Subject: Jefferson County, Ky. Passes Fairness Ordinance
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 12:32:33 EDT

From The Letter - Kentucky's gay, lesbian, bisexual & transgender newspaper
Louisville, Kentucky

JEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY PASSES FAIRNESS ORDINANCE

Louisville (Oct. 12).  By a vote of 3-1, commissioners on Jefferson County 
Fiscal Court today approved a comprehensive civil rights measure called the 
Fairness ordinance that extends civil rights protections based on sexual 
orientation and gender identity in the areas of employment, housing, and 
public accommodations.

Jefferson County is the most populous county in Kentucky, containing nearly 
700,000 residents, or about one in five in the state.  Its largest city is 
Louisville.

The vote came after months of public debate and a final hearing this morning 
at which 21 individuals spoke both for and against the measure.  But the 
outcome had been assured since late July when Democratic commissioner Joe 
Corradino, who had previously not taken a stand on the proposal, decided to 
support it.  He joined commissioners Russ Maple and Darryl Owens, also 
Democrats, who came out in favor of it as soon as the idea was brought up 
last winter.

Jefferson County Judge/Executive Rebecca Jackson, the lone Republican, voted 
against it.

One legal question is whether the ordinance covers residents of the city of 
Louisville, who are currently protected against discrimination on the basis 
of sexual orientation and gender identity in the area of employment only.  
County attorneys believe they are, but the city attorney says he won't make a 
determination until after he sees the final law.

Christian conservatives promise to file a lawsuit against the new law in 
federal district court.  Their arguments focus mainly on the contention that 
it violates the free expression of their religious beliefs and their freedom 
of association.  A similar suit has already been filed against Louisville's 
ordinance, which was passed in January.  A new civil rights law in Henderson, 
Ky. is also expected to be challenged.

A fourth jurisdiction--Lexington/Fayette County in the state's central 
Bluegrass region--passed an ordinance similar to Jefferson County's in July.  
No suit has yet been filed against it.

Ten months ago, no Kentucky residents were covered by Fairness laws.  Now, 
about 25% are, but that may change in 2000.  A measure to extend similar 
protections statewide has been pre-filed before the Kentucky General Assembly 
and is expected to be debated during the next biennial session, due to get 
underway in January.

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