Kentucky commemorates the 25th anniversary of Fairness Ordinances, now adopted in 24 cities

BOWLING GREN, Ky.- The commonwealth is celebrating 25 years of fairness ordinances, a city’s local law banning discrimination against the LGBTQ community, but not all cities have a local ordinance. Today in Frankfort, LGBTQ advocates and state leaders, including Governor Andy Beshear celebrated 25 years of Fairness Ordinances across the Commonwealth.

Patti Minter, former State Representative and candidate for Bowling Green Mayor, Patti Minter, says “Fairness is the right thing to do. Everyone should have equal rights and basic human dignity; 24 other cities have realized that, so Bowling Green could be the 25th.”

There are 24 cities in Kentucky that have adopted a Fairness ordinance, but Bowling Green is not one of them. Minter says, “We want to make sure that we create a business environment where companies want to come here, and when people get here, they want to stay here, instead of feeling like they don’t have the same rights as the places they moved from.”

Fairness ordinances now affect nearly a third of Kentucky’s population, but still lacking in the fastest-growing city. Mayor of Bowling Green, Todd Alcott says, “People want us, as the city leaders, to do the business of the city. For me personally, to endeavor in a fairness ordinance I don’t think that’s necessary because how we treat everybody across the board is more important than how we treat just one special interest group.”

The Bowling Green Fairness Ordinance was first introduced in 2017 and seen again in 2019 when it was voted on by city commissioners with a 3-2 vote against the ordinance.