Be queer. Be brave. Leave the real flames at home. Those are the rules at Smoke & Queers, the troupe that built its own burlesque stage when nobody else would build one for them.

Hickman's own S.G. Goodman plays two Kentucky rooms in two nights this week, a festival stage in Louisville and a former church sanctuary in Newport. Here is why both stops matter.

McClatchy's latest round of layoffs cut the Lexington Herald-Leader's newsroom by 52 percent, eliminating entire beats and raising alarms about the future of local news in Kentucky, especially in rural communities and news deserts that already have few alternatives.

More than 12,700 people have been diagnosed with HIV in Kentucky since reporting began in 1982. Here's how to find HIV-competent doctors you need from the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to the Bluegrass Care Clinic at the University of Kentucky.

From eastern Kentucky's Appalachian hills to the bars of Louisville and the small-town pride festivals of the Bluegrass, drag artists across the commonwealth are performing, organizing, and showing up for their communities in ways that go far beyond the stage.

Western Kentucky LGBTQ+ violence rates top the state average. Most of the region has no fairness ordinance and KY's hate crime law excludes trans people.

Queer people are connecting to Andrew Sa’s sound because he embodies the “Lavender Cowboy” subgenre of country music.

Four years in the making, Songs of Silas sets the poetry of Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House to music composed by Grammy-winning Louisville Orchestra Director Teddy Abrams and performed by University of Louisville baritone Chad Sloan. It makes its world premiere September 13 at Comstock Hall — and admission is free.

WAVE Foundation's 20th Annual Make WAVEs Gala returns to Newport Aquarium on September 11. The queer-run conservation organization invites guests for an after-dark evening of cocktails, animal encounters, a silent disco, and a silent auction.

And Then There Were None Louisville opens Sept 4-13 at Highview Arts Center with queer director Joy Beth DeWitt-Riley and a mostly LGBTQ+ cast.

The National LGBTQ Task Force is bringing Creating Change 2027 to Louisville this January, and Task Force President Kierra Johnson had a clear message at the kickoff: Kentucky's organizing is something the whole country needs to learn from.

Governor Andy Beshear's growing national profile is raising questions about what his presidential ambitions could mean for Kentucky's LGBTQ+ community and the state he still governs.

New data from the 2025 Queer Kentucky Community Health Survey paints a stark picture: more than half of LGBTQ+ people in Western Kentucky have no regular healthcare provider, and the region's HIV never-tested rate is nearly 20 points higher than the state average. Nick Fulton reports on the education gaps, care deserts, and community organizers working to change it.

From Independence to Fort Mitchell, Northern Kentucky cities are pulling back on AI-powered license plate reader cameras after rare and unified public pushback, even as police insist the technology is working.

Sex-positive Ohio LGBTQ+ print magazine nymph(o) returns with Issue 4 on August 29, exploring collective liberation through art, poetry, and photography rooted in the vision of activist Fannie Lou Hamer.

Democrat Zach Dembo and Republican Ralph Alvarado are squaring off in Central Kentucky's 6th Congressional District- one of the most competitive races the Lexington area has seen in over a decade. Here's what it means for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians.

Louisville's largest LGBTQ+ event, the Louisville Pride Festival, returns to Bardstown Road on Saturday, Sept. 12, with two stages of entertainment, 100+ affirming vendors, and family-friendly activities — free and open to all.

Throughout the weekend, attendees can expect nationally and locally recognized performers, drag entertainers, DJs, community organizations, small businesses, food vendors, networking opportunities, and experiences that celebrate the richness and diversity of the Black LGBTQ+ community.

More and more Northern Kentucky police departments want Flock Safety cameras, but residents across the region are fighting back. At a July fiscal court meeting in Kenton County, more than a dozen people showed up to say no, calling the AI-powered cameras a government-accessible record of everyone's movements. Newport just cancelled their contract. Fort Thomas is reconsidering. Here's what these cameras actually do, who's pushing back, and what happens next.

TBALLER, a Northern Kentucky artist blending funk, pop and queer self-expression, talks influences, identity and his upcoming EP.

McConnell has missed 47 Senate votes since his hospitalization. Here's what Kentucky actually loses while he's out, from the Farm Bill to SNAP.

Henderson KY Pride issued a public response after a letter to the editor called for pride events in the community to end. In their rebuttal, the organization's board pushed back point by point.

It comes after Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has urged the Republican senator to resign from office if he cannot serve.

Kentucky law says the governor must appoint a replacement senator. A 2024 Republican-backed bill says hold a special election. A UK law professor says the conflict could end up in the courts.

Kentucky's governor has fewer options than most people realize when a sitting senator goes absent but hasn't vacated their seat. No removal. No forced replacement. And the law around special elections is murkier than it sounds.⁠ We broke down every option Beshear actually has, including the one hiding in plain sight.

Queer Kentucky, the Commonwealth's only LGBTQ+ newsroom, reached 8 million readers in 2025, according to its newly released annual report, despite a sharp decline in funding.

Nathan Wilson was once a patient at HIV health nonprofit Matthew25. Now he manages facilities for the organization that helped save his life.

