Four advocacy groups have co-sponsored a billboard in Louisville calling out the Kentucky Farm Bureau for discriminatory policy positions in its policy handbook.
The Fairness Campaign, ACLU of Kentucky, Jefferson County Teachers Association, and Louisville Showing Up for Racial Justice have protested KFB’s policies as “anti-LGBTQ, anti-Teacher, anti-Union, anti-Choice, anti-POC, pro-Death Penalty, and more.” Those protests have often culminated at the Farm Bureau Ham Breakfast, held each year as part of the State Fair. Some of those protesters were arrested at the breakfast in 2015 and 2019.
This year, the breakfast has been cancelled due to the pandemic, so the organizations have put up the billboard instead. It directs persons to visit Fairness.org/KFB, where they can download a copy of the 2020 KY Farm Bureau Policies book for themselves, as well as sign a petition calling on KFB to drop certain policies.
[custom-related-posts title=”Related Posts” none_text=”None found” order_by=”title” order=”ASC”]
Many persons who have Farm Bureau insurance are probably unaware that part of their insurance premium goes to enroll each of them in the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation, the lobbying arm of KFB. The KFB lobbyists were paid over $85,000 to push the KFB policies with members of the General Assembly, including the policies that are being called out as discriminatory. (Note that the book of policies is sent to every legislator, but KFB members do not receive a copy.)
Here are some of the KY Farm Bureau official policies that the groups are targeting:
- The institution of marriage should only be recognized as the legal union of a man and a woman. (p.9)
- We are opposed to any state-supported agency providing benefits to “domestic” partners. (p.10)
- We strongly believe in the value of all individuals both born and unborn. (p.10)
- We support the current law that prevents teacher strikes. We oppose legislation that mandates collective bargaining for public school employees. (p.60)
- We oppose schools declaring themselves gender neutral. (p.61)
- Alternative lifestyles should not be taught in public schools. (p.61)
- We oppose an increase in the minimum hourly wage. (p.75)
- We recommend the federal prevailing wage law be repealed when dealing with government contracts. (p.75)
- We strongly oppose any mandate that would require any government entities to recognize and collectively bargain with employee unions. (p.75)
- Furthermore, we oppose public employees being permitted to strike, organize work stoppages or slow-downs. (p.75)
- We support the idea that those who receive Supplemental Security Income, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, or other government welfare payments should have to submit to random drug testing. (p.76)
- Persons on strike should not be eligible for SNAP benefits, surplus commodities or unemployment compensation. (p. 76)
- We support capital punishment. (p.88)
- We oppose any government mandate that forces school districts to provide transgender bathrooms. (p.90)
Persons wishing to take a stand against the above policies are encouraged to go to the Fairness.org/KFB web site and sign the petition, then share information about those policies with their friends and neighbors and on social media.
–30–