What Rowan County Ky. Needs Now is a LGBT Wedding Chapel.

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 08, 2015 · 1:35 PM PDT

2015/09/08 · 13:35

Yeah, yeah, we have all heard, they released Kim Davis, and yeah yeah we know, she's already promising to continue to Obstruct marriage licenses for same sex couples.

And yeah, republicans are supporting her in that. Huckleberry and friends are right there.

A monkey wrench in the gears would be fun. Something hard for them.

How about a private, religious business, seeking to conduct Marriages for LGBT individuals at Cave Run Lake in Rowan county. You know, promote tourism and provide the wedding unions for tourists seeking out this national park?

Make Republicans choose. Make them wrap their heads around supporting government intrusion against a private organization, a religiously oriented one. Make them choose which christianity based religious freedoms they support, ones of discrimination or ones of inclusion.

Wouldn't seeing them tie themselves into pretzels over that one be fun. Heads exploding trying to figure which way to go.

Political Football & Marriage Licenses in Kentucky.

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday August 29, 2015 · 7:44 AM PDT

2015/08/29 · 07:44

I lived in Rowan county for over 11 years, worked there, studied there, met the most amazing friends, many LGBT, there. Some of the best times of my life were lived in Rowan county, and seeing all this and knowing that it very easily could have been me denied a license puts this all in a very personal perspective.

I'm glad we are winning, I've wanted this my whole life. But I can't help but see some storm clouds on the Horizon, which we need to prepare for.

Let me elaborate below... and talk me down.

Poll

10 votes Show Results

Needs more coffee...

10 votes Vote Now!

Needs more coffee...

Yes

3 votes

0 votes

and Pie

7 votes

Quakers to the Rescue: Underground LGBT Railroad in Uganda

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday July 12, 2014 · 5:50 AM PDT

2014/07/12 · 05:50

Your feel good story for this Saturday...

"...According to Buzzfeed, members of the religious group – also known as the The Religious Society of Friends – have formed an organisation called the Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR) to help smuggle gay people out of Uganda.

Working with 10 Ugandan “conductors”, the US-based group has funded passage out of the country for around 107 people.

The refugees travel in small groups, first making their way to safe houses in neighbouring countries.

FNUR say that at least 12 people have reached safer countries including South Africa and Sweden, while unconfirmed reports suggest as many as 30 have escaped to Europe....(more)"

It's so refreshing for me, when I see religious groups stepping up in big ways to help the LGBT community around the world. Especially when it's surrounded by a cacophony of hate from the evangelical right that seems to pour out daily targeting that same community.

What is happening there is unacceptable to say the least, and I applaud this groups success at protecting these men and women and I hope them many, many more.

Update: Rec Listed?! I didn't expect to wake up and see that! Thanks!

Kentucky Dropping the Ball on Health Care Again.

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 04, 2013 · 7:51 PM PST

2013/03/04 · 19:51

With the coming health care reforms, many states are going to be hit with an increased demand for primary health care providers. Kentucky, is one of those states, with much of it's population living in rural areas where the number of primary care providers is particularly low. In areas like these, health care professionals such as Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who are trained diagnosis and treatment can assist in meeting the growing demand. But there is a problem. APRNs are graduate educated registered nurses who have passed a board certifying examination in their speciality (Family practice, Acute care, Adult or pediatric care, etc) and are licensed by their state. Rules governing what a APRN and different from state to state, with the majority of states not allowing them full scope of practice to reflect their education and training.

For weeks, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives has been engaged in an effort to expand their scope of practice to be more representative of their educational training, by removing what is called the CAPA-NS collaborative agreement requirement. What this means is they would not have to have a contract with a physician for prescriptive authority over non-scheduled medications here. As current law is, a APRN needs one for non-scheduled and another for scheduled medications. These collaborative agreements in no way make a physician legally liable for the actions of the APRN, nor do they mandate that the physician supervise or even review a single chart. Should a physician end the contract, lose their license or die, the APRN loses their ability to prescribe until they can get another, and their patients are left to suffer that.

This has been a recent battle in the Kentucky legislature. If you are curious about more, or how to help, keep reading below.

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 23, 2013 · 11:41 AM PST

2013/02/23 · 11:41

For three weeks, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives have been pushing to improve health care access in the Commonwealth without costing the state or the taxpayer a single dime. How? Through trying to get our state senate Licensing and Occupations committee to pass Senate Bill 51, which I discussed in depth in a diary last week.

