Why we do not eat

By: Jordan Palmer

The Chick-Fil-A controversy is creating a rift within the LGBTI community in Kentucky, and according to a Baptist blogger for CNN, R. Albert Mohler Jr., "[this is] a clear sign that religious liberty is at risk and that this nation has reached the brink of tyrannical intolerance."

Well, I don't agree with Mr. Mohler's assessment, but over the past month Kentucky Equality Federation has received a lot of complaints, especially from LGBTI people seeing other LGBTI people and campus gay-straight alliance leaders eating at Chick-Fil-A locations.

I have reluctantly, not in the best of health, taken the position of president of Kentucky Equality Federation again, and, by doing so, became the ex officio president of Marriage Equality Kentucky and the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Advocacy Campaign. As a founder of Kentucky Equality Federation and its president again (only until Mr. Joshua Koch returns from his pending military deployment), I feel the need to clarify our position as well as the position of our component member organizations.

On August 15th, a former volunteer for a LBGTI center shot a security guard at a Family Research Council office while apparently trying to gain access to their senior staff, volunteers, interns, or their president.

Kentucky Equality Federation condemns violence in all forms. We must not sink to their level, and we will not condone any violence against opposing non-profits or non-government organizations, even if said organization is a hate group. As someone who receives their fair share of death threats and discussing them with U.S. Attorney Kerry Harvey, as he indicated to me, the people who make threats are not the ones you must fear. Rather, it is the ones who do not make threats you must worry about because they carry out these attacks.

Regardless of the petty "cliques" that already divide Kentucky’s LGBTI community, I say to all, take a step back and clear your heads.

Chick-Fil-A donates to the Family Research Council. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Family Research Council as a hate group and Kentucky Equality Federation agrees with their classification. As Senior Fellow Mark Potok stated: "The council [Family Research Council] earned the designation for spreading false propaganda about the gay community, not for its opposition to same-sex marriage. They routinely push out demonizing claims that gay people are child molesters and worse - claims that are provably false."

The Family Research Council was actually started by Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, another anti-equality hate group. Though Kentucky Equality Federation does not agree with violence, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family have no remorse for the legislation they stop to bring equality to communities, and they are absolutely certain they are correct in their destructive courses of action because they honestly believe they have superior morality. When you consider, however, that Chick-Fil-A, as well as the Family Research Council, could have fed over 5,000 homeless Kentuckians or other citizens across America for the $25,000.00 they spent lobbying the U.S. Congress not to condemn or interfere in the republic of Uganda’s “kill the gays legislation,” which would have legalized and encouraged a common everyday occurrence in the Middle East, African nation-states, Russia, and South America. They have a right to speak what they will, but we take issue when they provide moral cover for sexual genocide.

This incident also revealed yet another secret Washington, D.C., group, "The Family," which several U.S. Congressman wrote to Kentucky Equality Federation (view) about because we are a member of the International Lesbian, Gay, Trans and Intersex Organization, "ILGA," and a United Nations non-government observer with consultative status. Kentucky Equality Federation, along with ILGA expressed its outrage to the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and Queen Elizabeth II, the head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton acted, as did United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, by pulling HIV/AIDS relief efforts from those nation-states since the United Nations employs LGBTI people. Ban Ki-moon, as the leader of the United Nations, also warned member-states about the treatment of their LGBTI populations, reminding them that LGBTI people are protected by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Is this "superior morality?" No. Kentucky Equality Federation first donated to Kentucky's homeless youth in April 2009 (press release). As far as being a hate group, the Family Research Council is "guilty as charged," and so is Chick-Fil-A, as their president indicated.

As president of Kentucky Equality Federation, I personally urge you not to eat at a Chick-Fil-A location. By eating at Chick-Fil-A, you give additional royalties to a restaurant chain that donates to a group that that uses propaganda, misinformation, and lobbyists to place obstacles in our path and rally against our very right to exist. They are even willing to spend money to eradicate us, as if we were some sort of plague.

Though Chick-Fil-A publically announced their religious beliefs, other companies that share their beliefs include Forever 21, Tyson Foods, Hobby Lobby, ServiceMaster, Interstate Batteries, and Walmart. (source)

I am not straight, gay, bisexual, transgender, Black, White, intersex, lesbian, or any other word someone would choose to label or define me. I am human. For some, though I will never understand how, it is easy to dismiss other humans and deny their fundamental civil liberties by placing a label on them.

