Election 2010 could bring additional changes to Kentucky’s political makeup. Democrats have taken additional seats in the Kentucky Senate, and the Commonwealth has two openly gay men running for the Kentucky House of Representatives. One key to victory for gay politicians has been building reputations in their communities as candidates well qualified for the job. Voters who may be uncomfortable with homosexuality in the abstract are often willing to vote for a gay individual they feel they know, political strategists claim.

Representative Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville) pre-filed legislation to overturn Kentucky’s same-sex marriage, civil unions, and the domestic partnerships ban. Marzian, a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since 1994 told United We Stand News™ that she filed the legislation “to let Kentucky’s LGBT citizens know that there are people in the General Assembly who believe that all Kentuckians deserve justice and fairness.”

The Kentucky Young Democrats, and the Young Democrats of America (“YDA”) also have their eyes on the Kentucky Senate, as Democrats have an opportunity to retake the upper chamber of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Until the politicians who take our community for granted realize that they can no longer count on our votes unless we can count on theirs, things will never change for Kentucky’s LGBTI community. A Democratic majority in the Kentucky Senate could also mean a school bullying bill would be passed, in addition to a statewide equality law prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing, and credit for Kentucky’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community. Both measures have passed the Democratic controlled House of Representatives in the past, but died in the Republican controlled Senate.

U.S. House moves to extend health benefits to gay couples, but its future in the U.S. Senate remains unclear. Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell (R) a senior Senator and the U.S. Senate Minority Leader will like vote against it, or worse still, attempt to stop the bill in the U.S. Senate.

Matthew Vanderpool (D-Lexington), an openly gay male is running against conservative incumbent Stan Lee (R-Lexington). If elected, Vanderpool would be the only gay lawmaker in Kentucky. Representative Lee has been responsible for filing a lot of anti-gay legislation.