And since Feb 5th, there it has sat, in our Republican controlled Senate's Licensing and occupations committee, with the Kentucky Medical association trying to pawn more regulations on NPs by MDs as some sort of "compromise", Senate Bill 94, which just further limits APRN practice by keeping them reliant on, and regulated by, physicians. Nurses should regulate nurses, not doctors, but I digress. Weeks of calling and tweeting this issue and trying to get people to call their message line in support of SB 51 (1-800-372-7181 if you are in Ky and have time this week), so when I read this, I really just wanted to scream...

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 13, 2013 · 6:20 PM PST

2013/02/13 · 18:20

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a high poverty state, with an estimate of 18.1% of families living below the poverty line, and the majority of those individuals living in rural areas of limited economic opportunity & health care access. In a time where health care reform is increasing the number of people with access to health care services, we are seeing a continued decline in primary and family practice care physicians in settings like these, due to desires to specialize and the economic issues involved in working with such populations. Less than one in five medical graduates choose primary care, and that number is declining.

PBS did a short but informative report regarding the potential for Nurse Practitioners to help in the shortage of primary care services, the video below (transcript in link)...

Watch Are Nurse Practitioners the Solution to Shortage of Primary-Care Doctors? on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Kentucky, is having one of these battles regarding the scope of practice for APRNs. And if you are in Kentucky, or even if you just care about improving access for rural communities to well trained individuals who can meet their more basic health care needs, we could use your help. We need people on both sides of the aisle to support this.

Poll

16 votes Show Results

I support certified Nurse practitoners ability to prescribe nonscheduled drugs.

16 votes Vote Now!

I support certified Nurse practitoners ability to prescribe nonscheduled drugs.

Yes

15 votes

Yes w/ MD oversight

1 vote

Maybe

0 votes

No.

0 votes

Other.

0 votes

Teacher: "You Can't Be A Democrat & Go To Heaven"

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 26, 2012 · 11:09 AM PST

2012/11/26 · 11:09

But apparently, you can be a teacher and make stupid statements like that one...

"....This story comes out of Kentucky where a South Laurel High School teacher, Ms. Kendra Baker wrote on the top of her school board all nice and pur-ty, “You can’t be a democrat & go to heaven.”

Now, Superintendent Doug Bennett told the Sentinel- Echo that the statement was made by a student & then the teacher wrote it on the board and that it was innocent.

“It should not be in the classroom at all,” says Mary Gilbert, a parent of a South Laurel Student who claims that she was bullied after trying to combat the statement in class. Gilbert fears that even the teacher may have been bullying her daughter as well as the other students. “What happened, should not have happened…. You don’t send them to school to have someone else’s opinion shoved down their throat and demand they agree with it. It’s appalling. it’s wrong.” Gilbert went on to say that her daughter is now requesting that she no longer attend the school and wants to attend Home School.

Upon investigation, district officials found the the teacher in violation of a district policy that charges teachers with the responsibility to maintain positive learning environments that are fostered by mutual respect and trust. Bennett says that Baker, who has been a high school teacher for 17 years, was reprimanded for her actions, but will continue teaching in her classroom......"

This is by far one of the more annoying aspects of our political environment, and I don't just mean in regards to here in Kentucky. This notion that somehow, the discriminatory, bigoted and misogynistic GOP has the patent on morality in any form, especially religious. What, you can tell the uninsured "should have been more responsible, so just die already" and the hungry "tough luck, we can't afford that, we got CEOs to keep up", and still think you can have some touch of morality to those views?

Wonder what gems of knowledge this high school teacher will unload for the next election cycle.

Acceptable conduct in public schools?

114 votes Vote Now!

Acceptable conduct in public schools?

Yes

1 vote

109 votes

I dunno

4 votes

Mitch McConnell Annouces Part of His Campaign Strategy.

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday November 16, 2012 · 9:33 PM PST

2012/11/16 · 21:33

Earlier in the week, I wrote about the Ashley Judd run potential against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and said that I was concerned on three major points: Judd's coal activism (which I agree with her on, but doesn't do her favors of popularity in the Southeastern region of the state), her being tied to our President (a strategy they have used since his election, and which was used to unseat Democrat Ben Chandler), and her inexperience.

Mitch has confirmed one of these strategies now...Below the orange cloud.

Poll

97 votes Show Results

Can we do it?

97 votes Vote Now!

Can we do it?

Yes we Can!

65 votes

Maybe

20 votes

Do What?

0 votes

No.

