With a vote of 3-2 tonight, the Woodford County, Kentucky town of Versailles, population 8,568, became the fourteenth city in the commonwealth with a Fairness Ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. By becoming the fourth city to adopt the measure this year, Versailles makes 2019 a record-breaking year for Fairness Ordinances in Kentucky. In 1999 and 2013 three Kentucky cities passed Fairness Ordinances.
Donate $14, $140, $1,400, or any amount to celebrate Versailles as Kentucky's 14th city with Fairness!
Led by a group of local residents that have formed Woodford County Fairness with the help of the ACLU of Kentucky and Fairness Campaign, the victory in Versailles is the latest in a string of Kentucky cities that have recently voted to approve Fairness Ordinances this year, including the Georgetown last month, the Northern Kentucky town of Dayton in August, and the Western Kentucky city Henderson in May.
"After working for six years for a Fairness Ordinance in Versailles, we are so happy to see success," shared
Rebecca Kelly, a Woodford County Fairness member. "I did this for my sister, who lives in Kansas and faces the same issues. I want everyone to feel safe and welcome in this wonderful place we call home."
Thirteen other Kentucky cities have adopted local Fairness Ordinances, covering nearly thirty percent of the state's population—Louisville (1999), Lexington (1999), Covington (2003), Vicco (2013), Frankfort (2013), Morehead (2013), Danville (2014), Midway (2015), Paducah (2018), Maysville (2018), Henderson (2019), Dayton (2019), and Georgetown.
2020 will mark the 20th anniversary of the introduction of a Statewide Fairness Law, which has only ever received two informational hearings in the Kentucky General Assembly. This year, nearly a quarter of state legislators co-sponsored the measure.
Send a message to your Kentucky state legislators now to pass a Statewide Fairness Law!
