This week’s Speaker Series is a special Upstander edition featuring Scott Knox.
In 1993, Cincinnati voted Article XII into the city charter, removing discrimination protections based on sexual orientation. Supporters of the motion––62% of voters––called the amendment a defense of equal rights. But many others called it anti-gay. In the early 2000s, the group Citizens to Restore Fairness organized to repeal Article XII. The coalition assembled diverse individuals including LGBTQ activists, religious community representatives, and business leaders at companies like Procter & Gamble and Jack Rouse & Associates. A united grassroots effort transformed public opinion: 2,000 volunteers went door-to-door collecting 13,000 signatures. In 2004, 54% of Cincinnatians voted to repeal Article XII. Scott Knox was one of the leaders of Citizens to Restore Fairness. Knox, a lawyer specializing in LGBTQ rights, was a fierce advocate and major change maker in the successful repeal of Article XII. Scott is a 1985 graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law.
