum is on our side. More Republicans support basic fairness for gay and lesbian people. An ABC news poll shows 64% of Republicans support allowing gays and lesbians to serve in the military, up from 32% 15 years ago. Another poll shows almost 80% of Republicans don't believe a business should be able to fire someone because of their sexual orientation.

We need your help to take on people like Tony Perkins. If he has his way, our Party is heading for a generation in the minority. Instead, let's move forward with an inclusive agenda and new ideas that make conservatism relevant to the challenges facing our nation. The road back is long, but we are already seeing progress as leading Republicans want our Party to take the right path, not the Perkins path of division and defeat that took our Party off a cliff in the first place.

Non-Profit Law

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:45:59 CST

This section contains information on non-profit law from the foremost non-profit attorney in the United States, Don Kramer. Kramer is the Editor-in-Chief of the Nonprofit Issues website.

Don Kramer is a Philadelphia lawyer who has more than 35 years of experience dealing with the concerns of nonprofit organizations, not only as a lawyer, but also as a teacher, writer, publisher, and board member. He teaches Legal and Government Issues Affecting Nonprofits at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia and has taught a similar course in the Masters Program in Nonprofit Management at Eastern University, St. David's, PA.

Recently Answered Non-Profit Questions:

Winter Budget Crunches
QUESTION: A nonprofit forecasting dire cash flow conditions in the late winter or early spring is considering asking a handful of board members to lend money to the organization at low interest rates and with long paybacks. This is a contingency plan in case all other fundraising efforts and budget cutting moves fail to bear fruit in time. Is it a conflict of interest for those directors lending the money? Is it a wise idea?

ANSWER: Any economic transaction between a director and the organization creates a conflict of interest, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t do the transaction. It should be fully disclosed and approved by directors who are not involved and who assure themselves that it is fair and reasonable for the organization. It is a time-honored tradition for directors and other supporters to lend nonprofits money to tide them over rough spots. They can often keep organizations afloat that would otherwise sink from their financial difficulties. I would have some concern if the number of lenders is large and the amounts are substantial enough to be personally significant. If you have difficulty repaying the loans when due and if the lenders have not been prepared from the outset to write them off if necessary, you could have a significant block of your directors looking at your activities through a lens of trying to protect their economic self-interest. That is undoubtedly not the best point of view for your organization.

Paying for Lunch/Dinner with Organization Funds
QUESTION: Can a nonprofit pay for cost of the lunch at a Board meeting with organizational funds?

ANSWER: Yes. A nonprofit may pay for Board meeting breakfasts, lunches, or dinners. A reasonable meal should be treated as an incidental benefit and should not be considered compensation or an excess benefit. Some smaller organizations nevertheless ask the Board to reimburse them for the cost of the meal. It is a way to save money and get some modest additional financial support from the directors for program.

Dissolving a Scholarship Fund
QUESTION: I have dissolved a scholarship fund and have requested that the balance be refunded to me. The director told me that it could not be done because it would violate the rules of Section 501(c)(3). Is this correct?

ANSWER: Basically, yes. A fundamental IRS requirement for 501(c)(3) charitable status is a provision in the governing documents that upon dissolution of the organization all of the remaining net assets must be transferred for other charitable purposes. If the fund is a separate charitable organization, it would not be permissible to refund any money to you.

If the scholarship fund is one of many held by another organization, such as a university or a community foundation, and assuming that you donated the money, it was most likely an irrevocable gift when made and cannot be given back to you. It must have been an irrevocable gift if you took a charitable contribution deduction for it. The directors of the organization have a fiduciary duty to the organization to assure that it is used for charitable purposes.

There are occasional cases where, because of mistake or some sort of serious controversy, charities have agreed for business reasons to return gifts to disgruntled donors. But the directors often obtain approval of the Attorney General of your state to protect themselves from claims of breach of fiduciary duty to the organization. And the amount received by the original donor has to be treated as income to the donor in the year of receipt.

Appointing Family Members to Important Posts
QUESTION: May the president of a small 501(c)(3) corporation appoint her husband to be the organization's pro bono attorney to give legal advice and handle routine legal matters?

ANSWER: Generally, yes. The president/CEO of a nonprofit corporation normally has authority to hire professional consultants for the organization unless the Bylaws or the Board provide otherwise. The Board can overrule her selection if it so desires, and since there is no compensation involved, there would be no economic penalty for doing so even if there were a formal contract. Normally when a charity has an economic transaction with a close relative of an officer or director, the charity and the other party are concerned about excess benefit tax issues. But since there is no pay involved here, it cannot be an excess benefit transaction.

The real question is whether it is a good choice. Is he competent in the areas of your concern? Is he willing and able to get help when necessary?

It is hard to fire volunteers. It is extra hard when they are members of the president’s family. It may be a great idea, but the scope of the representation ought to be spelled out clearly in advance so you are sure you are getting the best advice.

News Feeds

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:34:10 CST

News and RRS Feeds from Opposing Organizations; your one-stop news solution!

Official Feeds:

Opposing Organizations

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:57:35 CST

The organizations that oppose LGBT equality in Kentucky appear to be more powerful that one advocacy group, and possibly, all of them combined. The most powerful anti-gay organizations with operations in Kentucky are listed below in order of influence.

