Pickets show up to support ‘fairness’

By Bill Robinson

“I’m straight, but I’m not narrow,” said Leda Tilton on Friday as she held a sign in front of the Richmond Wal-Mart that read “Fairness is Good Business.”

She was one of nine people who demonstrated on the Eastern Bypass in front of Richmond’s largest retailer in support of “non-discrimination.”

Organized by the Gray Dove Chapter of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, the demonstration also was intended to counter a protest of Wal-Mart’s recent joining of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, said Christina Gilgor, executive director of the alliance.

On Nov. 16, about 10 protesters organized by Kenneth Carroll from Lamb of God Ministries in Berea stood along the bypass in front of Wal-Mart holding “Boycott Wal-Mart” signs.

Carroll’s group was protesting Wal-Mart’s joining of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to which the retailing giant had contributed $25,000, he said.

Carroll’s had planned to have pickets in front of both the Berea and Richmond Wal-Marts on Friday morning asking shoppers to boycott the retailing giant, but he called it off after too few people said they would show up.

On Tuesday, Wal-Mart posted a statement on its web site, walmartfacts.com, that led the American Family Association of Tupelo, Miss., to cancel its boycott of Wal-Mart. “You have made a difference,” it told its supporters.

“Wal-Mart has announced it ‘will no longer make corporate contributions to support or oppose controversial issues unless they directly relate to their ability to serve their customers.’ AFA is pleased with this announcement,” it said on its Web site, afa.net.

“Wal-Mart does not have a position on same sex marriage, and we do not give preference to gay or lesbian suppliers,” the company’s statement said. “Wal-Mart does have a strong commitment to diversity among our associates and against discrimination everywhere.”

After reading Wal-Mart’s statement, Carroll initially canceled plans for future protests. On Wednesday, however, he said that Wal-Mart’s statement could be interpreted in various ways and did not substantially change its policies.

“They’re still part of the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “They just hoped they could keep people from being out there on their busiest day of the year calling for a boycott.”

While his Friday protest did not take place, Carroll said he hoped to stage others in the future.

Gilgor said she was expecting to see rival pickets when the Fairness Alliance formed its picket line at 10 a.m. Friday.

Most of the pickets Friday were young people “who had never done this kind of thing before,” Gilgor said. “They were a bit nervous at first, but we’ve gotten only positive waves and honks from passersby.”

“Except for me, all of these people live and work in Madison County,” she said.

To support its “Fairness is Good Business” slogan, the alliance distributed a statement that said 253 of Fortune 500 companies provide health insurance for partners of same sex couples.

Nationwide, 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies have adopted non-discrimination policies, and all the Fortune 500 companies operating in Kentucky ban discrimination based against gay and lesbian people, according to the statement.

Wal-Mart banned discrimination against homosexuals in 2004, Gilgor said.

“Most Americans and most Kentuckians are against discrimination based on sexual orientation,” she added. A 2003 Gallop poll showed that 88 percent of Americans support “equal opportunities for gays and lesbians in the workplace.”

A 1999 poll by Decision Research found that “73 percent of Kentucky voters would support a state law to prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation,” Gilgor said.

“State workers had that kind of protection administratively until this past spring when it was removed by our governor,” she said.

“The Kentucky Fairness Alliance’s goal for the next session of the General Assembly is to pass legislation that would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation statewide,” she said.

While a few of Kentucky’s larger cities have ordinances banning such discrimination, such discrimination is legal in most of the state, Gilgor said.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 267.

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