Kentucky Farm Bureau a Bunch of Antediluvian Bigots

Page One Kentucky picks up an important story being studiously ignored by the state's media.

Short version: One of the largest and most influential lobbying organizations in Kentucky fired an employee for publicly supporting gay rights - and doing so in his private life.

Long version: A lawsuit has revealed that the Kentucky Farm Bureau has gone waaaay beyond its mandate to represent Kentucky's farmers and agricultural industry. Indeed, KFB is swimming neck-deep in racist, sexist, misogynistic, authoritarian, anti-freedom, homophobic, anti-First Amendment, tight-assed wingnut Puritanism.

Todd Eklof, minister of Clifton Unitarian Church in Louisville, spoke to his congregation in late 2004 about the importance of putting an end to discrimination. He vowed to stop performing marriage and commitment ceremonies for all couples until the anti-gay marriage amendment passed in 2004 is overturned.

Kentucky Farm Bureau (Todd’s employer) didn’t like this stance and fired Eklof shortly thereafter.

(SNIP)

Rev. Eklof’s luck changed in May of this year when Sam Moore, president of KFB at the time of Eklof’s dismissal and a current member of its Board of Directors, admitted under oath that Kentucky Farm Bureau fired Todd Ekloff for being supportive of gay marriage.

It gets worse. Seems that KFB's institutionalized discrimination is documented in its policy handbook, which, under the section title "Our Democratic System," follows platitudes about freedom and equality with statements condemning abortion, pornography and affirmative action in addition to gay marriage.

What abortion, pornography, affirmative action and gay marriage have to do with farming and agriculture is beyond me. And contrary to what the KFB apparently believes, not all Kentucky farmers are right-wing authoritarian bigots. Some of us are even liberals. I own and live on agricultural land, although I don't make a living from farming it, and I strongly resent KFB taking political positions on issues that have nothing to do with agriculture.

Adding insult to injury, Kentucky's major media are ignoring the story, despite a press release Eklof sent to all of them September 4. As Page One properly and indignantly notes, this is a huge story about the state's biggest industry and the very powerful organization that calls itself the "Voice of Kentucky Agriculture."

KFB claims to represent farmers in every single one of Kentucky's 120 counties. Why is it not being challenged on this issue by the Louisville and Lexington newspapers and television stations?

Many fun and disgusting details here.


Cross-posted at BluegrassRoots.