UPDATE: On April 11, the Kentucky Youth Law Project, an organization working to enhance legal protections for queer youth, denounced BCTK’s actions and called for its executive director, Rebecca Blankenship, and its one lobbyist, Michael Frazier to resign immediately.

“In these difficult times, it is imperative that all nonprofit organizations scrupulously follow the laws, rules and regulations. Organizations that fail to do this risk losing their credibility and support within our community. And organizations that continue to collect donor funds after they have been declared ineligible for tax-exempt status are misleading their supporters,” Elston said.

The full statement can be read here.

Louisville, KY – Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky (BCTK), a group founded in 2017, recently announced it will “reevaluate and restructure” the organization as its efforts no longer center on a conversion therapy ban in Kentucky. Former advisers and organizers now criticize the group’s 2024 lobbying efforts and loss of non-profit status, calling the actions “gross oversight” and “deeply saddening.” 

Kia Nishida, a former organizer for BCTK who cut ties in 2021, said the group’s leaders are unjustly benefiting from the support of LGBTQ+ people and their allies while supporting legislation that can be damaging to queer people. “I’m frustrated,” Nishida explained. “They’re using the name we worked so hard to build to make it seem like they’re supporting LGBTQ+ folks when that is not the case.”

In a March 29 social media post BCTK described its shift in focus saying changes began in 2023. This year, BCTK reported lobbying Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 9 according to a March 27 update from the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission. The organization also noted lobbying on conversion therapy and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.

The two specific bills had a similar focus, targeting diversity, equity and inclusion. Senate Bill 6 is commonly referred to as the anti-DEI bill and House Bill 9 sought to ban DEI in higher education. You can read Queer Kentucky’s extensive reporting on this legislation from reporter Belle Townsend here. 

Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky is currently led by executive director Rebecca Blankenship of Berea, Kentucky. Queer Kentucky reached out to BCTK for comment from Blankenship and the group’s sole lobbyist Michael Frazier. In an email, Blankenship addressed their lobbying efforts saying, “Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky opposed the first two versions of SB6 and took no position on HB9 or the third version of SB6.”

This contradicts the previously mentioned documentation from the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission which notes BCTK’s lobbying efforts on HB9. When asked to clarify this discrepancy, Blankenship said, “HB9 should not be listed on BCTK. Either Michael or I made a mistake filling out the KLEC forms. I’ll correct it with KLEC. HB9 is not part of the lobbying efforts for BCTK.”

Blankenship is also the Assistant Executive Director for the Kentucky Students Rights Coalition. In that capacity, Blankenship said she testified against the original version of SB6. After legislators made amendments, she became a strong supporter of the bill and even wrote a letter to the House Judiciary Committee. She said, “ I believe the hype and anger that surrounded that bill was much more a reaction to the racist rhetoric employed by some of the bill’s supporters than to the bill’s actual impact, which was almost universally misunderstood and which the bill’s numerous exceptions and qualifications would have made pretty narrow. DEI officers get paid $100,000 a year to wear a suit and do mostly nothing.” 

ACLU-KY and The Fairness Campaign, Kentucky’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, have publicly denounced these bills saying they suppress free speech and deny students’ rights.

BCTK is no longer an active non-profit registered in Kentucky, having been administratively dissolved by the Kentucky Secretary of State for failing to file mandated annual reports. BCTK is no longer an active non-profit registered in Kentucky. Still, BCTK requested donations asking folks to “help us protect LGBT youth” as recently as February without communicating its change in status or policy focus to donors or stakeholders. When asked to address these concerns, Blankenship responded, “Of course I can’t comment on any legal matters. BCTK is not actively soliciting or receiving donations of any kind.”

BCTK’s sole lobbyist in 2024 was Michael Frazier, founder and director of the Kentucky Student Rights Coalition. He reportedly received $2,800 to lobby on behalf of the BCTK in 2024.

Frazier publicly supported SB6 and HB9; while he was only paid to lobby on behalf of BCTK in 2024, he spoke out in favor of both anti-DEI bills under his title with the Kentucky Students Rights Coalition. Frazier provided testimony in March supporting Senate Bill 6, saying DEI funding would be better used in scholarship dollars, among other things. 

While those formerly involved with BCTK question these actions, there is currently no prohibition in Kentucky’s Legislative Ethics Code on a lobbyist or group lobbying both sides of a particular issue or bill.

Former BCTK Adviser Patti Piatt said the organization’s recent actions are “Antithetical to their mission” and “absolutely heartbreaking.” The outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians left BCTK in 2021 citing concerns with new leadership. She told Queer Kentucky, “I would like to see a change in leadership. People more dedicated to the cause should be in charge of this organization.”

While the next steps for BCTKY are unclear, the organization’s work in Frankfort this year has been contrary to leading LGBTQ+ advocacy work in the Commonwealth.

Queer Kentucky will continue updating this story as it unfolds. For questions, please reach out to [email protected] / [email protected]