I never thought that I would see from a pro business mag

[MSgt213]

And from Kentucky no less. But it makes perfect sense when you hit the pocket book.

Why social tolerance makes good economic sense
By Tom Martin
Editor in chief

Lexington and Louisville, the economic engines of Kentucky, are struggling mightily to send the message far and wide that these are enlightened, progressive cities - places where any cutting-edge, high-technology industry would want to hold a convention, or where its companies would locate offices, labs, manufacturing facilities and, above all, people. They are striving to be places attractive to leading researchers and academics whose presence can vastly enhance the value of our colleges and universities. That is what we want, isn’t it? After all, our governor routinely says so.

What sort of message are we sending, then, when the governor of our state sets up the men and women of an entire segment of our population as targets of employment discrimination? On state “Diversity Day,” Gov. Ernie Fletcher committed the ultimate irony, deleting from a state policy that bans employment discrimination the protection for "sexual orientation" that was added by then-Gov. Paul Patton in 2003.

Governor Fletcher may or may not be pandering to the most extreme social and religious conservatives among his voter-base. That’s a political matter. Our concern is for the well being of our business community. And in any case, either way, this policy sends Kentucky stumbling backward, even as the nation and the world have moved on.

With the stroke of a pen, Governor Fletcher has undermined the efforts of our urban centers, which have local anti-discrimination statutes shielding gays and lesbians, to present themselves to prospective new businesses and residents as progressive and fair-minded.

The Urban County Council approved Lexington’s Fairness Ordinance in 1999, adding sexual orientation and gender identity as a protected class against discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations. The ordinance does not mandate quotas or hiring goals. There is no requirement that a workplace include gays, lesbians, bisexual or transgender individuals; it only requires that these characteristics be eliminated as bases for employment-related decision making. The ordinance protects not only gays and lesbians, but also heterosexuals who are erroneously labeled as gay or lesbian and discriminated against because of the label. And it protects heterosexual employees from sexual harassment by gay or lesbian supervisors or co-workers. Under the ordinance, employers are required to offer domestic partner sick leave or health insurance benefits to gay and lesbian employees only if these benefits are offered to the non-spouse partners of heterosexual employees.

http://www.bizlex.com/story.php?id=623

[Stinky The Clown]

1. BizLex sez it all

Its an urban magazine. Even 'red' states has islands of enlightenment. They tend to be in urban areas. Not always, but that's where they **tend** to be.