Creating Change 2027 Is Coming to Louisville. Here’s What to Know.

September 1, 2026 Community, Culture

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.

A group of LGBTQ+ community leaders and organizers stand together in a ballroom at the downtown Louisville Marriott during the Creating Change 2027 kickoff event. A person in a lavender blazer speaks into a microphone on the left while the group listens. A presentation screen is partially visible in the background. Attendees wear name tags and represent a diverse range of backgrounds and organizations from across Kentucky and the country.

National LGBTQ Task Force

No Doctor, No Test, Refused at the Door: What the Data Shows About LGBTQ+ Health Care in Western Kentucky

August 26, 2026 Health, Community

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.

The exterior entrance of AVOL Kentucky, Suite 100, photographed at dusk. A black A-frame chalkboard sign in front of the brick and gray-sided building reads "Free AVOL HIV STI Testing" in colorful lettering. String lights hang above the entrance, and bare winter shrubs line the base of the building.

The ‘Family Safety’ Pretense: Flock Cameras and Northern Kentucky Parks

Community, Gov & Politics

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.

A Flock Safety automated license plate reader camera silhouetted against a sunset sky, part of a surveillance network that raises particular privacy concerns for LGBTQ+ people in Northern Kentucky.

AP

Nobody’s Free Until Everybody’s Free: The Queer Print Magazine Imagining Liberation Together

August 25, 2026 Art, Culture

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.

A group filled with smiles and love gathers in a home filled with books and decor.

Louisville Pride Festival Is Back with “Empowered, Emboldened: Pride In The Face of Opposition” Theme

August 14, 2026 Culture

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.

Attendees stroll down a street lined with tents and vendors at a Pride festival in Louisville's Tyler Park neighborhood, passing an ice cream stand and a rainbow-colored art installation

Melanin Pride Weekend Celebrates a Decade of Black LGBTQ+ Culture in Louisville

August 13, 2026 Art, Community, Culture

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.

Three smiling Black women pose together in front of a brightly colored Melanin Pride Weekend banner in Louisville.

Northern Kentucky Communities Push Back Against Flock Safety Surveillance Cameras.

Community, Gov & Politics

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.

A flock license plate reader camera mounted on a pole.

NKY Artist TBALLER Explores Music, Fashion and Funk

August 11, 2026 Art, Culture, Music

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

TBALLER, Northern Kentucky artist, poses in leopard print and a vintage fur coat during a photoshoot.

Henderson KY Pride Fires Back at Calls to End Pride

August 7, 2026 Culture, Gov & Politics, Rural/Appalachia

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.

Crowd cheers as a performer takes the stage at Henderson KY Pride

ANNUAL REPORT: Queer Kentucky Reported 30% More Stories on 42% Less Funding

August 3, 2026 Business

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.

Queer Kentucky Annual Report 2025 in front of a dancing crowd at night.

How Rural Kentucky HIV Care Saved Nathan Wilson

July 31, 2026 Culture, Health, Rural/Appalachia

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

Nathan Wilson smiling in sunglasses and a neon cap in front of a Matthew25 mobile health clinic truck

Queer Youth Podcast ‘I’m Feeling Queer Today’ Returns for Season 4

Culture, Art

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.

A young performer in red sings on the Viva Glam stage at NYC Youth Pride, part of The Future Perfect Project's programming

Lavender to Watermelons: Safe Signaling in Kentucky

July 30, 2026 Culture, History

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.

A blue handkerchief hanging from the back left pocket of blue jeans

Rocky Adkins, EKY Democrat and Beshear Advisor, Announces Run for Kentucky Governor

July 21, 2026 Gov & Politics, Rural/Appalachia

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.

Rocky Adkins speaks on the floor of the Kentucky House of Representatives

Roebling Protester Sues Covington Police for Excessive Force

July 18, 2026 Community, Gov & Politics

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.

Officer Zachary Stayton approaches Brandon Hill during the Roebling Bridge protest on July 17, 2025, captured on Covington Police Department body camera footage

Appalachian Poet Samantha Ratcliffe Uses Words to Reclaim Queer Identity in Kentucky

July 16, 2026 Art, Culture, Rural/Appalachia

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.

