The Louisville Pride Foundation Board of Directors has expressed support for the following state-wide initiatives:
- Ending no-knock warrants (House Bill 21)
- Banning conversion therapy (House Bill 19; Senate Bill 30)
- Making bars safer for all patrons (House Bill 173)
We encourage you to contact your State Representative and State Senator to express your support for these bills. Individual contacts from voters carry a lot of weight, and you should never assume that your legislator is for or against a certain bill unless they have said so.
If you are interested in getting more involved, or lobbying in Frankfort, we recommend working with one of several organizations that have decades of experience coordinating lobbying activity and tracking bills and amendments, such as the Fairness Campaign, the ACLU, or Kentuckians for the Commonwealth.
End no-knock warrants
House Bill 21 will ban no-knock warrants, an unsafe policing tactic that disproportionately impacts African-Americans. This bill is commonly known as “Breonna’s Law,” because ending no-knock warrants is a policy objective of the movement that emerged after Breonna Taylor was killed in her bed by Louisville Metro Police, following a no-knock warrant.
The Louisville Pride Foundation endorses HB 21 and we applaud Louisville Metro Council for banning no-knock warrants on the local level in 2020.
To learn more, visit http://www.kentuckyalliance.org/ or http://www.blackliveslouisville.org/
Ban “conversion therapy”
House Bill 19 and Senate Bill 30 will prevent licensed mental health providers in Kentucky from performing “conversion therapy” with a patient under 18 years of age. Conversion “therapy” is a dangerous and discredited practice known to produce lifelong damage to victims, with 42% of youth survivors reporting suicide attempts. This bill is also known as the The Youth Mental Health Protection Act.
The Louisville Pride Foundation endorses House Bill 19 and Senate Bill 30, and we applaud Louisville Metro Council for enacting a similar ban on the local level in 2020. To learn more, visit https://banconversiontherapyky.org/
Make bars safer for all patrons
House Bill 173 seeks to increase safety for patrons at all bars and similar establishments by requiring background checks and training for bouncers, and increasing accountability for off-duty police working as private security. This bill is also known as “Christopher’s Law,” because it was filed in memory of Christopher McKinney, a gay man who died after an altercation with security at a bar catering to LGBTQ people.
The Louisville Pride Foundation endorses the spirit and intent of HB 173. Because the bill requires pre-employment background checks, we encourage the sponsors to consult with the ACLU to avoid any unintended consequences.
To learn more, contact [email protected].
