Keturah Joy Herron (born March 22, 1980) is an American politician from Kentucky. They are a Democrat and represent District 35 in the Kentucky Senate.[1] When elected in 2022, they were the first out LGBTQ+ member in the Kentucky House of Representatives.[2] 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.[3]
Herron was named as one of USA Today's Women of the Year in 2022, which recognizes women who have made a significant impact.[4]
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.[11]
2022 marked Herron's first bill passed on the House floor, HR 644, which aimed to establish an office of gun violence prevention. 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.[12][13]
Legislation
Since 2022, Herron has been a primary sponsor of the following bills which have been considered by at least one house:[14]