University of Kentucky Queer Students Face Policy Backlash

July 15, 2026 Gov & Politics, Community, Culture

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.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

Love Out Loud Fest Brings Free Music, Art, and Community to Louisville on July 23

July 9, 2026 Culture, Art, Community, Music

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 […]

LGBTQ+ Youth Invited to Help Shape New Musical on Queer History at ACT Louisville

July 6, 2026 Culture, Art

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.

Cast of YOUR HANDS ARE THE ROAD, a musical about queer American history, posing on stage at ACT Louisville

Beyond the Bar: How Cincinnati/NKY Queer Spaces Are Evolving

July 3, 2026 Community, Culture, Drag, History

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.

Ron Clemons, Cincinnati community activist and retired social worker, seated on outdoor steps in a black-and-white portrait photograph.

How Rosie’s Tavern Became the Heart of Northern Kentucky’s Gayborhood

July 2, 2026 Culture, History

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.

The exterior of Rosie's Tavern in Covington, Kentucky, on a summer afternoon, with patrons sitting outside under a dark awning beneath the bar's oval hanging sign.

Appalachian Poet Melissa Helton on Queerness, Rage, and Finding Home in Kentucky

July 1, 2026 Art, Culture, Rural/Appalachia

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.

Portrait of Melissa Helton against a blue and pink tinted mountain landscape.

Small Town, Big Pride: Henderson KY Pride Celebrates Record Growth Ahead of Saturday’s Festival

June 25, 2026 Community

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.

Rainbow pride flags at Henderson KY Pride 2026 festival in Henderson, Kentucky

Louisville Youth Group Director Wants to Reach Rural Kentucky’s Youth

June 23, 2026 Community, Rural/Appalachia

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 Hosts Free LGBTQ+ Wellness Event in La Grange

June 18, 2026 Culture, Community, Health

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.

She Almost Canceled Corbin Pride. White Nationalists Won’t Stop Her Now.

June 16, 2026 Community, Culture, Gov & Politics

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.

Rebecca Chastain smiles at the camera wearing a Corbin Pride t-shirt, overlaid against a purple-tinted photo of vendor tents and attendees at a previous Corbin Pride event.

NKU Remembered Murry Foust With a Degree. His Community Is Honoring Him With Much More.

June 9, 2026 Culture, Art, Community

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 […]

A close-up of a green handwritten tag on the colorful community loom that reads, "Rest in peace Murry… your legacy lives on through your art. You are my role model for wanting to pursue art as a trans man myself."

Opinion | J.P. Davis: Louisville Said LGBTQ+ People Were Welcome. That’s Not the Same as Being Chosen.

June 8, 2026 Community, Opinion

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.

The Louisville, Kentucky skyline reflected in the Ohio River at dusk, with the illuminated dome of the Jefferson County Courthouse visible at center.

Chris Watson | Creative Commons

2026 LGBTQ Kentucky Survey Is Live – Take It Now

May 29, 2026 Community, Health

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.

Pride and Resistance: The Heroic Story of Frieda Belinfante

May 26, 2026 Culture

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

Frieda Belinfante as a young woman holding a cello, composited over a photo of Ballyshannon Middle School in Union, Kentucky

Paducah’s Cinema Systers Is America’s Only Lesbian Film Festival — And It’s Turning 10

May 19, 2026 Culture

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

Covington’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer Has 9 Federal Lawsuits. The Community Wants Answers.

May 14, 2026 Community, Gov & Politics

Doug Ullrich, the Covington Police Department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Officer, faces nine federal lawsuits since 2021. Local LGBTQ+ community members say the city’s silence has eroded trust and they’re demanding answers.

Covington Police Officer Doug Ullrich smiling in uniform, pictured in front of the Roebling Bridge. Overlaid is an excerpt from a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging his actions and departmental failures violated plaintiffs' Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

Kentuckiana Pride Cancels DJ’s Appearance After Backlash Over IDF Military Service

May 13, 2026 Community, Art, Culture, Gov & Politics

Louisville’s Kentuckiana Pride announced late Tuesday night that it would no longer have gay celebrity DJ Eliad Cohen of Miami Beach perform during its annual event on June 20 as part of its entertainment lineup that also included Drag Race superstar Alaska and other acts. Cohen served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the country’s […]

The official Kentuckiana Pride 2026 event graphic featuring rainbow-colored bold text and an illustrated bridge in Pride colors against a blue background, with the word "Saturday" in the corner.

