Out in Kentucky  | Q & A | Advocate.com

Advocate.com health Channel
||  Q & A  ||
Comments (0)Post a CommentTag this page  
 
Out in Kentucky
Gay Democratic state legislator Ernesto Scorsone talks with The Advocate about Kentucky’s funding of an antigay private college and the governor’s abandonment of employment protections for LGBT people.
An Advocate.com exclusive posted May 23, 2006
Out in Kentucky

When the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., expelled sophomore Jason Johnson for revealing he’s gay on his MySpace profile, a political firestorm ensued that pitted school officials and Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher against a growing number of Kentuckians who oppose using state money to fund the Southern Baptist college, including a recent appropriation of $10 million for a new pharmacy school building and $1 million in scholarships. State senator Ernesto Scorsone, Kentucky’s only openly gay elected official, is at the forefront of the fight to overturn Governor Fletcher’s decision to approve funding for the school. He spoke with The Advocate about the controversy, the governor’s record of discrimination, and what’s at stake for both gay and straight Kentuckians.

Does the University of the Cumberlands have the right to discriminate?
Legally, as long as it’s a private school they’re allowed to be selective. But this year’s budget embarked the state on a totally new venture—putting public money into a private religious school. When you go back to Kentucky’s last constitutional convention, in 1890, the delegates made it clear they did not want public money to go to private schools. They felt we gave them enough of a break by not taxing them. Morally, though, it’s inconsistent with the concept of higher education to be exclusive. The value of education is to have an exchange of ideas, which is hard to do if you only hear one side.

How does the proposed scholarship program factor in?
This is a new million-dollar program which says we will give free tuition to pharmacy students, but only if they’ll attend the University of the Cumberlands. Well, guess what, gay kids can’t go to this school. So all of a sudden you have a state program that’s only available to heterosexuals. That’s absolutely unacceptable and absolutely unconstitutional.

The governor approved the budget for the pharmacy school but filed a lawsuit asking the courts to rule on its constitutionality. Is he playing both sides?
Since we have line-item vetoes in Kentucky, Governor Fletcher could’ve just vetoed the program, but he chickened out and said ‘Let the courts decide.’ In reality, though, it’s a smoke screen. It’s just someone in his cabinet suing someone else in the executive branch, asking the courts to go ahead and approve it. The irony is the governor’s used his veto power to cut many programs at state institutions, including over $200 million of bonding issues.

What can be done to stop it?
Christina Gilgor, the director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, filed a suit even before the governor did, asking the courts not to approve the appropriations. We’re speaking out and we’re getting more groups involved in this lawsuit. There was a rally last month across from the university and there will be more.

This isn’t the only antigay move Governor Fletcher has made.
On April 11, Diversity Day, he took away the protections we had established for LGBT state employees with a previous executive order I helped draft with former Democratic governor Paul Patton. He worded the new order so it hid what he was trying to do, but we realized immediately he had stricken protections for LGBT people. I spoke out, calling it callous and mean-spirited. It sets the state back and damages our reputation.

How has this damaged the state’s reputation?
There was a wonderful story in the Lexington Herald-Leader about how it’s bad for business for the state to be seen as antigay. Cincinnati learned the hard way when they passed antigay legislation. They lost convention business and certain companies refused to do business with the city. We’re in a knowledge- and information-based economy, so if you’re accepting and tolerant, that fosters an environment of creativity and development.

Are you concerned your involvement will jeopardize your political career?
Well, I don’t think there was any question that I was going to get involved. I’ve been involved in civil rights for a very long time and this is such a blatant act of discrimination. And I think my district appreciates the role that I play.

When did you come out?
I made a statement three years ago, around the time we signed the last executive order, but I think a lot of people already knew. I’ve lived with my partner for over 12 years and I’ve been very up front on gay issues, both as an attorney and a legislator. I’ve never lied about my sexual orientation—I just didn’t have a big press conference or anything. The response from my constituents has been overwhelmingly positive.

What would you tell people on the East and West coasts who have a preconceived notion of what it’s like to be gay in Kentucky?
I think in rural areas and smaller cities there’s a greater sense of community among LGBT folks than you find in a big city. Maybe it’s because we feel we need to stick together. But I also think there’s a strong feeling here to protect our own. Even in small communities, it’s often worse to be from out of town than to be gay.

To help defend gay rights in Kentucky, contact the Kentucky Fairness Alliance at www.kentuckyfairness.org.

