This is far from Consuming Louisville’s normal areas of coverage but it’s terribly important not to let things like this pass by unnoticed.
In this the month of gay pride and legalized gay marriage in California it’s almost good to be reminded that gays are still hated and discriminated against. It’s good that we don’t let ourselves be too optimistic about the state of the world. Of course it’s not like we could really forget.
This was sent to me by a friend I trust so I feel comfortable sharing it with you all.
I have a friend that is looking for a place to rent, so I’ve been keeping
my eyes open for her. Well, imagine my surprise as I’m strolling the
neighborhood this morning and come across what I snapped in my pics.
I’ve of course, passed it along to an investigative reporter, and am
going to contact some other peeps during regular office hours tomorrow.
(though I now type this from my office on a Sunday).The
location was on Cherokee Road. The number to call was on another sign
in the yard. The Jefferson County Sheriff does list an owner. Whether
the owner put up the signage or has a property manager, and whether the
“NO GAYS” was added by them, I have no idea. It’s wrong, regardless of
the source.
If you own rental property on Cherokee Road and hate the gays you’re in the wrong neighborhood in the wrong city. And also? You really, really suck.
I’m not sure what the right course of action is here to counter this discrimination from a legal and community standpoint so I’ll be trying to check in with the Fairness Campaign a little later today for some guidance in that direction.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:58 am
you have the right to hate anyone you want
you could take legal action, but you will lose.
be the bigger person, let it go, learn to forgive. You will live longer.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
You might have the legal right to hate whoever you want, but that is not fair housing practice, and I don’t know if Louisville has laws about that, but if they don’t, they should. Other than that, “letting it go” doesn’t make someone a bigger person. This is an issue of civil rights, and I don’t think anyone would disagree that the world is a better place because civil rights leaders didn’t “let things go.” I applaud you, Michelle, for bringing this important issue to your reading audience. You’ve taken action by using this forum to bring attention to something that, frankly, makes our city look really bad.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:50 pm
@ Anon 10:58,
An individual’s right to “hate anyone [he/she] wants” is one limited to the private sphere of personal thought and expression. Exercising one’s personal prejudices upon others in many public forums (housing included) is not legally permissible.
$10 says you’re the asshole with the sign in his yard.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:41 am
why does everyone hate free speech so much, I thought we were an enlightened society? Name-calling and labeling are hurtful…which, if you didn’t notice, is what this post is actually about.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Yeah, pretty sure that’s a violation of the Louisville Fairness Ordinance. When this kind of crap happens, you can call the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights and/or the Louisville Human Relations Commission. There is a push for an expansion of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation as a protected class, but don’t hold your breath on that one.