Cain Culto Was Sent to Conversion Therapy. He Came Out a Pop Star.

May 12, 2026 Health, Art, Community, Culture, Mental Health, Music

In a time of political backsliding, artists are at the forefront fighting against white patriarchal ideals with acts of rebellious queerness and authenticity. One singer in particular, Cain Culto, blends unapologetic queerness and witchy aesthetic—long fingernails, grills with tusks, and jockstraps—with music that takes on themes of sexuality, battling colonialism, and healing his inner child. […]

Two overlapping Polaroid-style mirror selfies of Cain Culto, shot in black and white with a soft, hazy quality, set against a dark background.

Kentucky Passed Zero Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws in 2026. Here’s How Advocates Made It Happen.

April 23, 2026 Gov & Politics, Community

When Kentucky lawmakers wrapped up the 2026 legislative session earlier this month, they gaveled out and went home without passing a single anti-LGBTQ+ bill. It is a reprieve from a heavy onslaught of high-profile, targeted laws coming out of Frankfort over the last few years — years that saw measures limiting access to gender-affirming care, […]

Advocates meet with a Kentucky lawmaker in his Frankfort office during the 2026 legislative session. A photographer documents the visit, which included a Martin Luther King Jr. tribute display and a "We Can Do It!" poster on the wall.

Creating Change 2027: Nation’s Largest LGBTQ Conference Coming to Louisville

April 10, 2026 Business, Community, Culture

Editor’s Note (July 15, 2026): Registration for Creating Change 2027 is now open here. (June 16, 2026): Proposal submissions for Creating Change 2027 are now open. Here’s the full timeline to mark on your calendar: Call for Proposals: June 15 – September 15, 2026 — Submit here CC27 Kick-off Reception: August 25, 2026, Louisville […]

National LGBTQ Task Force

Kentuckiana Pride TurnAbout 2026 | Louisville Drag Show

March 27, 2026 Community, Culture, Drag

(Louisville, KY March 25, 2026) It’s that time of year again for one of the best Drag Illusions shows you have ever witnessed. Grab those dollars and come out & join Kentuckiana Pride Foundation and Play Louisville on Saturday, March 28th at Play Louisville as we bring the community together for a fun-filled night of […]

Promotional flyer for Kentuckiana Pride TurnAbout 2026 drag show at Play Louisville on Saturday March 28, doors at 6:30 PM and show at 7 PM

Opinion | We See You: JustChoice Is Opening JustCenter for Reproductive Health

March 26, 2026 Community, Culture, Opinion

Let’s imagine something. Imagine walking into a reproductive health clinic in Kentucky and not having to brace yourself. Imagine reproductive healthcare that was designed with LGBTQ+ people in mind from the beginning. Reproductive health is too often reduced to “pro-choice” versus “pro-life.” But for many people in queer and trans communities, reproductive justice is even […]

JustChoice staff at JustCenter for Reproductive Health in Louisville, Kentucky

Queer Kentucky Announces Divya Karthikeyan as Editorial Manager

March 18, 2026 Gov & Politics, Business, Culture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Queer Kentucky Announces Divya Karthikeyan as Editorial Manager Louisville, KY — Queer Kentucky has named award-winning journalist Divya Karthikeyan as its new Editorial Manager, ushering in the next chapter for Kentucky’s only LGBTQ newsroom. Karthikeyan will oversee the editorial direction and daily operations of Queer Kentucky’s newsroom, guiding coverage of LGBTQ […]

Divya Karthikeyan, Editorial Manager at Queer Kentucky, standing outdoors.

Period Y’all founder Skylar Davis leads Kentucky fight against period poverty

March 9, 2026 Culture, Community, Health, Sex

Skylar Davis grows Period Y’all to fight period poverty across Kentucky communities.

