Lez Get Real has their press release, issued by their President, Jordan Palmer, their Vice President of Policy and Public Relations, Joshua Koch, their Southeastern Kentucky Regional Director, Will Taylor, and their Religious Communities Outreach Director, Minister Edith Baker who apparently holds a Ph.D.

Below is a copy of the joint statement Kentucky Equality Federation officials issued:

Harlan, KY – The legend surrounding the supposed repeal of the interracial marriage ban at Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church far exceeds the reality of the situation. Regardless of the position of any church, marriage (for legal purposes) is a contract between two people and the Commonwealth; only the Commonwealth can make it legal or dissolve it.

The supposed recent repeal of the ban is not a repeal at all. Rather, it is a judgment from a denominational church body outside the confines of the offending church. The supposed repentance of the moment is no more than a statement of opinion on Robert’s Rules of Order by the Sandy Valley Conference of Free Will Baptists.

While we would gladly applaud true repentance and reconciliation in this situation, we are candid enough to realize that this statement is not that. This is merely a procedural public relations move to deflect attention from the overt racism exhibited at Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church, which has drawn unpleasant national attention to the church.

The situation in Pike County is an embarrassment to the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky and we can only imagine what Stella Harville’s finance, Ticha Chikuni, originally from the Republic of Zimbabwe in Africa thinks of Kentucky now. From wars, the burning of witches, torture of heretics, the treatment of women, interracial discrimination, and same-sex discrimination, churches been the source of discrimination from the very beginning.

Robert’s Rules of Order can be handy in maintaining parliamentary procedure; however, banning a member of the church from full participation because she is engaged to a man of African ethnicity transcends the bounds of Robert’s Rules, offending, instead, the laws of human decency and faith. Why must a church appeal to a parliamentary procedural standard to justify revoking such a decision, when the tenets of its own faith condemn racism? The Bible, which explicitly condemns racist discrimination, should be a more relevant standard in such a reversal, and it would be if this were a truly repentant congregation.

True repentance includes acknowledging a sin for what it is and turning from it. Acknowledging a sin means admitting that the action was wrong according to a rigid standard, not merely contrary to parliamentary procedure. This has not been done by the church, as of the time of this statement. Driving someone away from those they know and love because of their choice to build a life with someone of another race is just plain wrong, regardless of whether its manner of adoption pleases parliamentarians or not.

This is yet another issue that churches use to remain segregated, just as most also refuse to perform same-sex ceremonies.

We encourage Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church to take responsibility, reach out to the offended couple, and build a true bond of openness and acceptance with all citizens.

The damage to the name of the Gulnare Free Will Baptist Church is now tarnished because the vote to ban marriages on interracial couples should never have occurred to begin with.

# # # # # #

NOTE: Kentucky Equality Federation is a member of “ILGA,” the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, a non-government observer at the United Nations with consultive status. ILGA is the world’s largest and oldest Federation with more than 800 affiliates worldwide. ILGA continues to be active in campaigning for LGBTI rights on the international human rights and civil rights scene and regularly petitions the United Nations and governments. ILGA is represented in around 110 countries across the world.

Even though Black churches across the United States have apologized to the gay community and now accept them, discrimination against Black people still takes place and the bulk of Black churches still condemn and forbid gay marriages and gay couples from being involved in church activities.

The Beshear Campaign snubbed the LGBTIQ community in an email tonight.  They completely ignored endorsements from the Louisville Fairness Campaign’s PAC: C-FAIR as well as the states deflated social organization, Kentucky Fairness Alliance who has over the past five years lost every chapter it had [which is happening now to Equality California].

The Beshear Campaign also snubbed Kentucky Equality Federation, the states largest all-volunteer civil rights organization which has in recent years leaned less on lobbying and become the states “bulling, hate crimes, and discrimination police.”

Perhaps the vote of the LGBTIQ community is unimportant to Governor Beshear, or perhaps he needs the votes in Republican strongholds like Northern, Southern, and extreme Western Kentucky even though the bulk of the Commonwealth’s population resides in the Central Kentucky.

