About Queer Kentucky
Kentucky’s only LGBTQ+ newsroom
We report on public health, government and politics, and arts and culture for queer people across the Bluegrass state, with a specific focus on Appalachia, rural communities, and the people state media most often overlooks.
Photo: Louisville Pride Festival
Who we are
Our newsroom
Queer Kentucky is an independent, LGBTQ+-run newsroom founded in Louisville, with roots now in both Louisville and Northern Kentucky. We publish original journalism, commentary, and cultural reporting that centers queer Kentuckians.
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Across the commonwealth
Statewide reporting
We work with journalists, writers, and historians across the state to document the people, policies, and culture shaping LGBTQ+ life in the commonwealth, from Frankfort to Pikeville to Paducah.
Our beats
What we cover
Our editorial focus is grounded in three core areas, mirrored across every platform we publish:
We prioritize reporting that is Kentucky-specific, intersectional, and willing to challenge systems of power. That includes rural organizing, Appalachian communities, life outside Louisville and Lexington, and accountability writing about public institutions.
By the numbers
Our impact
Our articles have been shared across the world, bringing the stories of Kentuckians to readers in every state and beyond.
The people behind it
Leadership
Missy Spears
Executive Director, she/they2025 NLGJA Jeanne Córdova Award
Missy took over as Queer Kentucky’s executive director in November 2023 after joining the team as director of operations earlier that year. She is the 2025 recipient of NLGJA’s Jeanne Córdova Award and made political reporting a core part of Queer Kentucky’s work, including the newsroom’s ongoing coverage of the Kentucky General Assembly and the widely cited Queer Election Guide.
Outside the newsroom, Missy balances service on three organizational and community action boards with neighborhood-level organizing in Covington. She co-founded and co-manages COVunity Free Fridge, a volunteer-run program that feeds more than 11,000 people a year, and creates community spaces and events that put LGBTQ+ folks in leadership roles.
Spencer Jenkins
Founder, First Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief, he/him
Spencer started Queer Kentucky in March 2018, designing the brand at a corner table in Morels cafe in Louisville. He served as the newsroom’s founding executive director until November 2023 and continued as editor-in-chief through March 2026, helping to grow the publication from a single-city blog into a GLAAD-nominated statewide LGBTQ+ newsroom.
Governance and oversight
Board of Directors
Queer Kentucky is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that sets strategic direction and oversees the newsroom’s operations and finances.
Transparency
How we are run and funded
We believe the public deserves to see how this newsroom is run and funded.
Support our work
Keep queer journalism alive in Kentucky
Queer journalism in Kentucky exists because people fund it directly. If this work matters to you, there are three ways to keep it alive:
Give
Support Queer journalism
Every story we publish is free to read because readers like you fund it. Pick the way that works for you.
Contact
Get in touch
For editorial inquiries, press, partnerships, or republishing requests, contact us here.
Donors $5,000 and over
Our supporters
Queer Kentucky is funded by individual donors, members, sponsors, and grant partners. We publicly list supporters contributing $5,000 or more so readers can see who backs this work.
