Beshear, state leaders speak in support of LGBTQ Kentuckians at rally
By Curtis Tate
February 25, 2026 at 11:55 PM EST
Gov. Andy Beshear spoke Wednesday at the Fairness Campaign rally at the Capitol.
Beshear was joined by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, as well as state Rep. Pamela Stevenson and former state Rep. Charles Booker.
Stevenson and Booker are running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Other current members of the Kentucky legislature appeared, though no one from the Republican majority.
Despite the gains LGBTQ Kentuckians have made in recent decades, Fairness Campaign Executive Director Chris Hartman said lawmakers are still trying to enact bills that could adversely affect the community.
“You know, everybody here is fighting hard against Senate Bill 72, which is an overly broad health care discrimination bill,” Hartman said.
The Senate approved the bill earlier this month by a vote of 28 to 5. Hartman said another bill would restrict drag performances. Drag, he noted, is not a crime.
Hartman said 24 Kentucky municipalities have antidiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ residents in employment, housing and public accommodations. Louisville was the first to enact such an ordinance, in 1999.
There is no statewide law prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people, however. In recent years, Kentucky and other states have seen attempts to restrict the rights of transgender people, and limit how sexual orientation and gender identity is discussed in public schools.
Beshear in 2023 vetoed legislation that banned gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapies.
Senate Bill 150 also restricted what bathrooms transgender students can use and allowed teachers to refuse to call transgender students by their preferred pronouns or names.
Beshear signed an executive order banning conversion therapy, the widely discredited practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. He vetoed lawmakers’ attempt to undo his action.
Beshear also vetoed a ban on the participation of transgender students in girls’ sports.
The legislature overrode all his vetoes.
Beshear was joined by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, as well as state Rep. Pamela Stevenson and former state Rep. Charles Booker.
Stevenson and Booker are running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Other current members of the Kentucky legislature appeared, though no one from the Republican majority.
Despite the gains LGBTQ Kentuckians have made in recent decades, Fairness Campaign Executive Director Chris Hartman said lawmakers are still trying to enact bills that could adversely affect the community.
“You know, everybody here is fighting hard against Senate Bill 72, which is an overly broad health care discrimination bill,” Hartman said.
The Senate approved the bill earlier this month by a vote of 28 to 5. Hartman said another bill would restrict drag performances. Drag, he noted, is not a crime.
Hartman said 24 Kentucky municipalities have antidiscrimination laws that protect LGBTQ residents in employment, housing and public accommodations. Louisville was the first to enact such an ordinance, in 1999.
There is no statewide law prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ people, however. In recent years, Kentucky and other states have seen attempts to restrict the rights of transgender people, and limit how sexual orientation and gender identity is discussed in public schools.
Beshear in 2023 vetoed legislation that banned gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, including puberty blockers and hormone therapies.
Senate Bill 150 also restricted what bathrooms transgender students can use and allowed teachers to refuse to call transgender students by their preferred pronouns or names.
Beshear signed an executive order banning conversion therapy, the widely discredited practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. He vetoed lawmakers’ attempt to undo his action.
Beshear also vetoed a ban on the participation of transgender students in girls’ sports.
The legislature overrode all his vetoes.