Ask me what's going on in my life...that's opening a can of worms

It has been forever since my last post which I wrote for the Feminist Blog carnival concerning women in film. My life has been rather hectic, but I think those who read my blog with any regularity or interest might like to know what's been up with me.

The state of Kentucky is more progressive than people think. We were the first southern state to pass legislation concerning civil rights. The town I live in was also very progressive during the women's movement in the 1900s. We all know the discrimination clause that you see on employer applications, in restaurants, and many other places. It says that there will be no discrimination based on sex, gender, race, ethnicity, age..etc. I know these ideas seem disconnected, but give me a second.

What I have been doing is trying to pass a Fairness Ordinance in my community that will add "sexuality, gender identity, and gender expression" to this list. And I most certainly am not the one who lit the torch for this. Residents of Richmond have been fighting for this for years. Even last summer, we had an event called Fairness on Main where we filled out petitions, got support from local business, wrote letters, and attended town meetings to try and get this accomplished.

A few weeks ago, two lesbians were kicked out of a park in my town, because they were kissing during a maternity photo shoot. The Tuesday after, a friend of mine spoke to at City Hall and asked the leaders of the community if, in light of this recent act of discrimination, they supported the Fairness Ordinance. As a person in the audience, I witnessed how, in being caught off guard, the leaders said nothing in response to her speech.

The last two weeks, I have witnesses the power of this community who show up yesterday. We had over 100 people show up on a Tuesday night to support Fairness in Richmond. I spoke as did my graduate professor and without any planning our speeches connected. Towards the end of the meeting, several city leaders agreed to talk about it. Those who didn't knew that they would be getting phone calls and having conversations with those who wanting to talk about it.

So, yeah. It's been awhile since I posted last, but I have been anything but silent.