LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Thursday the city will continue to defend its Fairness Ordinance.
The mayor's comments come a day after Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron urged the city to drop its appeal of a ruling that allowed a local photographer to refuse service to same-sex couples.
— Mayor Craig Greenberg (@LouisvilleMayor) July 6, 2023
Chelsea Nelson sued the city in 2019 over its Fairness Ordinance, which makes denying service to a member of the LGBTQ community illegal. In the lawsuit, Nelson claimed the ordinance violated her freedom of religion and speech. A judge sided with her, but the city appealed the ruling. That appeal is still making its way through the court system.
Wednesday, Cameron urged Louisville to drop its appeal, originally filed by former Mayor Greg Fischer's administration.
Greenberg responded in a statement on Thursday, and said the ordinance offers protections to every person in Louisville.
The Fairness Ordinance allows a person to file a discrimination complaint if they go into a restaurant, bar, or any public business and is denied service because they're a member of the LGBTQ community.
Greenberg said Cameron's arguments against the ordinance are "tired and old."
"For decades, the Louisville Fairness Ordinance has expressed the will of our community and it enshrines our commitment to ensuring every member of our diverse city is treated with respect and dignity. In short, it offers protections for every person in Louisville to be full and complete citizens. The arguments against the Fairness Ordinance and against treating all citizens with respect are not new — they are tired and old arguments from a past that most of us are happy to leave behind," Greenberg's statement read. "The City of Louisville will continue to defend the Fairness Ordinance and continue working to be an inclusive city where everyone is welcome."
Louisville was the first city in Kentucky to pass its ordinance in 1999.
The back and forth comes after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a ruling last week in a similar case out of Colorado regarding a wedding website designer, saying the business can refuse to serve LGBTQ couples.
Related Stories:
- Attorney general asks Louisville to drop appeal in Fairness Ordinance lawsuit following Supreme Court ruling
- Local opinion split after Supreme Court rules Colorado business owner can refuse same-sex couples
- The Supreme Court rules for a designer who doesn't want to make wedding websites for gay couples
- Federal judge rules Louisville wedding photographer can refuse service to same-sex couples
- Louisville wedding photographer files suit challenging Fairness Ordinance
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