The "I'm Feeling Queer Today" podcast returns July 30 for Season 4, with young LGBTQ+ hosts interviewing writers, drag artists, and storytellers shaping queer culture. The show is a free artistic mentorship program through The Future Perfect Project, a nonprofit co-founded by Celeste Lecesne of The Trevor Project.

From 1980s hankie codes to today's watermelon stickers, queer Kentuckians have long relied on safe signaling to find each other without outing themselves in a hostile political climate.

When Sen. Mitch McConnell disappeared from view, Kentuckians wanted answers about his health. The Constitution says he doesn't owe them any.

Rocky Adkins, former Kentucky House Majority Leader and senior advisor to Gov. Andy Beshear, has announced his candidacy for the 2027 Kentucky governor's race, joining a Democratic primary field that already includes Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman.

Rep. Thomas Massie shut down talk of running for Mitch McConnell's Senate seat - and the reason is a civics lesson. Even if McConnell were to pass away, a Kentucky special election would only fill the remainder of his term, which ends in January. Massie, who lost his primary and is already leaving the House in January, called the Senate "the same circus with different monkeys."

Brandon Hill filed a federal lawsuit against the Covington Police Department and two officers, alleging excessive force and civil rights violations during the July 2025 Roebling Bridge protest.

Pikeville native Samantha Ratcliffe draws on her Appalachian roots, the punk scene, and the literary community to write poetry and music that pushes back against hatred and harmful stereotypes. Her upcoming thesis collection explores what it means to live openly as a queer person in the South.

As the University of Kentucky aligns its policies with state and federal directives, queer students and organizations on campus are navigating the loss of institutional support. Research suggests that perceived lack of university support is tied to worsening mental health outcomes for LGBTQ+ students nationwide.

Founded by Louisville artist Tayzzy, the event features R&B performers Baby Grace, Just Joey, and Penny Marguax, plus face painting, tarot readings, and local vendors LOUISVILLE, KY — On Thursday, July 23, from 7:00–11:00 PM, Louisville’s Jubilee Field will transform into a vibrant celebration of music, creativity, and community during the inaugural Love Out Loud […]

Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter to Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office in Washington, D.C., demanding more information about the senator and his health.

LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 23 are invited to a four-day residency at ACT Louisville to help shape a new musical about queer history. Applications close July 13.

A new wave of LGBTQ+ organizations in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky are filling the gap left by shuttered venues and building spaces that are more inclusive than ever.

Since 1990, Rosie's Tavern in Covington's MainStrasse neighborhood has been a queer-owned safe space for LGBTQ+ communities across Greater Cincinnati. Through AIDS losses, neighborhood harassment, and two ownership transitions, it has endured as an anchor of Northern Kentucky's growing gayborhood.

Poet Melissa Helton found her queerness, her voice, and her found home in Appalachia, and she's using all three to challenge stereotypes and turn rage into art.

The Supreme Court is upholding state laws barring transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams, in another setback for transgender people. The court’s conservative majority has repeatedly ruled against transgender Americans in the past year.

Henderson KY Pride is heading into its third year with record sponsorships, 85+ vendors, 30+ performers, and Jaida Essence Hall headlining Pride '26 on June 27 in downtown Henderson.

Sandra Carpenter came out in college at EKU and spent her career building toward a role like this one. Now, as Executive Director of Louisville Youth Group, Kentucky's oldest queer QTBIPOC youth organization, she's focused on bridging the urban-rural divide for LGBTQ+ young people across the state.

Seven Counties Services is welcoming the LGBTQ+ community to "Rooted for Wellness," a free annual open house at their La Grange location on June 27. Drop in for music, arts and crafts, light refreshments, and a chance to learn about mental health and behavioral health services in a safe, affirming space.

After death threats, hacked accounts, and rumors of white nationalist interference, Corbin Pride organizer Rebecca Chastain almost called it quits. What brought her back was the thing she's been building all along: community.

Trans Kentuckians are fighting to keep their healthcare as anti-trans laws hit record highs. Providers and patients speak out, and refuse to back down.

A community is finding ways to honor Murry Foust, the transgender Northern Kentucky University art student who went missing and was later found dead in Wilder, Kentucky, almost a month later. Foust was a 22-year-old artist from Crescent Springs, Kentucky. In the weeks since they were found, the outpouring of love from the Cincinnati and […]

J.P. Davis, co-founder of Louisville's LGBT Chamber of Commerce, writes that the One Louisville board's lack of openly LGBTQ+ representation isn't an oversight but a choice, and a pattern this city needs to break.

A Louisville Safe Haven ordinance meant to protect trans people is headed to a Metro Council committee hearing, but the community it aims to protect has serious concerns. LGBTQ+ organizations and advocates say the five-page draft has critical gaps, could invite retaliation from Frankfort, and wasn't written with enough community input.

The 2026 LGBTQ Kentucky survey is live through June, building on data from more than 4,000 previous respondents. Add your voice to one of the most comprehensive studies of queer Kentuckians ever conducted.

A Kentucky middle schooler honors Freida Belinfante — Jewish lesbian, Nazi resistance fighter, and orchestra conductor — with a stunning art competition dress.

Discover Cinema Systers in Paducah, America's only lesbian film festival, celebrating queer women's voices and stories in Kentucky.