Now, 20 years after that tumultuous chapter in Henderson, the city commission on Tuesday is expected to give final approval, on the same 3-2 vote, to a similar Fairness ordinance after a campaign that Hoffman spearheaded. It left advocates defeated, LGBTQ residents on edge and some civic leaders reluctant to revisit the issue. Within 18 months, city commission elections, marked by campaign promises to reverse the new law, tilted control to opponents who repealed it. The ordinance passed on a 3-2 vote with support from then-Mayor Joan Hoffman, a seemingly improbable victory for LGBTQ civil rights in rural America. They’d say it right out, holding the Bible in their hands." "The things said by the opposition was unreal," said Phyllis Ward, a retired school guidance counselor whose husband was on the commission.
Police ran safety checks on city commissioners. One hearing drew more than 800 people and lasted until 2 a.m.
Protesters shouted insults into bullhorns. The gay pastor leading the fight faced threats. The combustible debate, stoked by conservative religion, divided the small town like never before. The farming and industrial town of 28,000 perched on the Ohio River, had become the third and smallest city in Kentucky, following Louisville and Lexington, to consider a "Fairness" ordinance protecting gay, lesbian and transgender residents from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations. The "homosexual agenda," some opponents warned, could turn young people gay and destroy their Kentucky town. Inside a packed school auditorium, hundreds of angry citizens, some holding Ten Commandments placards, shouted "Amen!" as fiery speakers denounced a proposed LGBTQ rights ordinance. View Gallery: LGBTQ rights: Henderson, Kentucky, considering fairness ordinance