Period Y’all founder Skylar Davis stands in front of a truck filled with donated menstrual products while supporting efforts to combat period poverty in Kentucky.

Cincinnati’s Midwestern Lesbian celebrates anniversary, expands pop-up events to other Ohio cities

March 1, 2026 Culture

Midwestern Lesbian expands after Sapphic Sips anniversary draws 200+

Louisville author’s book adapted into HBO docuseries “Murder in Glitter Ball City.”

February 24, 2026 Culture, History

Author David Dominé discusses HBO’s Murder in Glitter Ball City and the Old Louisville case that inspired it.

Composite image featuring a cracked disco ball framing a Victorian mansion at night in Old Louisville, with two men in the foreground, representing the HBO docuseries Murder in Glitter Ball City and the case explored in the series.

National Queer Theater accepting applications for expanded Criminal Queerness Studio global playwriting program

February 13, 2026 Culture, Art

National Queer Theater opens applications for global queer playwriting program.

A performer sings passionately into a handheld microphone on a small stage under blue lighting, backed by a live band with guitars and drums. Colorful posters hang behind the musicians, creating a vibrant, community theater atmosphere.

Kentucky Artist John Brooks Creates a Living Archive of Queer Memory in “Islands Are Not Forever”

February 9, 2026 Culture, Art

Kentucky artist John Brooks explores memory, queerness, and time in his evolving artwork.

John Brooks seated on a wooden box in a gallery, wearing a blue shirt and bright green shoes, with large figurative drawings displayed on the wall behind them and a black dog lying on a rug in the foreground.

Two Kentucky Transgender Beauty Queens Head to Miss International Queen USA in Atlantic City

February 2, 2026 Culture

Kentucky’s Mia Kopp and Mulanie Flowers, both transgender, will compete at Miss International Queen USA 2026.

Mia Kopp and Mulanie Flowers, Kentucky transgender beauty queens, representing the state at Miss International Queen USA 2026.

TikTok Comedian Heather Shaw Marries Kentucky Attorney Lilly Jean Coiner in Louisville New Year’s Eve Wedding

January 26, 2026 Culture

TikTok comedian Heather Shaw marries attorney Lilly Jean Coiner in Louisville wedding.

Heather Shaw and Lilly Jean Coiner embrace during their wedding portraits outdoors, with Coiner wearing a white wedding gown and veil and Shaw wearing a black suit while holding a bouquet of dark flowers. Brick buildings and tall grasses are visible in the background.

Lexington Meetup ‘Last WednesGays’ creates Safe Space for Queer Community

January 20, 2026 Culture, Community

Lexington’s Last WednesGays creates a safe, welcoming space for queer community and connection.

Attendees smile and pose at Lexington’s ‘Last WednesGays’ queer meetup inside a local bar, a monthly LGBTQIA+ networking event creating a safe, inclusive community space.

GLAAD I Found You: Erik and Roderick Davis on how Removing the Mask Improved their Vision, Allowing Love to come in

January 15, 2026 Culture

GLAAD – A Black gay couple reflects on faith, coming out, love, and marriage during and after COVID.

Erik Davis (left) and Dr. Roderick Davis (right) on their wedding day. (Photo by Cary Clayton Media)

Queer Kentucky Nominated for GLAAD Award for Outstanding Independent Journalism

January 8, 2026 Culture

Queer Kentucky earns a GLAAD nomination for outstanding independent LGBTQ journalism.

Graphic announcing Queer Kentucky’s nomination for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Independent Journalism, recognizing LGBTQ journalism in Kentucky.

What ‘Y’all’ Really Means: When Community Safety, Civil Rights and Police Collide in Northern Kentucky

December 29, 2025 Culture, Gov & Politics, Opinion

After a Roebling Bridge protest, Covington and Northern Kentucky face urgent questions about safety, power and community.

Emily Schubert, a licensed clinical social worker, sits on a purple couch inside Thrive Empowerment Center in Covington, Kentucky, a trauma-informed LGBTQ-affirming community space focused on safety, healing, and advocacy amid rising anti-LGBTQ+ violence in Northern Kentucky.

