June 18, 2010 - Lez Get Real

by Paula Brooks

Led by Faith Leaders for Fairness, more than 50 Kentucky Fairness Campaign volunteers will silently march with their mouths duct taped shut and bearing the iconic “NOH8” face paint to call for passage of a statewide anti-discrimination Fairness law now in the annual Kentuckiana Pride Parade tonight, 8:15 p.m. from Preston and Market Streets to the Belvedere, 5th and Main.

The original NOH8 Campaign is a photographic silent protest created by celebrity photographer Adam Bouska (http://www.bouska.net) and partner Jeff Parshley in direct response to the passage of California’s Proposition 8 repealing the state’s same-sex marriage law. Photos feature subjects with duct tape over their mouths, symbolizing their voices being silenced by Prop 8 and similar legislation around the world, with “NOH8″ painted on one cheek.

Currently, anti-discrimination protection in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity exist only in Covington, Lexington and Louisville in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The Fairness Campaign and its Statewide Fairness Coalition partners the ACLU of Kentucky, the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Kentucky Fairness Alliance and Lexington Fairness call for passage of a comprehensive statewide Fairness law extending protections to all Kentuckians. The law has been proposed in the state House and Senate for more than a decade, with last year’s legislation introduced by Louisville’s Rep. Mary Lou Marzian garnering a record number of co-sponsors in the House.