RANK	NAME	SITE	ASSOCIATED BLOGS	SITE
1.	Family Foundation of Kentucky	http://www.kentuckyfamily.org	Family Matters	http://kyfamilyblog.blogspot.com
			vere loqui	http://vereloqui.blogspot.com
			Righteous in Kentucky	http://righteousinky.blogspot.com (this blog appears to be dead, or is rarely updated)
			Mere Politics	http://merepolitics.typepad.com (this blog appears to be dead, or is rarely updated)
2.	American Family Association of Kentucky	http://afaky.com

National Organizations working in Kentucky:
1.	American Family Association	http://www.afa.net	NOTE: The AFA has a long history of activism by organizing its members in boycotts and letter-writing campaigns aimed at promoting socially conservative values in the United States. The AFA owns radio stations, and publishes the AFA Journal which reviews and categorizes the content of prime-time television shows.
2.	Liberty Council	http://www.lc.org	NOTE: Liberty Counsel describes itself as a litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the traditional family. The Liberty Center for Law & Policy (LCLP) operates as one component of Liberty Counsel’s training, education and public policy program. With offices in Washington, D.C. and on the campus of Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia, the LCLP trains attorneys, law students, policymakers, legislators, clergy and world leaders in constitutional principles and government policies. Liberty Counsel produces a weekly 30-minute television program, Law & Justice, an 11-minute weekday radio show, Faith & Freedom and a 90-second weekday radio show, Freedom's Call.
			Life, Liberty and Family	http://libertyblogs.blogspot.com
			Liberty Prayer Spot	http://libertyprayerspot.blogspot.com
			Confirmation -- A Judicial Blog	http://juristblog.blogspot.com

Kentucky Gay (LGBT) Rights - Home

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:54:04 CST

The purpose of this Wiki is to provide information about Kentucky's gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community's representation in non-profit "gay rights" or more appropriately, "LGBT rights" organizations.

Anyone can contribute to the Kentucky Gay Rights Wiki by clicking on the Edit this page tab in an article. It is important to realize that in contributing to Kentucky Gay Rights Wiki, users are expected to be civil and neutral, respecting all points of view, and only add verifiable and factual information rather than personal views and opinions.

Kentucky's LGBT rights groups consist of:

Non-profit's
Political groups
Political Action Committees (PAC)
527 political groups

All information contained on this site must reflect organizations operating within the Commonwealth.

Organizations are broken down into areas of operation, such as statewide, regional, county, and city organizations.

Kentucky Fairness Alliance

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:51:35 CST

Current Status:
Active

Website:
kentuckyfairness.org

Summary:
Kentucky Fairness Alliance is a leading civil rights organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens of Kentucky. This organization is occasionally abbreviate as simply KFA.

Kentucky Fairness Alliance was instrumental in non-discrimination ordinances being passed in Covington, Lexington, and Louisville by issuing action alerts, press releases, and grassroots organizing. Though both Kentucky Fairness Alliance and Lexington Fairness (see chapter history below) claim credit for this, Kentucky Fairness Alliance was undeniably the lead organization; in addition, as a chapter of Kentucky Fairness Alliance, any assistance the Bluegrass Chapter provided was in support of the efforts of Kentucky Fairness Alliance as an integrated part of the organization.
Kentucky Fairness Alliance and a national coalition unsuccessfully fought the 2004 Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage and similar unions.

Corporate History:
The Kentucky Fairness Alliance Education Fund, Inc. was organized on February 12, 1993. On June 14, 2006 the organization was administratively dissolved by the Kentucky Secretary of State's Office for failure to file an annual report (and legally didn't exist for nearly a month); on July 06, 2006 the organization was reinstated in good standing when its current executive director, Christina Gilgore filed for reinstatement.

The Kentucky Fairness Alliance Action Fund, Inc. was organized on July 21, 2004.

Feeds:

Chapter History:
Kentucky Fairness Alliance has a long history of operating chapters. Operated by volunteers, chapters have opened and closed over the course of its history. Click here for a list of chapters currently active.

CHAPTER NAME:	CURRENT STATUS:	WEBSITE:	COMMENTS:
Bluegrass	Not Active (see comments)	N/A	The Bluegrass Chapter broke from Kentucky Fairness Alliance and became an independent organization in 2007. The organization is now called Lexington Fairness.
Bowling Green	Not Active	N/A	The Bowling Green Chapter stopped operating in 2006.
Northern Kentucky	Not Active (see comments)	N/A	The Northern Kentucky Chapter broke from Kentucky Fairness Alliance and became an independent organization in 2008. The organization is now called Equality Northern Kentucky.

Statewide Organizations

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:29:37 CST

Statewide organizations fall under this page; organizations that operate throughout the entire Commonwealth. Kentucky has several non-profit and political organizations.

Click on an organization to the left for additional information.

If you are adding an organization, it is important to realize that in contributing to Kentucky Gay Rights Wiki, users are expected to be civil and neutral, respecting all points of view, and only add verifiable and factual information rather than personal views and opinions.

Kentucky's largest non-profit LGBT rights organizations maintain blogs; each of them are listed below.

A Leading Light Affiliation: Kentucky Fairness Alliance	United We Stand Affiliation: Kentucky Equality Federation
Feed and subscriptions not available (email or RSS). Click here to view the blog.

Kentucky Stonewall Democrats

kylgbtmod — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:17:40 CST