The choice of eating at a Chick-Fil-A location is ultimately the decision of each person based on their conscience, but those who do, in my opinion, have lost perspective as to why we are boycotting Chick-Fil-A. Be aware that any money spent with such enablers is being spent to support the killing and increased misery of our allies here and around the world. As a community, we must remain united and check our personal opinions and attitudes at the door. Until we can do this and fight united, the equality and fairness that is denied to us shall always elude us, visible in appearance, but always just shy of our grasp.

---> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

Lexington anti-gay and anti-abortion Billboard ordered removed by the owner

Months ago, Kentucky Equality Federation began an extensive search for the owner of the Billboard on Lexington's New Circle Road.

Kentucky Equality Federation founder and Board member Jordan Palmer contacted Viacom Outdoor as well as Bluegrass Community and Technical College. Kentucky Equality Federation Chairman of the Board Brandon Combs contacted the Fayette County PVA, the Kentucky Department of Revenue and other agencies to find the owner.

Initially, tax records revealed nothing, but the owner was found. They ordered the removal of the Billboard with an apology:

Kentucky Equality Federation:

Ms. Mcdowell- I'm am reaching out to you on behalf of the Kentucky Equality Federation Board of Directors. I was direct to you by Ms. Jo Southworth with RJ Corman.

There is a billboard that, according to Ms. Southworth, CSX owns in Lexington Kentucky. It is off of New Circle Road, near Opportunity Way. It is leased, by you, to Kentucky Outdoor Advertising, Inc. out of Bowling Green, KY.

Essentially, I want this billboard's current advertisement removed. It states: "Homosexuality is an abomination [and] Abortion is murder" with Biblical references under each statement.

According to CSX's own webpage, they are committed to non-discrimination against both gender and sexual orientation.

Attached are some pictures so you can locate the information and agreements you need, of the advertisement, etc. Please contact me at the below listed cell phone. I would like to discuss this matter as soon as possible.

Here is the original news story:

http://www.lex18.com/news/some-upset-by-controversial-billboard-along-new-circle-road-in-lexington/

If you follow the story, you will see that the billboard was put in place, stolen, and replaced. It has caused a media frenzy, and nothing has been done to correct the problem.

__________________________________
Brandon Combs, MS:SSEM, ASHM
Board of Directors, Chairman
Kentucky Equality Federation

CSX Responds:

Dear Mr. Combs, This has reference to your email of July 24, 2012 to Ms. Ana McDowell on behalf of the Kentucky Equality Federation Board of Directors regarding a billboard located on CSX Transportation, Inc. property in Lexington, Kentucky.

CSX is very proud of its reputation and takes matters such as this serious. CBS Outdoor Systems, Inc., a third party, manages signboards for CSX across our system and under our agreement with them, they are to remove any offensive advertisements within thirty (30) days of being notified. CBS contacted the signboard owner immediately, who in turn has now removed the advertisement.

We apologize for the offensive message and certainly appreciate it being brought to our attention.

Karen P. Clarke
Manager – Leasing

Official Kentucky Equality Federation Statements:

July 05, 2012: Kentucky Equality Federation responds to the return of the Lexington homophobic billboard. Lexington's Billboard Controversy Continues.

May 26, 2012: Lexington's billboard - homosexuality is a sin; abortion is murder

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

Fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A opposes gay marriage and funds anti-gay organizations

Fast-food chain Chick-Fil-A no longer backs gay marriage, the company says it's backing out of gay marriage debate after president's candid comments.

A post Thursday on the official Chick-Fil-A Facebook page said, 'Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.'

The official statement follows backlash from president Dan Cathy’s admission that the company is “guilty as charged” when it comes to opposing gay marriage.

Dan Cathy oversees one of the country's most successful businesses. As president and chief operating officer of Chick-fil-A, Cathy leads a business with 1,608 restaurants that had sales of more than $4 billion dollars last year. They sell chicken and train employees to focus on values rooted in the Bible.

In an interview with the Baptist Press this week, Cathy said Chick-Fil-A is “very much supportive of the family - the biblical definition of the family unit.”

To that end, the company has donated millions of dollars to organizations such as Focus on the Family and the Marriage & Family Foundation, which fight against gay marriage.

"We don't claim to be a Christian business," Cathy said in a recent visit to the State of North Carolina. He attended a business leadership conference many years ago where he heard Christian businessman Fred Roach say, "There is no such thing as a Christian business."

"That got my attention," Cathy said. Roach went on to say, "Christ never died for a corporation. He died for you and me."

"All throughout the New Testament there is an evangelism strategy related to our performance in the workplace. ... Our work should be an act of worship. Our work should be our mission field. As long as we are stateside, let's don't think we have to go on mission trips by getting a passport. ... If you're obedient to God you are going to be evangelistic in the quality of the work you do, using that as a portal to share [Christ]," he said.

