We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Peter Taylor, one of the earliest and most dedicated supporters of the Faulkner Morgan Archive and a beloved member of our Board of Directors. 

A lifelong LGBTQ advocate, Peter brought profound insight, courage, and compassion to every role he held — from mental health professional to rare book collector to archivist of Kentucky’s LGBTQ history. His life was a testament to resilience, justice, and quiet revolution. Peter’s unwavering commitment to visibility, dignity, and truth shaped not only our work at FMA but the broader narrative of LGBTQ Kentucky. 

Starting as early as high school, Peter was inspired by the gay activism taking place in cities like San Francisco and New York. Then in 1971, as a freshman at the University of Kentucky, he joined the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) in their endeavor to be recognized as an official student organization on campus.

The Kentucky Kernel, December 5, 1972. Faulkner Morgan Archive.

That application was rejected, then appealed and then rejected again. When a second application was submitted, the University filed suit seeking a declaratory judgment. As GLF president, Peter was named in the suit.  He was the first member of the group to refuse to use a pseudonym when dealing with the media, effectively outting himself to the public. After a long legal battle, the court upheld the university’s right to deny the GLF’s application. 

After many years, he received his BA in Fine Arts in 1984 from UK where he specialized in graphic design, photography, creative writing and collaborating with Bob Morgan. In 1988, he received an MS in Library Science focusing on Special Collections and children’s services. He also received a Master’s in Social Work in 1995. His areas of specialization included severe mental illnesses and underserved populations (particularly the homeless and the incarcerated). He then received his license to practice Social Work independently in 2005.

In the 1980s, he was a regular speaker and crisis counselor for the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO, now The Lexington Pride Center). In the 1990s, he served on the GLSO Board while continuing to help in various other roles. He continued serving the community in many ways for the following decades.

Peter Taylor by unknown, Faulkner Morgan Archive.

After retiring in 2017, Peter worked with many organizations to ensure the preservation of historic materials, especially relating to Kentucky’s LGBTQ community. He became an invaluable member of the Faulkner Morgan Archive’s Board of Directors, and left a lasting legacy on our community. As he once said:

“History is written by the winners and the existence of this archive proves that here, by God, we won one.” — Peter Taylor

You can learn more about Peter’s six decades of activism from a recent feature from The LGBTQ History Project, an FMA Blog Post, and clip from The Last Gospel of The Pagan Babies linked below. 

https://www.lgbtqhp.org/post/peter-taylor 

https://www.faulknermorgan.org/blog/remembering-peter-taylor 

https://vimeo.com/136453781