Apparently newspaper endorsements are more important than endorsements from non-government organizations or perhaps only if the organizations are LGBTIQ.

The Governor did reinstate an executive order protecting the LGBTIQ community from discrimination if you work for the state, but has yet to issue an executive order granting hospital visitation rights or have an openly LGBTIQ person as part of his government.

Logo of Equality California.

The recently hired executive director of Equality California, the state’s major lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights organization, has resigned and will leave as of Friday, the group said Monday night.

The Marriage Director who Equality California recruited from Equality Massachusetts is also gone.

The news comes amid a deep cut in staff that the organization had not previously announced.

The evening e-mail statement came as opponents of SB48 face a Wednesday deadline to qualify a referendum to repeal that law, approved by Governor Jerry Brown earlier this year. That law mandates the teaching of the historical accomplishments of LGBT people and people with disabilities. Equality California appeared to be ready to defend it, though that is now in question.

In the e-mail, the organization’s Board of Directors said Roland Palencia “will step down as of Friday.” It also stated that the organization would release a “transition plan” by the end of this week.

Reached by phone, Palencia said, “I literally made a personal decision that I wanted to move on. There’s really nothing more to it.” He said he was not forced out by the board.

About the group’s financial situation, he said, “Right now a lot of nonprofits are having problems,” but he maintained that the organization has “a lot of support.”

Cathy Schwamberger, Equality California Institute board chairwoman, said its members were grateful for Palencia’s service “and wish him the best in all of his future endeavors.”

The organization appears to be in turmoil. Its recently laid-off Capitol office manager said staff has been cut drastically.

Matthew Bunch, who was the government affairs manager from January until he was laid off last month, said, “Everybody’s leaving,” adding that the organization has “a vacuum of leadership and a vacuum of staff.”

Rebekah Orr, Director of Communications for Equality California, said staff has shrunk from 18 to 11 this year, though she said more are “transitioning out of the organization.”

Former logo of the closed Equality Mississippi.

Equality Mississippi completely closed its doors in 2008 after eight years of being the only statewide LGBT civil rights organization in Mississippi.

Equality Mississippi’s Board of Directors decided, due to financial hardships, the organization was to be closed.

Kentucky Equality Federation creates special hate crimes region in Souteastern Kentucky.

After the Hazard Pavilion incident, two hate crimes in Harlan, one in Breathitt, and another in Bell County, all in the past month (with the exception of the Hazard Pavilion incident), Kentucky Equality Federation today created a special operating region with southeastern Kentucky:

Richmond, KY — Due to the increased problems in Southeastern Kentucky, the recent increase in hate crime activity, and the possibility that hate groups are increasing (including KKK Clans which Kentucky Equality Federation last engaged in 2008) their Southeastern Kentucky operations, Southeastern Kentucky is being declared a “Special Operating Region” within the greater Southern Kentucky Region.

Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer appointed the Southeastern Kentucky Special Operating Region with Mr. Will Taylor as the Southeastern Kentucky Regional Director. In addition, Mr. Joseph Vaughn was appointed Southeastern Kentucky Regional Organizer by Regional Director Will Taylor. The Southeastern Kentucky Special Region shall consist of Bell, Harlan, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, and Perry Counties.

Kentucky Equality Federation continues to communicate with officials from the U.S. Department of Justice, including Walter Atkinson, Senior Conciliation Specialist for Region IV with the Community Relations Service, Robin Dull, with the Civil Enforcement Section, and Bobbi Bernstein, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Section, Civil Rights Division.

The reasons Kentucky Equality Federation involved the U.S. Department of Justice was outlined in a previous press release.

In addition, Kentucky Equality Federation received a complaint that a gay male was beaten, raped, and reportedly left to die in the mountains of Southeastern Kentucky. This particular complaint, as well as the Harlan County assault with the lesbian couple and her children is still being investigated.

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is not unique in having hate groups; they operate around the nation and are tracked by the Anti-Defamation League, an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Though Kentucky Equality Federation is not aligned with the Anti-Defamation League, the information they provide to the public about hate groups is valuable.

