Not a single member of Kentucky’s Congressional Delegation has co-sponsored U.S. House Resolution 3567, the Respect for Marriage Act. It was quickly place in Committee, where it has remained buried since October 19, 2009. The Commonwealth’s U.S. House Delegation currently includes Ed Whitfield (R), Brett Guthrie (R), John Yarmuth (D), Geoff Davis (R), Hal Rogers (R), and Ben Chandler (D).

Experts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services are midway through two days of hearings on whether a decades-old ban on gay men donating blood should stand or be lifted. Many states criminalize gay men donating blood, so even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifts the federal ban, gay males in 37 states could still be prosecuted by the state they live in. Most states make gay men donating blood a felony, however, 3 states make it a misdemeanor offense. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is among the 37 states that prosecute.

Jackson Memorial Hospital may be ranked among “America’s Best Hospitals,” but it has a spotty track record in dealing with LGBT issues. While a lesbian was dying in the hospital, hospital officials denied her partner visitation rights. This is the same sort of problem Kentucky Equality Federation and Louisville’s Fairness Campaign have been trying to prevent in Kentucky.

With one openly gay candidate running for Lexington’s top government position, organizations in Louisville have invited candidates running for Louisville Mayor to a public forum on February 02, 2010.

If ever there were a roller-coaster year, 2009 was it. A we await the new year, Kentucky’s exhausted LGBTI civil rights leaders, as well as the thousands of activist, supporters, and allies enjoy some much needed downtime before it all starts again in 2010.

Viewpoint: I see the Fairness Campaign, Kentucky Fairness Alliance, and the Kentucky Equality Federation tirelessly show up for -fight after fight, and I think- geez, when will this ever end? And I also wonder, what can we really do for today’s gay teenager in Elizabethtown or Paducah? I came across an unexpected answer in my reading tonight.