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In Kentucky, that phrase carries weight. Every March, it becomes gospel. You do not have to be perfect. You do not have to win pretty. You just have to survive and move on. This week, Senate Bill 72 survived committee, and it advanced. Then, it passed the full Senate. But here is the problem. For too many Kentuckians, this bill flips the script. It asks marginalized communities to do the surviving so the legislation can do the advancing.

By now, the pattern is all too familiar. Another bill in America – in particular, Frankfort, KY – aimed at drag performances. Another round of rhetoric claiming this is all about “protecting children.” Same script, different day. If General Assemblies subscribed to Spotify, these bills would make the most played lists. Every year.

We’re proud to report ACLU-KY's priority piece of legislation for the 2026 legislative session, the Family Preservation and Accountability Act, was heard in and passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 30, 2026.

Two words kept showing up in Frankfort this week, and not by accident.

If you follow politics even casually, you have probably heard a small blizzard of terms thrown around this time of year.

In 2026, every seat in the Kentucky House and half of the Senate will be on the ballot. That fact alone makes the upcoming legislative session consequential. But the real stakes go deeper.

Across the country, DEI is under fire. Boards are scrapping programs. Legislators are banning conversations. And somewhere in all this noise, people are forgetting the obvious.

I’m Jill Seelmeyer, and I’m thrilled to introduce myself as the new Development Director at the ACLU of Kentucky.

Kentucky's fines and fees system incarcerates the poor on the taxpayer's dime | Opinion