With the heated political climate for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, there have been many responses from communities across the state– from anger, to hope, to exhaustion. In 2023, in response to the first legislative session with a slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, young Kentuckians rallied in the hundreds at the state capital to fight SB 150. In 2024, […]
“As a queer employee of UK, I feel they didn’t stand up for me… And if this is what standing up looks like, it’s dire in Kentucky” Senate Bill 6 and House Bill 9 were the two anti-DEI bills in the 2024 session. Both of them died in the legislature, despite Republican lawmakers’ bureaucratic efforts […]
photos by Milkman Photography The booze beginning I did not grow up with queer people around me in rural Kentucky. But, I did have a fabulous, good country woman as a grandmother. She taught me how to cook, how to be myself no matter what anyone thought, and how to fight to survive in a […]
The “rural-urban divide” has been named a major fault line in American politics. This conversation leaves people quaking every presidential election, when rural swing states are often named as the deciding factor of the national vote. JD Vance, venture capitalist and senator from Ohio, has been named Donald Trump’s running mate for November’s presidential election. […]
photo by Lauren Smith-Reed (they/she) Young people sit in front of a crowd looking towards the stage at Henderson, Kentucky’s first-ever Pride on June 30, 2024. In 1999, the western Kentucky town of Henderson passed the fairness ordinance to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Henderson was originally the third city in Kentucky to have LGBTQIA+ […]
Kentuckians in crisis can now connect with suicide prevention, mental health, and substance abuse counselors using a nationwide, easier-to-dial phone number – 988. Phone service providers will now direct 988 calls to the existing national lifeline with its 13 Kentucky call centers, and connection to additional crisis services will be provided if necessary. The American […]
This story is part of a series from Queer Kentucky focused on following the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly from a queer lens. Follow Queer Kentucky on your favorite social media platform to stay up-to-date with our GA24 coverage. If you are a Kentuckian who identifies as LGBTQ+ and you would be open to sharing how […]
Today is the infamous sine die, which is the action that officially ends this legislative session. This legislative session has included at least 14 anti-LGBTQ+ bills, with anti-DEI bills being particularly publicly controversial. Of all of the bills, only 1 of the anti-LGBTQ bills passed. House Bill 5, a broad-reaching crime bill, will become law […]
photo by Jon Cherry for Queer Kentucky Of the slate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this session, it looks like the healthcare discrimination, religious freedom expansion, anti-drag, and anti-DEI bills are all dead. There is always the chance that bills that did not pass will be infused into bills that have passed, like HB 470 was infused […]
photo: Jon Cherry for Queer Kentucky February 2024 There is a continuous wave of bills regulating the civil rights of LGBTQ+ communities, and many people in the community feel like they are drowning. Currently at 479 bills, there is a nationwide influx of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. But, where are these bills coming from? The bills in […]
