P O S I T I O N S T A T E M E N T
March 17, 2023
Louisville Urban League’s Statement on Senate Bill 150
The Louisville Urban League stands with members of the LGBTQ community, their families and advocates across Kentucky against the passage of Senate Bill 150 and the wave of anti-trans, inhumane, and hateful rhetoric spewing from the bigoted corners of the Commonwealth.
In a shocking move that defies the precedent of democracy and government transparency, SB 150 was drastically modified and quickly passed through the Kentucky General Assembly on the afternoon of March 16, 2023, the final day of the legislative session before the VETO period. This omnibus bill is one of the worst pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation in the nation that has passed in 2023. It bans gender-affirming care for youth under the age of 18, includes language allowing teachers to misgender students, resurrects the bathroom ban, and includes “Don’t Say Gay” language. We urge Governor Beshear to veto this bill.
The bill is a product of nationwide white “christian” nationalist groups who fund movements that attack the civil rights of marginalized people across the country. These radical groups were also behind the anti-CRT bills that were the hot topic of last year’s legislative session. In fact, one bill in particular, Senate Bill 102, not only targeted LGBTQ students but would also ban educators from talking about race and prevent Black Student Unions from existing within schools. Although this bill did not advance during the legislative session, the very existence of this sample legislation is deeply troubling. Systems of structural oppression intersect to ensure that marginalized groups cannot succeed, and this type of fear-based legislation is meant to do exactly that. Anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ systems of oppression go hand-in-hand to reinforce white and hetero normative supremacy within the dominant narrative.
During times like these, we must remember that some of the most vulnerable members of our community are Black transgender people, who experience startlingly high discrimination rates, physical abuse, and are significantly more likely to attempt death by suicide. In the Black LGBTQ community overall, we also see higher rates of discrimination and prejudice, with many Black LGBTQ people struggling to hold jobs, find housing, and access safe healthcare.
Regardless of how powerful movements attempt to divide marginalized communities, we must show them that we stand together to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. We recognize the new anti-LGBTQ legislation as an old trick in a new bag, a cycle of alienation towards erasure. To members of the LGBTQ+ communities and particularly to those who identify as Black, please know that the Louisville Urban League stands with you, sees you, and affirms you just as you are. Your rights, your humanity, your freedom, are not conditional. You are us, and we are you.
As Maya Angelou once said, “No one of us can be free until everybody is free.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
[email protected] | (502) 512-3681
About the Louisville Urban League
The Louisville Urban League assists African Americans and those at the margins in attaining social and economic equality and stability through direct services and advocacy. For more information, go to lul.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter (@louisvilleUL), or Instagram (@louisville_ul).
