By Matt Adkins
The Feminist Alliance of the University of Louisville protested outside the Ekstrom Library on Nov. 2 against Ky. State Representative Stan Lee’s (R.-Lexinton) proposal to ban domestic partner benefits at Kentucky’s state universities and community and technical colleges.
“This ban is ridiculous,” said Whitney McClure, one of the FAUL organizers and a sophomore sociology major. Although the feminist group takes a stand on issues that affect female issues, this time they are standing up for everyone that could be affected by this ban.
According to McClure, Lee is proposing the idea of “defending marriage,” by initiating this ban.
“By him saying this, he is making it seem like people only get married for the monetary advantages that it presents, not because of love, compassion, and all other factors that go into play that don’t involve money,” said McClure.
However, McClure also understands why the politician wants to pass this legislation.
“Seeing how U of L is state-funded, I could understand why politicians feel that they have a say in whether or not to offer it,” McClure said.
“The true motivation of this protest is to show politicians and the head people of the University that they can’t let their personal politics be precedent in a decision that involves a right that the Feminist Alliance believes everyone should have,” said McClure. According to her that right is affordable healthcare.
Diane Pecknold, the faculty advisor to the Alliance from the Women and Gender Studies department, believes these benefits are the reasons why U of L has such a great faculty.
“This policy is good for the university because it allows us to compete for the best qualified personnel with other local employers, like UPS, and with bench-mark universities that already offer these benefits,” she said.
“I hate to think that I wasn’t able to take a class from a great professor who I could learn a lot from because that University rejects that potential professor’s lifestyle,” said McClure.
U of L’s faculty, staff and administration have already voted to extend benefits to non-married partners. According to Pecknold, U of L is supposed to be self-governing, not subjected to political shifts and trends, specifically so that it can do what is best for the University.
Despite protesting against Lee’s decision, the Alliance has a much deeper objective.
“Our main objective is combating inequality in its various forms, whether that be race, gender, class, or sexual orientation,” said McClure.
The Alliance also feels like partners should have the right to choose if they want to live together and not be married. “It’s fine if a person chooses for themselves not to do that, but people shouldn’t be ridiculed and punished if they decide that this is what they want to do,” said McClure.
