LGBTQ rights in Kentucky

LGBTQ rights in Kentucky
Kentucky (USA)
StatusLegal since 1992
(Kentucky v. Wasson)
Gender identityTransgender individuals may alter their birth certificate after sex-reassignment surgery
Discrimination protectionsSexual orientation and gender identity protections (see below)
Family rights
Recognition of relationshipsSame-sex marriage since 2015
RestrictionsKentucky Constitutional Amendment 1 limits marriage to one man and one woman (not enforceable), and prohibits non-marriage same-sex unions.
AdoptionSingle homosexuals may adopt

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Kentucky still face some legal challenges not experienced by other people. Same-sex sexual activity in Kentucky has been legally permitted since 1992, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy statute for same-sex couples. Same-sex marriage is legal in Kentucky under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. The decision, which struck down Kentucky's statutory and constitutional bans on same-sex marriages and all other same-sex marriage bans elsewhere in the country, was handed down on June 26, 2015.

Like some Southern states in the U.S., Kentucky has generally been viewed as socially conservative; however, recent polls indicate that a slim majority (51 percent) of Kentuckians support same-sex marriage, and support has been increasing over time.[1] In 2010, Lexington elected its first openly gay mayor, Jim Gray, who went on to become the first openly LGBT Senate candidate from Kentucky in 2016.[2] Several cities in the state prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, and accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The Louisville-based Fairness Campaign, founded in 1991, is the state's oldest and largest LGBT advocacy organization in operation.[3] In 2008, a Fairness Coalition[4] was formed to collectively advance LGBT anti-discrimination protections in the commonwealth; its members are the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky,[5] Fairness Campaign, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, and Lexington Fairness.[6]

  1. ^ Jones, Robert P.; Cox, Daniel; Griffin, Robert; Fisch-Friedman, Molly; Vandermaas-Peeler, Alex (2017). "Emerging Consensus on LGBT Issues, Findings from the 2017 American Values Atlas" (PDF). Public Religion Research Institute. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Roarty, Alex (August 15, 2016). "Kentucky Has a Gay Senate Candidate — Does Anybody Care?". Roll Call.
  3. ^ Phillip M. Bailey (October 27, 2011). "Yarmuth Commemorates Fairness Campaign's 20th Anniversary". Archives.wfpl.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  4. ^ "Kentucky. It's a State of Fairness". Fairness Coalition. Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  5. ^ "ACLU of Kentucky - Fairness Coalition to Hire EKY Regional Organizer". Aclu-ky.org. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  6. ^ Aldridge, Michael. "Ky. should keep leading on fairness for all its citizens | Op-Ed". Kentucky.com. Retrieved November 2, 2013.