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

Comments that do not concern specific articles in The Advocate or on Advocate.com will not be posted or published. See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • Building Bridges in the Wake of Prop. 8
    In the wake of finger-pointing following California's passing of Prop. 8, television writer and producer Tajamika Paxton suggests the time has come to build a bridge between the LGBT and African-American communities -- to engage in discussion rather than looking for somewhere to place blame.
  • Without Her We're Nothing
    The legendary Sandra Bernhard sits down with The Advocate before the one-night-only revival of her seminal one-woman show Without You I'm Nothing in Los Angeles to discuss Tori Amos, why Prop. 8 is "the best thing that could happen to the gay community," and how she she could possibly love both Rachel Maddow and Rachel Zoe.
  • Carmen Finds Her Spotlight
    It’s not very often that a lowly music critic gets the privilege of witnessing a glowing performance by a major new talent at the beginning of his or her career, but that is certainly what happened to yours truly on the evening of November 15 at the Los Angeles Opera. Viktoria Vizin, an astounding new mezzo-soprano making her L.A. Opera debut as Carmen this season, took my breath away.
  • Connecticut Gets Married
    This weekend, all 50 states participated in protests against the passing of antigay legislation in California, Arizona, Arkansas, and Florida. Gays and lesbians in Connecticut protested too, but they also had reason to celebrate. Last week, same-sex marriages got under way throughout the state.
  • Gay Is the New Black?
    In the wake of California’s passage of Proposition 8, protests are popping up around the country -- and so are comparisons between gays’ and African-Americans’ fights for equality. Is gay the new black? Michael Joseph Gross examines two struggles for civil rights. Plus: Photos from Wednesday night's rally in New York City.
  • The Day in Pictures
    From coast to coast, from gay to straight, from Pink to Mormon moms--a national movement to protest the passing of Prop. 8 in California rises up.
  • Smart Money
    In a time of economic calamity, one voice rises above the panic. Suze Orman is here to help -- she's offered her will and trust kit free to Advocate readers. Click the story for more info.
  • David Hyde Pierce is Gay, Married ... and Marching Against Prop. 8
    As Dr. Niles Crane on the hit sitcom Frasier, David Hyde Pierce had a great deadpan. That also extended to his own life: For years he wouldn’t confirm or deny being gay. Since then he thawed enough to thank his longtime partner, Brian Hargrove, in his 2007 Tony Award acceptance speech. And on Saturday, Pierce was one baseball-capped protester among maybe 20,000 others marching for equality in Los Angeles.
  • Gearing Up
    From Long Beach to Toronto, activists begin to prepare for a weekend of protest -- including the "Raging Grannies" in Palo Alto. See it all come together.
  • Best of Times, Worst of Times
    In the week after Barack Obama’s historic victory, gays and lesbians are pondering another historic, albeit less victorious, moment of their own. Three anti-gay marriage propositions passed -- in Florida, Arizona, and California. In Arkansas gay people were barred from adopting children. Now the real fight begins.
  • Revolution No. 8
    I've been waving a sign on street corners since H8 passed: "Black Queers." Responses have varied -- from honks of support to looks of disapproval from both blacks and whites. A black woman came up to me at a rally and asked me if I didn't think the sign was offensive to black people. I said, "It's who I am, and people should know."
  • You Can Never Go Home Again
    Eight years ago Advocate associate editor Neal Broverman packed up his car and moved from Connecticut to California to find freedom and acceptance. Now that marriage is legal in Connecticut, he's wondering if he ever should have left.
  • Prop. 8 Rally Takes Manhattan
    On the same day that the state of Connecticut began allowing same-sex marriages, thousands of New Yorkers gathered to protest the recent ruling in California taking away those same rights. Over 15,000 people gathered Wednesday night in protest of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that overturned a recent court ruling allowing same-sex marriage.
  • Calif. Senators Leno, Migden on Post-Prop. 8 Movement
    Forty-four California state senators and assembly members on Monday signed a friend-of-the-court brief to support lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8, which voters passed last week, banning same-sex marriage. Senator-elect Mark Leno, author of the "only marriage equality bills to reach a governor's desk," and Sen. Carole Migden were among the petitioners.
  • London, 007 Style
    Bond has firmly swashbuckled into the 21st century in the form of hunky Daniel Craig, who is bursting onto screens in the brand-new Quantum of Solace. Although he's better known as a global jet-setter, James’s hometown of London holds many of the keys to his persona -- it's where he dressed, ate, slept, and had his hair done. Here’s your chance to swagger in his footsteps and imagine your travels are on Her Majesty’s Secret Service expense account.
  • Role Model
    Jack Mackenroth of Project Runway season 4 unveiled his new HIV/AIDS education campaign on Monday night at the Gay Men's Health Crisis Fashion Forward benefit in New York City. Called "Living Positive by Design" and sponsored by Merck and Co., the initiative seeks to combat the stigmatization of people living with HIV.
  • Gaga for the Lady
    Lady Gaga cavorts in couture. She only dons platinum wigs that suggest the presence of radioactivity. And she yells for you to dance, all in tribute to her favorite muse -- fame.
  • Terminated: Commercial Closet's Executive Director
    Since early this year, Commercial Closet Association has been in negotiations with GLAAD to dissolve into one advertising media program overseen by the larger nonprofit. But CCA founder Michael Wilke says he was supposed to join GLAAD in this new joint venture. Then on Monday, CCA's board announced the merger -- and Wilke's termination...which Wilke says took him completely by surprise. The board says that's hard to believe and that Wilke was told he'd been terminated November 4.
  • Side of Guac With Your Hate?
    L.A. eatery El Coyote, long known for attracting a heavily LGBT client base, is facing the heat now that bloggers have revealed one of the managers, who is a niece of the original owners, had donated to the pro-Proposition 8 campaign. El Coyote's answer: a free lunch/press conference giving her a forum to explain her decision. But the 70-some people in attendance were none too pleased with what they heard. Is a boycott the answer?