Kentucky Masons Won't Bar Gay Men

Attendees of a statewide meeting of the Kentucky Freemasons have rejected a proposal to bar gay men after members of the Winchester Masonic Lodge walked out of a meeting when their leader came out, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports.

John Wright (pictured) says one member called him "a flaming faggot," demanded that he resign, and led several members in a walkout. He refused to resign, and attendees at the annual meeting Monday voted down a Frankfort lodge's proposal to change the group's state constitution to prohibit gay men from being Masons in Kentucky.

"They said with a strong voice that they are not going to discriminate," said Wright, 26, leader of the 151-member Right Angle Lodge in Clark County. "I do think that there are a large number of them of a newer mind-set that they can put these differences behind them and work toward the goals that the fraternity has. They can become better men and make our communities better places."

The Masons, a worldwide fraternity, share a belief in God and a dedication to charitable work, according to the website of the Grand Lodge of Kentucky.