“The thing is, I’ve always looked like this and believe it or not, it took me a long time to come out.” Chef Connie Hartsock laughed and cradled her freckled forehead in her palm framed by long red hair across the table from me at Fullstop. Connie’s first venture into the world of the service […]
BEREA, Ky. — Kentucky’s first transgender elected official won a seat on the Berea School Board as a write-in candidate. Rebecca Blankenship has made queer history. “A write-in campaign for a school board seat is, in some ways, an easy victory. But queer rights in Kentucky will, for the foreseeable future, be advanced by strategically […]
by Ben Harlan of La Casita Louisville TW: Violence against queer and Latinx people. Having grown up and lived in Orlando, Edgar regularly visited Pulse nightclub and talks about the impact the shooting had on the queer community there. If you happen to be AMAB and have sex with men, when you hear “high-risk” and […]
Many moons ago, I wrote an article titled Lesbian Heaven Exists detailing my deep love of Louisville’s former lesbian bar, Purrswaytions. Since the space closed in 2019, my search for a queer femme community has been an ongoing journey. From throwing our own parties with Gayborhood Events to following popular DJs around dance spots in […]
As one of my closest friends facetimes our transgender groupchat from post-surgery in Texas, her face is bruised, bloodied, hammered. Her face swollen into a newfound beauty, jaw shaved and skin glossy with sweat. Her eyes are swollen from lid to undereye, painted purple and black with bruising: an elegant eyeshadow that cost thousands. Her […]
The Big Stomp (formerly known as PeteFest), the nation’s first music festival to focus on mental health, will return October 14 – 15, 2022. The expanded event will feature more than 30 acts across three stages including electronic jam band Lotus, indie alternative rock band Moon Taxi and electro-funk outfit The Floozies. The festival will […]
by Spencer Jenkins (he/him)Executive [email protected] *Update: $50,000 bond has been posted, according to court documents. Mattingly will now go into the home incarceration program. He will be in court again on Sept. 30 at 9 a.m. for a preliminary hearing. On September 21, David Timothy Mattingly, owner of Nowhere Bar on Bardstown Road, was arrested […]
Q: Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? A: I was born in Louisville and it’s still home. I used to live in the west end with my aunt and uncle who raised me then I moved to St. Matthew’s in high school with my sister and her husband. I […]
Despite being someone who publicly announced they once threw up on a man while sucking dick (and has routinely told that story as an ice breaker) some of you may think there’s nothing I won’t share or say. An open book, with open legs, and an open heart (read: throat) always seemed to be the […]
Visual artists are a vital part of Kentucky’s Queer community. Thanks to the Great Meadows Foundation, which was launched in 2016 by contemporary art collector and philanthropist Al Shands (1928-2021) in order to critically strengthen and support visual art in Kentucky, Queer Kentucky will be featuring interviews with a number of these artists. Brennen Cabrera […]
Dracula has been a staple of Actors Theatre of Louisville’s fall lineup since 1995, but this September, Dracula’s evolution is taking a leap forward with the implementation of Kate Hamill’s new feminist script, first performed in New York in February of 2020. GRAB TICKETS HERE! I hopped on a zoom call with three queer artists who […]
“Did I know I was different? Absolutely. Did other kids know it? Absolutely. And while I spent some of my childhood wondering why I was different, I don’t ever recall wishing that I wasn’t,” says Owensboro celebrity, Chad Benefield. I am not an Owensboro native. I have been living in OBKY for roughly two years, […]
The Louisville Pride Foundation has released their theme for the 2022 festival — “Welcome Home.” The festival is also being considered a celebration of the opening of a new permanent home, and Queer community center, in Old Louisville. “Being LGBTQ means being isolated at some point in your life,” said Executive Director Mike Slaton. “Our […]
The North Central District Health Department will be accepting walk-ins and scheduled appointments for monkeypox vaccinations at the Shelby County Health Department, 615 11th Street in Shelbyville, until 4 p.m. today, Aug. 24. You do not need to reside in the county to receive a vaccine. Due to a lack of interest in available appointments, […]
Norton Healthcare is offering the monkeypox vaccine to those with certain risk factors at a pop-up clinic on Saturday, Aug. 27. Before scheduling, please ensure that you are available for second dose on Saturday, Sept. 24. Click here to schedule. Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is not encouraging mass vaccination for […]
