Keturah J. Herron is an American politician from Kentucky. They are a Democrat and represent District 42 in the

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. When elected in 2022, they were the first out LGBTQ+ member in the Kentucky House of Representatives. They are only the second out member of the Kentucky General Assembly following Ernesto Scorsone, former state senator, who came out while in office in 2003. After Scorsone left the legislature in 2008, there was no LGBTQ+ representation in either chamber until Herron. Herron was named as one of '' USA Todays Women of the Year in 2022, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact. Herron is running for the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...

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. Herron uses she/they pronouns.

Early life and education

Herron is from Richmond, Kentucky where they grew up in a single parent home with their mother. Keturah graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelors of Art in sports management and from Eastern Kentucky University with a Masters of Art in corrections and juvenile justice.

Political career

In their time in the House of Representatives, Herron has worked to address issues around gun violence and has pushed for an Office of Community Safety. Herron has also worked towards restoring voting rights to those who were formerly incarcerated. They have also advocated for pay raises for teachers. 2022 marked Herron's first bill passed on the House floor
HR 644
which aimed to establish an office of

gun violence prevention Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide (except when and where ruled justifiable), assault with a deadly weapon, and ...

. During their campaigning in 2022, they focused on several highlighted key issues such as voter rights/restoration, criminal justice reform, increasing the minimum wage, education/workforce issues, and child abuse and violence prevention. Herron is often credited for getting Breonna Taylor's law passed through the Louisville Metro Council, an ordinance banning “No-Knock” warrants. In just 17 days following the death of Breonna Taylor at the hands of Louisville police, Herron pushed to have Breonna's Law—which outlaws no-knock warrants—passed by the Louisville Metro Council. Less than a year later, they formed a bipartisan coalition that successfully passed a statewide prohibition on no-knock warrants via the General Assembly.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herron, Keturah 1980 births Living people Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives 21st-century American legislators LGBTQ people from Kentucky American non-binary politicians 21st-century Kentucky politicians 21st-century African-American politicians Non-binary politicians