When asked if Chick-fil-A's success is attributed to biblical values, Cathy quickly said, "I think they're inseparable. God wants to give us wisdom to make good decisions and choices." Quoting James 1:5, he spoke of how often he asks God for wisdom.

"Frequently Jesus challenged us to just ask ... we're simply not asking as often as we should. We need to be more faithful to depend on a God who does love us and wants to have a relationship with us, and wants to give us the desires of our hearts."

When questioned about Chick-Fil-A's "Closed on Sunday" policy Cathy responded, "It was not an issue in 1946 when we opened up our first restaurant. But as living standards changed and lifestyles changed, people came to be more active on Sundays."

The policy has not changed over the years as malls began changing their policies by opening on Sundays.

"We've always put in our lease that we will be closed on Sundays," Cathy said. "We've had a track record that we were generating more business in six days than the other tenants were generating in seven [days]."

"While developers had no identity whatsoever with our corporate purpose to 'glorify God and be a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and have a positive influence on all that come in contact with Chick-fil-A,' they did identify with the rent checks that we wrote to the mall, that were based on our sales.

Facebook Post:

The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect – regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender. We will continue this tradition in the over 1,600 Restaurants run by independent Owner/Operators. Going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.

Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, we believe that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of our profits back to our communities are what make us a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.

Our mission is simple: to serve great food, provide genuine hospitality and have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

AIDS risk higher for gay, bisexual black men according to experts

The Washington Times published the following today, at first glance the article appears to be prejudice until you realize they are only giving statistical facts and urging additional education, testing, and treatment for the Black community.  The items in block-quotes are additions and did not appear in The Washington Times article:

Black men who are gay or bisexual are "at the center" of the U.S. HIV/AIDS epidemic and should be a primary focus of testing, service and treatment efforts, a federal official and advocates said Wednesday.

In 2008, a study in New York City said 4 out of 10 gay men are not out to their doctors about their sexuality - meaning they are far less likely to get tested for HIV. Several years ago, The Kentucky Channel had a special report about the Black community and AIDS in Kentucky.

2006 Kentucky Report - Aids in Kentucky:
- 47% of HIV positive people are not aware of their status and continue to have multiple sexual partners.
- Nearly 85% of all AIDS cases in the commonwealth are within the Bluegrass Region including Covington, Frankfort, Florence, Georgetown, Lexington, Louisville, Richmond, and Winchester.

Black men who have sex with men (MSM) account for one in four new HIV infections, even though they represent only one in 500 Americans, the Black AIDS Institute said in its new report, "Back of the Line: The State of AIDS Among Black Gay Men in America 2012."

This infection rate climbs quickly with age for these men: The odds of a black MSM becoming infected with HIV is about 8 percent at age 20 and nearly 60 percent by age 40.

Moreover, unless they receive treatment, black MSM "are significantly less likely to be alive three years after testing HIV-positive," when compared to white MSM, said the report.

Black MSM “continue to be first in line when it comes to need, but remain at the back of the line when it comes to assistance," said Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of the Black AIDS Institute.

“We need a new mindset,” Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told a media briefing at the Kaiser Family Foundation in the District. Black MSM “are not simply a fringe group in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Dr. Fenton. “They are, in fact, at the center of the nation’s epidemic, and we cannot achieve an AIDS-free generation, or the end of AIDS in the United States, unless we make major inroads in the fight against HIV among black gay men.” Panelists talked about stigma, homophobia and other heightened risk factors for black MSM.

Research indicates that black MSM “are no more likely to engage in HIV-related risk behaviors than other MSM,” said Ernest Hopkins, chairman of the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition and director of legislative affairs at the San Franciso AIDS Foundation.

But they are associated with risk factors such as early sexual experience, having older sex partners, being molested as a child, being incarcerated, growing up in poverty, homelessness and suffering discrimination, said Mr. Hopkins.

Read the entire story at The Washington Times.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

Rand Paul Humiliates Kentucky Again

By: Joshua Koch, Temporary President & sitting Vice President of Policy & Public Relations

Senator Rand Paul has an unenviable penchant for embarrassing Kentucky on a semi-regular basis.  Having changed his tune on a number of issues since he became affiliated with the Republican Party of Kentucky as a candidate in 2009, his latest foray into the issue of marriage equality is a source of shame for the Commonwealth.

According to various news sources, Rand Paul recently visited the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition last Friday.  There, among his social conservative friends, he decided to chime in on President Obama's recent shift on Marriage Equality.