The primary focus of the Southeastern Kentucky Special Operating Region shall be to gain additional volunteers, raise community awareness of Kentucky Equality Federation’s mission, intercede on behalf of hate-crime and discrimination victims in the region, and attempt to curb the hatred of LGBTI people and promote equality for all citizens regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, creed, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other defining characteristic.

Though the Southeastern Kentucky Special Operating Region shall remain part of the overall Southern Kentucky Region, both shall report directly to the Office of the President, the Board of Directors, and the Discrimination, Hate Crimes, and School Bullying Committee Chair.

“These difficult circumstances require new operational regions and directives,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. “Kentucky Equality Federation shall stand united with all victims; we shall not walk, we shall run to protect any victim of hate crimes, school bullying, discrimination or any other defining characteristic as outlined in our new Mission Statement. The continued hate crimes in Southeastern Kentucky are unacceptable as are the threats against Kentucky Equality Federation volunteers; they will not be tolerated. Bitter, firsthand hate crime and discrimination reports have proved how critical our values of tolerance and acceptance are and the mission they represent.”

Palmer continued: “When, in the darkest days of the American Revolutionary War, Thomas Paine wrote, ‘These are the times that try men’s [and women's] souls.’ Nothing seems closer to the truth, centuries later, as the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex community remain under constant attack from Louisville, Covington, Lexington, Ashland, and Bowling Green to Harlan. Nevertheless, we shall remain vigilant. We do not seek the approval of hate groups or intolerant people, only the acceptance that we have the same right to the pursuit of happiness as they do and, though they may continue to test our resolve, in the end, we shall prevail.”

Public Relations and Media Director Joshua Koch has also been appointed Vice President, Public Relations and Media to increase media attention on such issues.

“Kentucky Equality Federation will assume a proactive and aggressive posture on any reported crimes, discrimination events, retaliations, or other offenses against any person based on gender identity, sexual orientation, race, creed, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other defining characteristic,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation Vice President of Public Relations and Media Joshua Koch. “Volunteers and equality allies are urged to cooperate with local, state, and federal law enforcement to protect our communities from hateful conduct against any citizen. We will not tolerate, nor will we turn a blind eye to, any violence or intimidation, and we will pursue any offenses against persons or property to the fullest extent of civil and criminal law.”

The “9 to 5,” actress, singer and songwriter who also recorded and wrote a song Whitney Houston would later record again, “I Will Always Love You,” stated: “Everyone knows my personal support of the gay and lesbian community,” Parton’s statement said. “Dollywood is a family park and all families are welcome. We do have a policy about profanity or controversial messages on clothing or signs. It is to protect the individual wearing or carrying them, as well as to keep down fights or problems by those opposed to it at the park. We even offer free shirts in exchange to those who want to remain in the park.”

Dollywood officials have offered a refund the lesbian couple that a Dollywood employee asked one of the women to turn her T-shirt reading “marriage is so gay” inside-out to avoid offending others. Park officials were going to meet with the couple in person, but it was called off when Jennifer Tipton and Olivier Odom wanted to bring a representative from Campaign for Southern Equality, a gay rights organization.

Dollywood park spokesman Pete Owens told The Knoxville News Sentinel that the park didn’t want to meet with the representative, who wasn’t at the park at the time of the incident, so they sent the couple a letter and gave them a refund.

The couple complained after a park worker at Splash Country last month asked Odom to reverse her shirt.

Owens provided the couple with a statement from Dolly Parton, who said she was sorry for any hurt or embarrassment they felt over the request.

Odom and Tipton said they were glad to see Parton’s supportive statement, but were disappointed that Dollywood officials declined to meet with them and their equality advocate.

“I think it’s an opportunity for Dollywood to come out and publicly support their LGBT staff and visitors,” Odom said.

“We still want to see policy changed,” Tipton said.

Owens had previously said the park has a dress code policy to ask people with clothing or tattoos that could be considered offensive to change or cover up, and that the couple was not asked to leave and they complied with the request to turn the shirt inside out.

The couple sent a letter to Dollywood officials asking the park “to implement policies that are inclusive of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; conduct staff sensitivity training; and issue a public statement indicating that the park is inclusive of all families.”

