Kentucky's Gay Organizations are as divided as ever

As the 2008 election nears, Kentucky’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community remains as divided as ever.

Nationally, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has been battling protests around the country for leaving the transgender community out of critical federal legislation.

In Kentucky, the Kentucky Equality Federation and the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, the largest statewide LGBT advocates remain at arms length. Their relationship, from the beginning has always been strained; Kentucky Equality Federation was, after all, founded by former members of Kentucky Fairness Alliance. In recent months however, I noticed Kentucky Equality Federation has been promoting or sponsoring selective Kentucky Fairness Alliance events.

In the midst of problems between Kentucky Equality Federation and Kentucky Fairness Alliance, the Fairness Campaign, which predates both organizations, continues separate work in Louisville.

This year, two new organizations sprouted, after once being chapters of Kentucky Fairness Alliance: Lexington Fairness, and Northern Kentucky Equality.

Perhaps individual cities having their own organizations will work best, since they can focus exclusively on the mayor, city councils, school districts, etc. and push an equality-for-all agenda while the statewide organizations can focus on the Kentucky House of Representatives, the Senate, and play a role in federal politics.

This year, individuals deliberately tried (and succeeded) in tearing apart alliances between Kentucky’s GLBT organizations based on supposition, innuendo, and self-serving (and indeed, self-defeating) interests.

Unless you are friends with someone who is GLBT, you probably haven’t heard the saying, “gay drama.” Well, I’ll break it to you like this, nothing I have ever witnessed compares to the intense emotions felt in gay drama.

My advice, sign-up for alerts and emails from both statewide organizations and give money to the one (or both) you think is headed in the right direction. If you live in a city that has its own local GLBT organization, sign-up for alerts from them also.