“The president recently weighed in on marriage and you know he said his views were evolving on marriage,” Paul said. “Call me cynical, but I wasn’t sure his views on marriage could get any gayer.”

Paul has now been criticized by equality opponents and LGBTI groups, alike.  It speaks volumes that even the Republican National Committee and the Family Research Council, historic opponents of equality, cannot support his remarks publicly.  This is a public relations disaster for them because it reveals the sort of bumper-sticker sloganeering they employ to attack equality and enforce unthinking conformity among their faithful followers.

Senator Paul's remarks are juvenile and beneath the dignity of his office, but they reveal a sinister undertone among the anti-equality forces marshaling their forces around the country to ban marriage equality and so-called "gay adoption" in states around the United States, most recently in North Carolina.  This "quip" is just the tip of the iceberg, when considering the culture of hate and inequality as a whole.

Having grown up in an anti-gay fundamentalist family myself, I heard this sort of line all the time.  The sad part is that this insulting language is part of a non-rational culture which believes that any tactic is justified in defense of the ideals of the social conservative ideal.  It has a devastating impact on children raised in the movement, on the targets of the speech, and on the ability of the social conservative movement to process any issue rationally.  I know this because it did the same thing to me as a teen and young adult, until I was confronted on it by LGBTI friends, who forced me to examine my own anti-equality sentiments.

Senator Paul is an embarrassment to Kentucky and his allies, but he has exposed a major problem with the social conservative extremists:  This is the way they think and communicate on equality issues that we hold dear.  This is the way they speak when they think no one else is listening.  This is the sort of thing they say in churches and organizations to convince their followers to bully opponents.  While it is easy to lose focus on this comment, it is a symptom of a "conservative" subculture which fosters and indoctrinates the next generation in xenophobia and homophobia behind the closed walls of its own cloistered gatherings.

In Kentucky, we need to learn from this, rather than just be ashamed of it.  When people we know use this sort of slogan-spewing against equality around us, we need to confront it for the unthinking nonsense that it is.  This sort of thing seems silly and banal, until one realizes that this is the sort of thing that replaces rational thought for a great many adherents to the social conservative "traditional" dogma because this is all they are exposed to from a young age.  This is a form of intellectual abuse, now spouted blithely by a sitting US Senator.

When such empty jokes replace critical thought for such a large portion of our population, is it any wonder that they refuse to see the wisdom of equality and justice?

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.

Kentucky House Bill 336 and the Family Foundation of Kentucky

By: Will Taylor, Southeastern Kentucky Regional Director

This post from the Family Foundation of Kentucky is hardly worth our attention, but apparently the Family Foundation of Kentucky is taking Kentucky Equality Federation talking points since our press release was first.

To be clear, Kentucky Equality Federation supports Sr. Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo and any Represenative who tries to protect Kentucky children.  We agree with Representative Palumbo's statement.

However, as we reported, after receiving multiple school bullying reports across the commonwealth and contacting the schools, they knew nothing about EXISTING Kentucky School Bullying laws.  So Kentucky Equality Federation's Discrimination, Hate Crimes, and School Bullying Committee decided to act with the full support of our legal representation, President Palmer, and Vice President Koch.

School bullying laws need to be stronger, we have lost too many children to suicide and anyone who would dispute that is an idiot. However, the Kentucky Education Cabinet needs to educate principals and school officials on the current law which was the point of our warning to several schools.

Kentucky Equality Federation will ensure Kentucky School Bullying laws are enforced or we will sue to schools in question. So far, cooperation from the schools has been wonderful.  In addition, I guess the Family Foundation of Kentucky missed the article today about people being arrested by the FBI for hate crimes.  We have a new U.S. Attorney who will not tolerate hate crimes.

My region of Kentucky Equality Federation does not take marching from the Louisville Fairness Campaign as suggested; we will assist them, we support them, but the marching orders for my region come from legal representation, Policy (Vice President Joshua Koch), the President (Jordan Palmer), the Board of Directors, or as I deem appropriate.

As the Regional Director for Southeastern Kentucky, I have broad discretionary authority to act without seeking permission from anyone.

How desperate and sad the Family Foundation of Kentucky must be to try to play Kentucky Equality Federation against Louisville Fairness.

--> Posted by a volunteer Community Blogger of Kentucky Equality Federation. This is the official blog of Kentucky Equality Federation. Posts contained in this blog may not be the official position of Kentucky Equality Federation, its volunteer officers, directors, management, supported organizations, allies or coalitions, but rather the personal opinions or views of the volunteer Community Bloggers. The opinions or views expressed in the blog are protected by Section 1 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky as non-slanderous free speech; blogs are personal views or opinions and not journalistic news sites.