Controversial T-Shirt

Wearing a T-shirt “marriage is so gay,” is controversial and contradictory to public service announcements by Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper, Miley Cyrus, Wanda Sykes, and other celebrities asking people to refrain from saying “that’s so gay,” “queer,” and other offensive language to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgende​r community. The theme for the public service announcements are intended to get people to “think before they speak.”

City of Hazard

As Berea is divided on a local ordinance, another seems to have united after a city employee forced two developmentally challenged men to leave a city pool, the Pavilion, citing the Bible as his reasoning.

The company Mending Hearts, Inc. contacted Kentucky Equality Federation for help. According to various media reports initial conversations with local officials and Kentucky Equality Federation did not go well resulting in a protest that over 100 people across the commonwealth attended according to Lex18 News.

Today however, Kentucky Equality Federation announced that is was no longer considering a lawsuit against the city and warns others about going forward with a gay pool party at the Pavilion:

Kentucky Equality Federation requested ‘gender identity‘ be added to the list of non-discrimination rules at The Pavilion [in addition to sexual orientation] which the City Attorney was receptive to. As a result, Kentucky Equality Federation plans no legal action and believes Hazard sets a positive example for all cities in both Southern Kentucky and the entire Commonwealth.

Hazard has a long history of acceptance/diversity. Even after slavery was outlawed by the Kentucky Civil Rights Act, the “Queen City of the Mountains,” was refuge to most of Kentucky’s Black population in that area, beaten or forced to leave counties that to this day have little to no Black people living there such as Knott, Clay, Breathitt, and Leslie counties.

Hazard issued a press release during Kentucky Equality Federation’s protest that the city employee who forced the two gay men to leave was being suspended for five days without pay and the Pavilion manager was reprimanded for ‘conduct unbecoming a city employee.’

Today’s Press Release from Kentucky Equality Federation and Mending Hearts:

“Today, after having additional conversations with the City of Hazard, our legal representation, and Hazard officials, we are satisfied with the actions of the City,” stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer. “Kentucky Equality Federation was asked to intervene by Mending Hearts, Inc. to protect the interests of their clients. Mayor Nan Gorman, City Manager Carlos Combs, and City Attorney Paul R. Collins have stated that all people are welcome at The Pavilion, stating the facility ‘is available for use without regard to race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, age, sexual orientation or physical/mental disability, etc.’

Kentucky Equality Federation requested ‘gender identity’ be added to the list of non-discrimination rules at The Pavilion which the City Attorney was receptive to. As a result, Kentucky Equality Federation plans no legal action and believes Hazard sets a positive example for all cities in both Southern Kentucky and the entire Commonwealth.

We have a very positive relationship with the highest levels of Hazard’s government.

The employee who ejected Mending Hearts and their clients from The Pavilion was suspended for five (5) days and ordered to undergo some type of sensitivity training. In addition, the facility manager was reprimanded for ‘conduct unbecoming a city employee,’ and the City has ordered The Pavilion staff to ‘undergo additional training regarding non-discrimination laws and regulations.’

An official apology has also been issued by the Mayor and City Attorney. After speaking to Mending Hearts owner Ollie Adams she is also very satisfied with the City’s response as are the two gay men involved in the incident. Mending Hearts and the witnesses present however maintain that one of the men simply sat on the others knee.”

Adams stated: “I want to thank everyone at Kentucky Equality Federation for standing up for our clients, both Mending Hearts and the two men involved are happy with this outcome.”

Palmer continued, “We extend our thanks to City officials for acting in a responsible manner, and recognizing that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) community of the Commonwealth are individuals also with human rights.

The LGBTI community are your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family members, and the only thing we seek is equality and to be treated with the same dignity and respect as any other citizen.

As Kentuckians we cannot allow the actions of any one person nor any one group to undermine to progress we have made, and I pray that we continue to do so in a positive manner. After having additional conversations with City officials, I believe this will be the case.

As a community we must now practice restraint, we had a very successful protest/rally, and our voices did not fall on deaf ears; had this incident occurred in any other City in Southern Kentucky, we doubt we would have come to a final conclusion today, and we would most likely be preparing for a court battle. As a community, we must understand that there will always be someone who will oppose us and how Kentucky Equality Federation deals with them will depend on each unique situation.”

