Hundreds turn out to fight for gay rights.

Yesterday was a historic day in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as gay rights organizations and their allies brought the fight directly to their seat of government at the Kentucky Capitol in Frankfort.

Hosted by Kentucky Fairness Alliance and Louisville's Fairness Campaign, with support from Kentucky Equality Federation and Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, more than 250 people showed up at the Capitol Rally.

Kentucky Equality Federation would like to give special thanks to Model High School's Gay-Straight Alliance as well as the Eastern Kentucky University Pride Alliance, and Boone County High School Gay-Straight Alliance for their support. Federation President Jordan Palmer, Federation Alliance Manager Clarence Wallace, and Northern Chapter President Nick Herweck coordinated their participation in the historic event.

Special thanks also to Jordan Boyer with Model High School, and Ms. Staci Wilson.

"We must fight the bigotry anti-gay groups and some homophobic elected officials practice; they want nothing more than to dehumanize a large group of people, deny their humanity, happiness, health, civil, and God given rights. If this isn't challenged by everyone, we are giving our government the green light to victimize other minority groups." - Jordan Palmer, Kentucky Equality Federation President

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Another school bullying incident; House Bill 64.

While the legislature sits on the School Bullying Bill (House Bill 64) to exempt homosexuals, our children remain in danger. The General Assembly failed to pass the same bill last year.

Attached is 6th letter (similar) Kentucky Equality Federation has sent to schools across Kentucky in February 2007 alone on behalf of parents. This particular incident involves Conner High School in Boone County.

This letter was sent VIA overnight mail to Conner High School on behalf of a parent (see attached; name deleted to protect privacy) on Friday. Her son has been assaulted and called names on a daily basis for the past two years.

This letter to the principal, superintendant, and the Kentucky Department of Education, states:

Being called “faggot,” “freak boy,” and “freak” over a period of approximately two years is unacceptable, requiring immediate correction by Conner High School.

As educators you have a constitutional and moral obligation to protect the emotional, physical, and mental wellbeing of the students under your care.

Though we offer our assistance in any fashion you may deem appropriate let there be no mistake as to our position on this matter; the school district, school, principal, every teacher, and every staff member at Conner High School shall be held legally ccountable for the educational, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of name deleted.

As a joint citizen of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States name deleted is entitled to protection under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution; this means Conner High School has a duty to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students from harassment on an equal basis with all other students.

Title IX of the Equal Protection Clause also prohibits gender-based harassment, including harassment on the basis of a student’s failure to conform to stereotyped notions of masculinity and femininity.

Title IX also permits lawsuits to be filed to sue for money damages in state or federal court.

Kentucky Equality Federation hereby demands corrective action be initiated immediately by Conner High School to protect name deleted educational, physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing. Should specific, detailed corrective action not be taken by Conner High School, Kentucky Equality Federation will sue the school district for violating the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution as well as the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

If you haven't signed the petition to ask the Kentucky House of Representatives to pass House Bill 64 without amendments, click here.

Federation pledges to triple funding/support to GSAs.

Kentucky Equality Federation pledged yesterday to step-up its funding and support to Gay-Straight Alliances located in high schools, colleges, and universities throughout the commonwealth.

"Education and exposure to diversity in non-threatening environments promotes tolerance; it is critical this occur during high-school and college when individual minds are significantly more open to social diversity," stated Jordan Palmer, Kentucky Equality Federation President.

The decision was also based on a recent UCLA study. Researchers found that today's freshmen are more vocal about their political ideologies than in previous years, with 33.8% saying they've recently discussed politics, up from 25.5% in 2004, when the question was last asked.

The percentage of students identifying themselves as "liberal," 28.4%, is at its highest level since 1975, and those identifying as "conservative," 23.9%, at its highest level in the survey's 40-year history.

Based on a paper questionnaire given to 271,441 first-time, full-time college students at 393 schools nationwide in 2006, the annual survey was conducted as part of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program under UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute. The researchers statistically adjusted the data to reflect the demographics of the 1.3 million incoming freshmen entering four-year schools throughout the U.S. in 2006.

Kentucky Equality Federation already provides materials, support, and financial contributions to some of Kentucky's largest Gay-Straight Alliances. Federation management however has pledged to triple its financial and material support to the alliances it is already supporting, as well as the ones it is currently not.

