CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Kentucky state senator Ernesto Scorsone announced publicly Tuesday that he is gay, saying his sexual orientation is unrelated to his job as senator and that his announcement was "the right thing to do for me." Scorsone (D-Lexington) is thought to be the first elected Kentucky officeholder to come out, according to Jason Young, communications director for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a national political action committee. Scorsone's acknowledgement came during a luncheon speech to an audience of about 420 state workers participating in the Governor's Equal Employment Opportunity Conference. Late in a talk about equality in the workplace, Scorsone praised Kentucky governor Paul Patton for signing an executive order in May prohibiting discrimination against state employees or job applicants on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. "As a public official I was proud that our government was taking this step toward fairness," Scorsone said, adding, "As a gay Kentuckian, I was proud of the executive order, because while I personally may have been fortunate when it comes to job discrimination, other gay Kentuckians have not." Several in the audience stood to applaud. Scorsone said in an interview with the Lexington Herald-Leader after the speech that his announcement was "an independent, personal decision" and was "not made for any political reason or any other reason." He added, "I don't think my sexual orientation has anything to do with how I do my job as a legislator. This just seemed like the right thing to do for me." Scorsone said he chose that forum to declare that he is gay because "it just seemed the right time to do it. They specifically had asked me to talk about equal opportunity and the executive order." Scorsone, who ran unsuccessfully for Kentucky's sixth congressional district seat in 1998, said he is actively seeking reelection next year to his 13th senate district seat in Lexington but wouldn't rule out another bid for Congress. An attorney, he served 11 years in the Kentucky house and has been in the state senate since 1996.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Trans man Tee Arnold shot to death in Florida
April 17 2024 4:41 PM
Can scientific research on the causes of homosexuality be used against LGBTQ+ people?
April 17 2024 4:02 PM
George Takei releases kids' book about his childhood in internment camp
April 17 2024 3:18 PM
PLUS
ExclusivesTodrick Hall on surviving the rumors and remembering where he came from
April 17 2024 2:33 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedHow The Pride Store celebrates National Tea Day: A tale of two brews
April 17 2024 2:14 PM
'Parents' Rights' movements forget families have the right to read LGBTQ+ books
April 17 2024 10:15 AM
This gay man had to flee Ghana after a violent attack. He’s finally been granted asylum
April 17 2024 9:17 AM