Set & Setting Owner Kaleigh Basso Is Redefining What a Queer Bookstore Looks Like in Louisville, recommends these 5 books

December 22, 2025 Culture, Business, Community

Inside Set & Setting, a queer, DIY independent queer bookstore and creative hub in Louisville.

Kaleigh Basso sits outside Set & Setting, her queer independent bookstore in Louisville, beside a colorful hand-painted sign welcoming visitors to the shop.

Lane Rogers, Known Professionally as Blake Mitchell, Dies at 31 After Los Angeles Motorcycle Crash

December 17, 2025 Art

Lane Rogers, known as Blake Mitchell, a proud Kentuckian, died at 31 after a motorcycle accident.

Lane Rogers sits indoors wearing a blue Kentucky varsity jacket and a backward baseball cap, looking toward the camera while adjusting his hat, reflecting his confident style and pride in his Kentucky roots.

Kentucky Pastry Chef Chase Maus Competes on Food Network’s Season 12 of “Holiday Baking Championship”

December 10, 2025 Culture, Hospitality

Kentucky chef Chase Maus brings his Covington roots and queer creativity to Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship.

Chase Maus, a Kentucky pastry chef and Season 12 contestant on Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship, smiles on the show’s holiday themed kitchen set.

Violet Chachki and Gottmik bring “glam and rock and roll” drag spectacular to Louisville on Dec. 11

December 3, 2025 Culture, Drag

Violet Chachki and Gottmik bring their high-energy Knockout Tour to Louisville Dec. 11.

Violet Chachki and Gottmik pose in a boxing ring wearing satin hooded robes and sparkling silver boxing gloves. One wears a purple robe and the other a green robe, both styled with dramatic drag makeup and short dark wigs. They stand beside a heavy punching bag under industrial lighting, embodying the boxing theme of The Knockout Tour.

Slay Bells Holiday Drag Show Returns to Lexington’s Lyric Theatre Dec. 7 to Support Moveable Feast

December 2, 2025 Culture, Community, Drag, Health

Lexington’s Slay Bells returns Dec. 7 to support Moveable Feast with drag, comedy, and community joy.

A lineup of drag performers stands across a brightly lit stage at the Slay Bells holiday show, wearing festive gowns, wigs, and glamorous costumes. Large red letters spell out “IVA” in front of them, with oversized Christmas ornaments decorating the background. Red curtains frame the stage as the performers pose and interact during the fundraiser for Moveable Feast Lexington.

Free to Be Youth Project, Sweet Evening Breeze Partner to Deliver Gender-Affirming Care Packages to Unhoused LGBTQ+ Youth

November 28, 2025 Culture, Community, Health, Mental Health

A new partnership between Free to Be Youth Project and Sweet Evening Breeze brings gender-affirming care packages and vital support to unhoused LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky.

A Rainbow Line client uses products from the Free to Be Youth Project. The initiative’s first step in Kentucky will be a shipment of care packages that include gender-affirming cosmetics, queer and frequently banned books, sensory toys, art supplies, and toolkits focused on empowerment and organizing.

A Love Letter to the South: Queerness, Country, and the Fight for Belonging

November 25, 2025 Culture, Opinion

Queer life in the South holds both contradiction and hope, reshaping belonging through love.

Sophia Harris smiles brightly outdoors while holding a flowing rainbow-colored fabric above her head. She wears a vibrant multicolored outfit and stands in sunlight on a neighborhood street.

Inside Reka’s, Covington’s Lesbian-Owned Whole-Animal Butchery Reviving Italian Traditions

November 19, 2025 Culture, Business, Hospitality

Reka’s, a queer female-owned whole-animal butchery in Covington, blends Italian heritage, sustainable meat practices, and community-focused values.

Wives Shelbi and Ashley Nation, known as the Nation wives, stand arm in arm in front of Wyoming Meat Market. They are smiling, wearing work aprons, and standing on the brick sidewalk beneath the shop’s black awning that reads “Wyoming Meat Market.” A bench and storefront windows are visible behind them.