Joshua Koch, Director of Public and Media Relations for Kentucky Equality Federation, also commented: “Kentucky Equality Federation urges restraint and grace by all parties. This is a battle won for the larger movement of equality, but we view both the City of Hazard and the victims as winners. The city wins by recognizing this need for development and swiftly adopting a proactive plan of remediation and prevention. The victims win by having their deserved apology and recognition that their experience has brought these issues to light. With this resolution, we recognize that we are not enemies moving forward.

We must recognize that this is a win for all parties, yet it is only a portion of the greater struggle for equality. While this is a moment to recognize the contributions of all parties, this is not a time for casting aside self-discipline in the form of a ‘victory dance.’ It would be counterproductive to attempt to monopolize The Pavilion for an LGBTI event in the wake of the resolution of this recent situation. Kentucky Equality Federation’s role as a public advocate is to build bridges or speak for victims of hate crimes, school or workplace bullying.

Hazard has proven that it is devoted to equality, and the cause would be much better served by welcoming them rather than by opening the door to new incidents. We should celebrate the maturity and swiftness with which Kentucky Equality Federation and the City of Hazard resolved this issue with final negotiations ending today. Hazard’s resolution is an example of how local governments should listen to their communities and protect the interests of all persons, resolving these issues correctly and promptly.”

Kentucky Equality Federation Mental Health Outreach Director Kelly Gill, Children of LGBTI Parents Outreach Director Julia Oiler Spiegel, Southern Kentucky Regional Director Anderson Ruth, and Assistant Southern Kentucky Regional Directors Will Taylor and Shannon Shannon L. McKinney also called for restraint in order to continue to move forward in a positive manner noting that any ‘pool dances’ or other such action against the City would be counter-productive.

Copyright 2011 Kentucky Guardian. All Rights Reserved.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons

Previous story:
Puerto Rico in crisis with the most horrific hate crimes in United States history.

Pedro Julio Serrano, communications manger for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said there has been a “spike in violence against the LGBT people since the ‘80s, when we had a serial killer who killed 27 gay men.”

In 2009, the body of 19-year-old Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado was found decapitated, dismembered, and partially burned by the side of the road near the Puerto Rican town of Cayey. As of 2009, this was called the most horrific hate crime in United States history. (previous story)

Allies and advocates on both the island and the mainland are working to urge the government to do something about the increasing violence against the LGBT community, but with government and religious officials using anti-gay rhetoric, Serrano says it’s hard to get law enforcement to do anything.

“Part of the problem is we have a government that’s been silent on these murders. The president of the Senate has called LGBT people ‘twisted’ and ‘mentally ill’ and that incites violence.” Adding, “also we have religious leaders that have been using language that also incites that violence, and we hold them accountable for these crimes as well.”

Even stars like Ricky Martin, who relatively recently came out as gay, have been asked to “not promote homosexuality.” This request for Martin came from Luis Aponte Martínez, Archbishop Emeritus of San Juan de Puerto Rico.

“Puerto Rico is a place of love, acceptance and inclusion and these few people with hateful rhetoric against LGBT individuals are killing us,” said Serrano. “Even though we are suffering and this is heart wrenching, the love of the families and the people and all the funerals have been filled with hundreds of people—that tells you where PR is, not where the leaders wants us to be.”

Douglass Boulevard Christian Church is located at 2005 Douglass Boulevard in the Highlands near Douglass Loop.

According to their website, the congregation of Douglass Boulevard Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) unanimously voted to end the practice of signing marriage licenses because they give legal benefits to heterosexual couples that are not available to homosexual couples.

Until the church’s ministers may confer identical legal benefits on homosexual and heterosexual couples, they will perform only religious wedding ceremonies.

In 2009, Louisville Fairness Campaign permitted the Church to speak for them as their official representative in a joint press release with Kentucky Equality Federation after a Southern Kentucky paper slammed domestic partnerships at the University of Kentucky.