"These students represent Kentucky's future, and we intend to have a Gay-Straight Alliance in every high school, college, and university in Kentucky by the end of 2008," stated Palmer. "Gay-Straight Alliances provide a safe and supportive environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and their straight allies, in addition to educating and exposing students, faculty, and staff to diversity in non-threatening environments; often however these alliances are restrained by lack of funding, and we intend to change that."

Kentucky Equality Federation was instrumental in getting the Boone County High School Gay-Straight Alliance approved in 2006 after threatening to sue the school. Kentucky Equality Federation currently works closely with, and provides support to Eastern Kentucky University’s Pride Alliance and Northern Kentucky University’s Common Ground.

Boone County High School in Florence, KY gives Gay-Straight Alliance a Green Light.

FLORENCE, KY (PRWEB) July 20, 2006 - Boone County High School has ended more four months of stonewalling and avoided a federal lawsuit by finally approving the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance.

The school's Site-Based Council unanimously approved the formation of the club at a meeting Wednesday night.

In June, the Kentucky Equality Association said in a letter to school administrators that LGBT students at Boone County High School were the victims of discrimination. The organization also said that the school's action may be illegal under the Kentucky Education Reform Act and threatened to go to court.

In its letter to the school the Kentucky Equality Association reminded it that the Federal Equal Access Act requires schools to treat GSA’s as they would any other school group.

While the school delayed making a decision on whether it would allow a GSA to organize it approved 16 other clubs including one dedicated to the animated cartoon, Anime.

"It was both remarkable and wonderful to see various groups and organizations from two states in the same room to support such a wonderful cause; to make sure our gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, and questioning teenagers have a school club were they are accepted, and can talk freely in a non-threatening environment," said Jordan Palmer, President of the Kentucky Equality Association in a statement following Wednesday night's vote.

Nick Herweck, the organizer of the GSA and a senior member of the Kentucky Equality Association had an unprecedented amount of support from organizations and groups across two states, including the AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky University’s Pride Alliance, Northern Kentucky University’s Common Ground, Cincinnati’s Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, a representative from Social Services, various community members, and the Kentucky Fairness Alliance filled the commons area of the school to support the formation of the Boone County High School Gay-Straight Alliance.

The Kentucky Equality Association invited Northern Kentucky University's Common Ground, as well as the Kentucky Fairness Alliance to the event.

GSA's are in schools across the country. In areas where school boards have attempted to block them Federal courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of the students. Recent cases were in Utah, California and Indiana.

In 2004 a Federal judge ruled in favor of students that wanted to organize a GSA in another Kentucky community. As part of the settlement to end the case the Boyd County school district agreed to establish required anti-harassment training for all students.

Last March a judge ruled that students opposed to homosexuality could not opt out of the course.

Kentucky Equality Assoc. supports GSA at Boone County High School

Covington, KY (PRWEB) June 01, 2006 -- After receiving reports that officials at Boone County High School could be delaying the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance ("GSA"), the Kentucky Equality Association has sent a letter and information pamphlets to the school's principal. The information sent to the school is entitled "Just the Facts" and has been endorsed by the American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, National Association of Social Workers, and the National Education Association, among others.

The federal Equal Access Act requires schools to treat GSA's as they would any other school group, according to the letter sent Tuesday to Ms. Peggy Brooks the principal of Boone County High School.

The Kentucky Equality Association believes delaying or denying the formation of a Gay-Straight Alliance would also violate the Kentucky Education Reform Act.

According to information obtained from the school's website, 16 clubs are currently active in the school including a club dedicated to the animated cartoon, Anime.

A GSA provides a place for students to meet, support each other, talk about issues related to sexual orientation, and work to end homophobia. Many GSA's function as a support group and provide safety and confidentiality to students who are struggling with their identity as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.

Federal courts have repeatedly ruled in favor of GSA's where schools tried to block their formation, upholding students' right to form the groups in Salt Lake City, Utah, Orange, California, Franklin Township, Indiana, and Boyd County, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Equality Association has offered to make additional information available to any official or student of Boone County High School. "The Kentucky Equality Association will be pleased to provide information and data sheets about GSA's to any other school official or student in the commonwealth," stated Jordan Palmer, association president.

The Advisory Council of the Kentucky Equality Association will continue to monitor the formation of the GSA club at Boone County High School through its members.

LINK: http://commonwealth-equality.org/media/news_articles/pr_05302006.pdf