UNION, Ky. — Union could become the latest city in Northern Kentucky to introduce laws protecting people in the LGBT community from discrimination. But the city commissioner introducing this fairness ordinance said it will take some “soul searching” from his fellow commissioners for it to pass through.
As a younger man in the 90s, Darnell Johnson was on the front lines of fighting for fairness for the LGBT community in Louisville. He was a part of the fairness campaign, when Kentucky’s first fairness ordinance passed in Louisville, extending legal protections against discrimination for LGBT people.
Johnson left Kentucky in 2008, but moved back in 2020 to Union, where his parents also live. Now, he’d like to see the same thing happen in his new home city.
“When I left in 2008, I think there were three cities in the state of Kentucky that had adopted the fairness ordinance. And since coming back, it’s been enlightening to know that other cities throughout the state are considering it,” Johnson said. “It seems like Union is the perfect catalyst to spear this because of the growth that’s happened here.”
Johnson just happened to be attending a commission meeting in early Jan. when he learned a fairness ordinance for Union was on the agenda.
It’s something commissioner Brian Garner has spearheaded.
“What I realized was that the protections that most people just assume exist actually don’t exist. Once I realized that I said, 'OK, there’s a problem. And how do you fix it?'” Garner said. “I’ll say all people understand that you can’t tell someone that they can’t eat at your restaurant just for being Christian, for being white, for being disabled, and countless other things. But the way the law works is, in the state of Kentucky, if you do not have a fairness ordinance, you can kick somebody out of your restaurant for being gay. It’s that simple.”
Garner was born and raised in Union. He became a commissioner in Jan. 2021. He said he was finding it increasingly difficult to sit by while this particular issue was not addressed.
Union would be the tenth city in Northern Kentucky to enact a fairness ordinance, and the first in Boone County.
“I understand the religious concerns. I put specific exceptions into this ordinance addressing those concerns,” Garner said.
A vote was scheduled for Jan. 3, but was postponed due to a missing commissioner. Garner said he thought the process would be straightforward and cooperative for something he said should be common sense. But not everyone has agreed with him.
“I really think it takes some soul searching. I think the biggest thing is to take a step back. At the end of the day, I don’t know anyone who thinks that equality is not something we all strive for. It’s just, how do we get there?” Garner said. “It may be next month, it may take 100 years.”
The city does have a fairness resolution, which is more of a symbolic gesture, but Johnson said gestures aren’t enough.
“At some point we had to tell the community that red means stop, and green means go … gender expression, sexual orientation and gender identity is something that all of us possess and carry, and it’s sad that we have to spell out some of these things that do harm us in discrimination in public. This is a needed protection, and a needed understanding of inclusiveness of all of us,” Johnson said.
As someone relatively new to Union, Johnson said he feels welcome, but that’s something he said any city can always strive to do better. He said he’s looking forward to becoming a bigger voice in the community.
There are 23 cities or counties in Kentucky with fairness ordinances.