Bill Would Update KY Civil Rights Act to Add LGBT Protections
For the first time, a bi-partisan team of Kentucky State Senators has introduced a bill that would update Kentucky's Civil Rights Act to protect LGBT people from discrimination--the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Act - Senate Bill 176. Led by Senator Morgan McGarvey, a Louisville Democrat, the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Act includes co-sponsorship from Senator Julie Raque Adams (R-Louisville), Senator Perry Clark (D-Louisville), Senator Denise Harper Angel (D-Louisville), Senator Gerald Neal (D-Louisville), and Senator Reginald Thomas (D-Lexington). Representative Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) has introduced companion legislation in the House - House Bill 155.
The bill is also backed by a group of nearly 200 Kentucky employers in the Kentucky Competitive Workforce Coalition, a collaborative launched at Brown-Forman Corporation in November that includes some of Kentucky's leading employers and small, locally owned businesses that have adopted their own LGBT-inclusive discrimination protections. A full list of backers can be found at www.KYCompetitiveWorkforce.com.
“As we recruit the best and brightest from around the country, we need to show that we have the inclusive and competitive atmosphere where they want to live, where they want to work, and where they want to raise their families,” shared Senator McGarvey.
Eight Kentucky cities have updated their own civil rights laws to include LGBT people--Covington, Danville, Frankfort, Lexington, Louisville, Midway, Morehead, and the small Appalachian town of Vicco. Without updating Kentucky's Civil Rights Act, nearly three-quarters of the commonwealth remains vulnerable to legal LGBT discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
A Statewide Fairness Rally will be held in the Capitol Rotunda Wednesday, February 17 at 1:30 p.m. by the Fairness Coalition, which includes the ACLU-KY, Fairness Campaign, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, and Lexington Fairness. Click below for more details.
February 12, 2016 - 11:26am