Kentucky advocacy groups and unions have once again launched protest actions targeting the Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation’s discriminatory policies. Today the groups unveiled a billboard along I-65 near the Kentucky State Fair and plan to protest the Kentucky Farm Bureau’s annual Ham Breakfast Thursday, August 25 at 7:00 a.m. ET. The billboard, which states, “Kentucky […]
As of August 17, 2022, Kentucky has had a total of 15 cases of monkeypox. Louisville Metro Public Health emailed Queer Kentucky this morning and said, “We have expanded the Specialty Clinic’s ability to offer monkeypox vaccines to anyone who falls in the PEP++ criteria. We still have a limited supply, but as it trickles in, […]
Does discrimination enrage you? Want to be a part of one of the best side gigs ever AND help fight illegal housing practices at the same time? Then this opportunity is for you! The Lexington Fair Housing Council, Kentucky’s only civil rights office dedicated to advocating for victims of housing discrimination, is looking for volunteers […]
Editor’s Note: This piece is an editorial submission. As a 501(c)3, Queer Kentucky, INC cannot endorse political candidates and we must stand by that obligation. If they Paul Campaign were to reach out and want to publish something, we would legally honor that obligation as well. I was in Western Kentucky this past weekend at […]
Drag Daddy Productions, the company behind such original and revived works as Alice in Derbyland, Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Drag Revival, Tuba Atonement and more, is seeking new talent to join them in the Fall 2022/Spring 2023 seasons. Auditions will be held August 14th and 17th. If interested in joining the queer theater company, […]
Imagine being over a hundred miles from home and wake up to your watch buzzing flood warning. That was my experience last Thursday morning. Living near the Poor Fork of the Cumberland River, this isn’t unusual after heavy rains. Thankfully, Cumberland did not experience any major flooding or damage this go around, but our friends […]
The United States declared a public health emergency for monkeypox today to quicken the federal response and increase vaccine availability. Monkeypox has infected more than 6,600 Americans thus far with Kentucky having eight confirmed cases. Nearly all cases are among men who have sex with men. “We are prepared to take our response to the […]
Editor’s Note: Monkeypox is not specific to the LGBTQ+ community. It is affecting us the most because it came into contact with our community first. We are a close-knit community that usually stays within our safe social circles, leading to transmission among our community. This article will be updated once more information is available. Monkeypox […]
Jason X (2001) When you think of Jason Vorhees, you think of three things: The iconic hockey mask, horny camp counselors and of course, the 80’s; This makes sense, given most of the films Jason dons a hockey mask, kills camp counselors who are very horny and most of the entries in the series have […]
Jeleena Hall (Ja-lee-na) took to the skies to make history and become part of the first all women Honor Flight in Kentucky, back in June. An all-expense paid one day trip to D.C. was provided to the female veterans to see memorials and visit museums that honored the women who’ve served. She signed up because […]
Visual artists are a vital part of Kentucky’s Queer community. Thanks to the Great Meadows Foundation, which was launched in 2016 by contemporary art collector and philanthropist Al Shands (1928-2021) in order to critically strengthen and support visual art in Kentucky, Queer Kentucky will be featuring interviews with a number of these artists. It is the […]
Make no mistake, Kentucky’s Silas House has influenced our work at Queer Kentucky since writer and publisher, Sarah Gardiner, introduced his work to QKY founder, Spencer Jenkins in 2018. We are beyond proud to congratulate House on receiving the Duggins Prize for Outstanding Mid-Career Novelist, the largest prize given to an LGBTQ writer in the […]
What happens when a coalition of ultra-conservative state attorneys general sue the federal government for extending civil rights protections to the LGBTQ+ community? Naturally, a Trump-appointed federal judge rules in their favor. That’s what transpired late last Friday, when Judge Charles Atchley of Tennessee’s Eastern District blocked a federal directive to expand sex discrimination protections […]
Every time the elevator doors opened at The New School dorm building on 15th St & 1st Ave, my olfactory nerves were hit with the scent of dozens of strains of weed. Always a reliable source of debauchery, the 12-story Stuy building served as temporary home for a bunch of art school kids whose Northern […]
by Tyler Goodlet and Spencer [email protected] Editor’s note: This Story will be updated as new facts, anecdotes and more arise. When John Doe (name kept anonymous) noticed his swollen lymph nodes, fever and headache, he suspected that he contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI). He decided to head to the Speciality Clinic in Jefferson County […]