If you haven’t seen the article or read the 2009 joint press release, it is worth you time to read. [Read the 2009 Joint Press Release]

According to their website:

“As an Open and Affirming Community of Faith (a designation signifying DBCC’s commitment to full acceptance of all people, regardless of race, gender, age, or sexual orientation), our membership is committed to treating homosexuals and heterosexuals equally. Our congregation believes it is unfair to provide different services and benefits to heterosexual couples than we can provide to gay and lesbian couples,” said associate minister Rev. Ryan Kemp-Pappan.

Senior minister Rev. Derek Penwell added, “Heterosexual couples enjoy a number of benefits that result from having state-sanctioned union. They may inherit property, adopt children together, visit one another in the hospital, and save thousands each year in taxes by filing as a couple. Ministers, as agents of the state, have the power to confer these benefits-and the imprimatur of normalcy-on heterosexual couples, but we do not have the honor to bestow these benefits on gay and lesbian couples.”

“In our attempt to live out God’s call to pursue justice for all, the Elders of the congregation joined the Pastors in witnessing to the right for gay and lesbian persons to God’s blessing on their union and witnessing to the Commonwealth toward ending the refusal to recognize these unions,” said Rev. Chuck Lewis, Chair of Elders with the church.

Douglass Boulevard Christian Church, founded in 1846, has historically been committed to the pursuit of justice for all people, offering leadership in trying to live out the message of love and hospitality embodied by Jesus. In 2008, Douglass Boulevard Christian Church voted to become an Open and Affirming Community of Faith.

Douglass Boulevard Christian Church is located at 2005 Douglass Boulevard in the Highlands near Douglass Loop.

From the comments on their official website, local residents are pleased that the Church will no longer issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Kentucky Equality Federation and StoryCorps partnership. Graphic Credit: Kentucky Equality Federation

Kentucky Equality Federation’s partnership with StoryCorps made the front page of the Lexington Herald-Leader today.

In print the title is “Sexuality opening up in rural Kentucky.”

I must congratulate the management and staff of the Lexington Herald-Leader for such as wonderful article to shed light on our community, as well as the hard work of Kentucky Equality Federation and StoryCorps.

The Lexington Herald-Leader story about the Kentucky Equality Federation and StoryCorps partnership was complete with amazing pictures, and will shed much needed light on the actual people that are born gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered.

For the first time, people will be able to read actual stories about GLBT people in mass volume (140,000 paid subscribers in addition to readers on their official website, www.kentucky.com).

According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leader’s paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The newspaper has won the 1986 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing and the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. It has also been a finalist in six other Pulitzer awards over the past 22 years, a record that has been unsurpassed by any mid-sized newspaper in the United States during the same time frame.

When Shannon Ratliff was growing up in Hindman, she didn’t know she was lesbian, but she knew she was different.

Ratliff gravitated to a group of girls and boys who loved each other unconditionally, she says, and as they went their separate ways to jobs or college, they kept in touch. And nearly all of them have come out as gay or lesbian since then.

“It was very tight-lipped,” she said. “They all came out one at a time. We never discussed being gay. We never talked about anything queer at all. We met as straight people.”

After high school, Ratliff, 37, attended Eastern Kentucky University, which she describes as a haven of opportunity for people from the mountains who are at all “different.”

Ratliff will discuss her struggle to find acceptance in a rural, culturally conservative place later this month in the Kentucky Equality Federation’s sessions with the oral-history recording project StoryCorps, which has gathered stories from everyday Americans on a wide array of topics, including haunted memories after 9/11, memory loss and African-American history.

StoryCorps has been to Whitesburg once before and collected numerous interviews surrounding the local coal-mining industry. One of the program’s partners in Lexington is Keeneland Race Course, and organizers hope to gain interviews of track workers and horse people whose voices are often not heard.

Ratliff now works in the university’s human resources department. She is thinking about going back home, temporarily, to work on a book project about being gay in Eastern Kentucky. But she describes her relationship with the mountains as “love-hate.”

“The mountains are … they’re beautiful, and there’s still just so much culture; they’re comforting, protective. And they’re also very isolating,” Ratliff said.

