COVINGTON — Kentucky's leading gay-rights group is forming a Northern Kentucky chapter. And one of the Northern Kentucky Fairness Alliance's first goals is lobbying to expand legal protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people.

        Charles D. King of Covington, a member of the alliance, said members are working with the Covington Human Rights Commission to follow the lead of Kentucky cities such as Lexington and Louisville to incorporate protections for gays and lesbians into Covington's human-rights ordinance.

        Covington already prohibits discrimination in employment, housing or public accommodations based on race, sex, religion or disability.

        “(The new chapter's) goals are the same as the Kentucky Fairness Alliance — to promote education about gay and lesbian rights and the issues surrounding them and to work for laws and ordinances to protect them from discrimination,” Mr. King said.

        In Northern Kentucky, gays and lesbians have faced verbal and physical harassment, as well as subtler forms of discrimination, Mr. King said.

        For example, “derogatory things have been said, one person's car windows were broken and someone's car got damaged,” Mr. King said.

        He said the Northern Kentucky Fairness Alliance hopes to stop that and document discrimination against gays and lesbians.

        Rev. Don Smith, pastor of Community of Faith Presbyterian Church in Covington, said the human rights commission began looking into expanding the categories receiving anti-discrimination protection more than two years ago.

        He said members were pleased when they learned that the Northern Kentucky Fairness Alliance was promoting the same issue.

        The head of Covington's human rights commission said the group hopes to have a draft proposal of the expanded human-rights ordinance ready by the end of summer, and expects to present it to the Covington City Commission by the end of the year.

        “We're looking to expand the current ordinance and add penalties,” Rev. Mr. Smith said. “We feel that anyone who discriminates against someone because of race, creed, color or sexual orientation is wrong and it should be corrected.”

        Rev. Mr. Smith said he thinks expansion of Covington's human-rights ordinance could give the city's businesses a boost because many people and organizations want to spend money and bring conventions to an area with a strong anti-discrimination policy.

        Doreen Cudnik, a member of the board of directors of Stonewall Cincinnati, a gay-rights group, said her organization hopes Covington's anti-discrimination efforts bode well for Cincinnati.

        In 1993, Cincinnati voters repealed a human-rights ordinance that included legal protection for gays and lesbians.

        The city now has a charter amendment that excludes protection for people who are homosexual, lesbian or bisexual.

        “The impact of this happening on the other side of the river would be a tremendous help to all of us who are working to repeal Article 12 in Cincinnati,” Ms. Cudnik said.

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