12 votes

The Ashley Judd v. Mitch McConnell Potential: The Biggest Obstacle

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday November 12, 2012 · 12:13 AM PST

2012/11/12 · 00:13

By now, many have already heard the rumor of an Ashley Judd potential against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), previously discussed by dailykos diarist dot farmer and who's statement regarding the rumor was noted by Meteor Blades. The statement said...

I cherish Kentucky, heart and soul, and while I’m very honored by the consideration, we have just finished an election, so let’s focus on coming together to keep moving America’s families, and especially our kids, forward.

But there are some hurdles, serious ones, that make me, as a Kentuckian question her ability to win. More below...

Poll

198 votes Show Results

Do you honestly think she could win?

198 votes Vote Now!

Do you honestly think she could win?

Strong yes

45 votes

weak yes

44 votes

toss-up

35 votes

weak no

41 votes

Strong no

33 votes

Other

0 votes

Jail Ignores Complaints of Sexual & Physical Abuse of LGBT Inmates

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday June 07, 2012 · 1:41 PM PDT

2012/06/07 · 13:41

A year has hardly passed since the city of Hazard, Ky was last in the LGBT spotlight for the two developmentally disabled men being ejected from a public pool, and now the city is back in the news once again. And in another anti-LGBT light.

This time, it's the law enforcement under the microscope...Details below.

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday May 22, 2012 · 8:19 AM PDT

2012/05/22 · 08:19

Since Obama and the NAACP have announced their support of same sex marriage, the religious fundamentalists with a bigoted chip on their shoulders have come out of the wood work. I wanted to share one more locally, not to the scale of "put the gays in concentration camps" but one that bothers me still. One of a local pastor playing politics of hate & bigotry.

From WYMT news:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - A Washington-based watchdog group says an
eastern Kentucky Baptist pastor violated federal law when he urged
his followers to vote President Barack Obama out of office in
November.

Pastor Ronnie Spriggs of Hager Hill Freewill Baptist Church said
during a May 13 sermon that he wants Obama voted out of office
because of the president's support of gay marriage. Spriggs said
"this country can't afford that kind of ideology."...(More)

You know, that "equality" ideology....

WTF is wrong with these people? The preacher even went so far as to post it online according to the letter sent to the IRS, but apparently they have now hidden it from public viewing. And what I find particularly discouraging, is the positive response such actions that should have these churches stripped of their tax exempt status receives. Getting so tired of tax exempt hate...

For more on this:

Press Release from the Americans United For Separation of Church & State.

The Story Reported by Kentucky.com.

Fox News threw their two cents in...

Poll

15 votes Show Results

Surprised to see more of this

15 votes Vote Now!

Surprised to see more of this

Yes!

0 votes

No.

15 votes

Lesbian Couple Denied Prom Entry In Kentucky

ekyprogressive

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday May 13, 2012 · 8:45 PM PDT

2012/05/13 · 20:45

Aren't you just sick as hell of hearing about things like this? I know I am.

http://www.lex18.com/...

A Lexington Catholic High School student claims she was barred from prom because she planned to bring a date of the same sex.

Hope Decker, 18, told LEX 18 administrators sat her down Friday and told her she could not attend with her girlfriend, Tiffany Wright, who is also a student at the school.

"What I experienced in the Dean's Office was blatant homophobia," said Hope Decker, a senior at the school. "We were told that this school has catholic principles and so they couldn't let it happen."

"At first I was really upset," said Tiffany Wright, Decker's date for the dance. "I mean, we both cried and then I was like, this is ridiculous. There's gotta be something we could do about this."....(more + video)

According to the piece the students had their own "prom" outside, and have started a petition with 107 supporting students signing it.

Change.org has a petition demanding apology from the school, if you feel the same, you can sign it here.

Picture of the outside pro-equality group made me smile a little though. More out there than I expected to be honest.

Newer
Older

RSS

What Rowan County Ky. Needs Now is a LGBT Wedding Chapel.

Political Football & Marriage Licenses in Kentucky.

Quakers to the Rescue: Underground LGBT Railroad in Uganda

Kentucky Dropping the Ball on Health Care Again.

I want improved healthcare access, they want a pissing match for guns. Go Figure...

In Kentucky, Improved Health Care Access Needs a Push.

Teacher: "You Can't Be A Democrat & Go To Heaven"

Mitch McConnell Annouces Part of His Campaign Strategy.

The Ashley Judd v. Mitch McConnell Potential: The Biggest Obstacle

Jail Ignores Complaints of Sexual & Physical Abuse of LGBT Inmates

Another Preacher Playing the Politics of Hate & Bigotry.

Lesbian Couple Denied Prom Entry In Kentucky