Just being yourself

One of Ratliff’s chosen family members is Tyler Watts, someone she grew up with. Watts is a transgendered man who was born Tammi Watts in Knott County.

He lived for years as a lesbian woman but still never felt comfortable with that identity. He was kicked out of his home during high school, when his parents found out he was secretly dating another girl. Only recently has he decided to begin living as a man. Now he is relying on his friends in Richmond.

Watts says he occasionally goes home to visit and would never consider moving back. He said he’s doing a StoryCorps interview because hiding is exhausting.

He grew up in the mind-set of a boy and didn’t explicitly realize he was a girl until he went to grade school, with separate bathrooms.

“As a child, you don’t realize how things really are, how people think of you, how people look at you. You’re just being yourself, and you don’t really know yourself,” Watts said.

Watts’ parents didn’t return phone messages from the Herald-Leader.

“They’re having trouble. I’m not going to say they’re not supportive, because they are, but it’s not talked about,” he said.

“I miss going to see my grandmother, but now my face has changed, a little bit of my body structure has changed. I’ve had no surgeries yet. I dread what my grandmother would think because she’s really old … . I don’t want the TV or politics to change how she feels about me.

“A part of me thinks she might already know.”

No more hiding

Will Taylor, 26, said he feels more secure being himself in Harlan than he would in a large city where he doesn’t know anyone else.

He said he was “in hiding” until a few years ago but now wants to do a StoryCorps interview because he thinks gay rights will advance more quickly if more people speak up.

“I think it not only gives us a chance to tell our story, it gives us that documentation. It has to do with our struggles and hopes,” Taylor said.

He lives with his parents in Harlan and has worked various jobs, such as truck driving, coal mine security and animal shelter volunteering.

Coming out was easier than he thought.

“I thought at first that it was going to be really bad. When I came out, I just came out and told everybody. The first person I told was my dad,” Taylor said.

“He lit a cigarette, sat there about a minute or two, and then he gave me the speech: ‘We still love you, that doesn’t change.’ ”

Taylor’s parents declined to be interviewed for this story.

He said his mother has struggled more.

“She knows, but we don’t talk about it,” he said.

Living in a small town is a kind of mission for Taylor. He likes that people know who he is.

“You get all these people who are in the closet and scared to come out, they come to you,” he said. “I feel that if I can help one person find themselves and understand who they are, that’s the greatest thing.”

Being normal

It’s not so hard for Julia Oiler Spiegel to live in small-town Kentucky as a lesbian woman. She moved to Erlanger at age 40 after separating from her husband in Memphis. A short time later, she told her family she is lesbian and moved in with her partner. They are raising Spiegel’s 12-year-old son.

Spiegel said she is grateful for the opportunity to speak to StoryCorps because, even though she feels secure living openly in Erlanger, she values the chance to show how “normal” her family is.

Spiegel is a full-time student and works as a caregiver for an autistic child. She volunteers with Kentucky Equality Federation, a gay-rights advocacy organization. She said she is still friends with her soon-to-be ex-husband, and she has been able to help his son from a previous marriage who came out as gay.

Her partner works for the postal service. Her son goes to school with a few other children of gay and lesbian parents. Over Christmas, Spiegel’s partner presented her an engagement ring.

“When everything about you is questioned on a daily basis, it’s kind of hard to trust other people,” Spiegel said. “You just need to be heard. The gay and lesbian communities are misunderstood sometimes. People automatically think it’s all about sex to us, and it’s not. My family is just like every other family.”

Bringing people together

Ratliff’s family grew up in a hollow in Hindman. Her grandmother lived across the street, and her aunts and uncles all nearby.

“There is a beauty in that close bond, and there’s also a level of interdependency that is a bit unhealthy,” she said. When one person is different, it’s suddenly everyone’s business.

She knows she is the subject of gossip and talk back back home. But she also knows she can help others. She said she is grateful for the chance to tell her story through StoryCorps and hopes people back home will listen.

Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer, a Hyden native, said getting people to talk and open up is the goal of the project.

The non-profit StoryCorps has archived interviews of more than 60,000 people nationwide since its start in 2003 and will spend the next two months recording in Whitesburg and Lexington, partnering in part with KEF.

StoryCorps interviews are broadcast on NPR’s Morning Edition, and the conversations are preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

“It’s intended to bring people together,” Palmer said. “It’s an intimate conversation.”

Palmer’s organization takes several calls a week from young people who are bullied or people who are facing violence at home or work because they are different.

That’s something Palmer knows about.

He said he was expelled from his private church-affiliated high school because he was gay and was sent to an “ex-gay” clinic in Lexington.

But after it all, Palmer said, he values his tight-knit family — his mother and siblings — more than a wilder lifestyle in a large city.

“I’ve never had more support than in a small, rural community,” he said.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/04/18/1711521/storycorps-recordings-will-speak.html#ixzz1Jv16pGGT

Seal of the California Senate.

SACRAMENTO — California’s lawmakers are fighting over legislation that would require public schools to include the historical contributions of LGBT people in their curriculum while the Kentucky Senate proposed teaching Bible lessons [the Kentucky Legislation was defeated].

However, unlike the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the State of California has a full-time legislature.

California Senate Bill 48, introduced by Senator Mark D. Leno (D-San Francisco), would require the state’s new social study and history textbooks to include “a study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans.”

The bill — also known as the “Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act” — is a revival of similar efforts launched five years ago when state lawmakers approved a similar measure only to have run into serious opposition from then Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Los Angeles Times reports:

Governor Jerry Brown (D) has not taken a position on the proposal. But the push has divided religious leaders, educators and lawmakers and prompted accusations from opponents that those behind the effort seek to impose their values on the state and on students and parents who find same-sex relationships objectionable.

“It is, in fact, legislating morality,” said Craig DeLuz, a parent and Sacramento school board member. “It is requiring taxpayers to foot the bill to promote a lifestyle to which they may or may not be morally opposed.”

California Senator Mark D. Leno (D-San Francisco) wears the Seal of the California Senate while testifying before a Senate Committee.

Jerry Brown was the Attorney General of California from January 9, 2007 – January 3, 2011 and fought the legality of Prop. 8 and fought to allow California’s gay population to marry before the California Supreme Court. Governor Jerry Brown’s father, Pat Brown, the 32nd Governor of California (1959–1967).

Jerry Brown has been Governor of California before (1975–1983), and was responsible for appointing the first openly gay judge in United States when he named Stephen Lachs to serve on the Los Angeles County Superior Court in 1979. In 1981, he also appointed the first openly lesbian judge in the United States, Mary C. Morgan of the San Francisco Municipal Court.

Governor Jerry Brown completed his second as Governor having appointed a total of five openly gay judges, including Rand Schrader and Jerold Krieger. During Brown’s first term as Governor however, he appointed no openly gay people to any position, citing the failed 1978 Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban homosexuals from working in California’s public schools, for his increased support of gay rights.

California Senator Leno said the bill addresses “a glaring oversight in educating young people that has led to harassment of gays by their classmates.”

During a recent Senate Education Committee hearing, Leno emotionally invoked the name of Seth Walsh, the13-year-old student from Tehachapi, Calif., who committed suicide last year after enduring years of anti-gay bullying.

“In light of the ongoing and ever-threatening phenomenon of bullying and the tragic result of suicides, it seems to me that better informed students might be more welcoming in their approach to differences among their classmates,” Senator Leno said. “Students would better understand that we are talking about a civil rights movement.”

If passed, SB 48 could have impact beyond California’s borders. Since the state is a major purchaser of educational textbooks, national book publishers often print books tailored for California curriculum that other states utilize.

The legislation would require that social science texts and other instruction include “a study of the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans … to the economic, political and social development of California and the United States of America, with particular emphasis on portraying the role of these groups in contemporary society.”

Republicans are aggressively opposing the measure.  Senator Robert Huff (R-Diamond Bar), said measure would “sexualize the training of our children at an early age.”

The committee approved the measure along party lines by a vote of 6-3 last week.

Gay and lesbian students advocating for the bill are expected to hold a rally Monday at the state Capitol.