10 LGBTQ+-Affirming Businesses Helping Shape Northern Kentucky’s Growing Inclusive Community

November 17, 2025 Culture, Business, Community, Magazine, Special Issue: NKY

LGBTQ+-owned and affirming businesses are shaping a more inclusive Northern Kentucky.

A group of people at Creative House of Art and Design in Covington, Kentucky, pose with their finished winter-themed paintings during a guided art class. The group stands in front of shelves filled with colorful art supplies and craft materials.

Kentucky Roots and Queer Faith: Jen Tullock’s ‘Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God’

November 12, 2025 Culture, Art, Rural/Appalachia

Jen Tullock’s new play blends Kentucky roots, queer faith, and storytelling with deep compassion.

Actor and writer Jen Tullock smiles in a warmly lit portrait, wearing a dark jacket and gold hoop earrings. The Kentucky-born star of Severance and playwright of Nothing Can Take You From the Hand of God poses against a soft backdrop, reflecting her grounded, expressive personality and creative spirit.

‘Queer Communion: Religion in Appalachia’ Explores Faith, Sexuality, and Survival in the South

November 11, 2025 Art, Culture, Rural/Appalachia

Davis Shoulders’ Queer Communion explores queer faith, identity, and resilience in Appalachia.

Davis Shoulders with long hair and glasses smiling indoors while holding up a pink book titled “Queer Communion: Religion in Appalachia.” Sunlight filters through the windows behind them, revealing part of a small-town street outside.

Judge Lewis Grant Paisley: Kentucky Man Who Advanced LGBTQ+ Rights Remembered for Courage and Allyship

November 7, 2025 Culture, Community, Gov & Politics, History

Judge Lewis Grant Paisley remembered for advancing LGBTQ+ rights and true allyship in Kentucky.

Judge Lewis Grant Paisley stands in a Kentucky courtroom wearing judicial robes and a red tie.

Penny Tration and Molly Mormen Reflect on Drag, Identity and Queer Life in Northern Kentucky

November 6, 2025 Culture, Drag, Hospitality, Magazine, Special Issue: NKY

RuPaul alum Penny Tration and Molly Mormen discuss drag, identity and queer life in Northern Kentucky.

Drag performers Penny Tration, left, and Molly Mormen, right, pose together inside Rosie’s Tavern in Covington, Kentucky.

Sasha Velour brings The Big Reveal Live Show to Louisville’s Kentucky Center on Nov. 9

November 5, 2025 Culture, Art, Drag, Music

Sasha Velour brings “The Big Reveal Live Show” to Louisville for a night of drag and art.

Sasha Velour poses in a blue outfit beside a red rotary phone during “The Big Reveal Live Show.”

‘The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show’ Returns to Louisville With a Brand-New Production

Culture, Drag

Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme bring their all-new 2025 holiday show to Louisville, ‘The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show.’

Drag performers Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme wear festive red-and-green plaid outfits and red heels while sledding down a snowy hill, promoting The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show.

Trans People in Kentucky Are on Edge. Some Are Arming Up.

November 4, 2025 Culture, Health, Mental Health

Trans Kentuckians arm up amid fear, misinformation, and escalating political attacks.

Xian Brooks practices target shooting at an indoor gun range in Louisville, Kentucky.

Fruiting Bodies: Shapeshifting to survive

October 30, 2025 Art, Culture

Shapeshifting, Exploring Queer Identity, Code-Switching, and the Art of Self-Expression.

Body Slams and Belonging: Power! Pride! Pro Wrestling! Returns for 2025

October 29, 2025 Culture, Drag

Queer wrestlers and drag queens collide at Power! Pride! Pro Wrestling in Cincinnati Nov. 14.

A drag wrestler in a red outfit is lifted into the air by another in purple and black during a match at a brewery, as a referee and crowd look on. Power! Pride! Pro Wrestling

We Belong Here Too: Why Trans Women’s Safety Depends on Equal Access to Gendered Spaces

Culture, Opinion

Trans women deserve safety, dignity, and equal access to gendered spaces—no exceptions.

Heather Stevens smiling indoors, wearing a turquoise patterned blouse with a tan wall and painting behind her.

Country Queers Project Shares Stories of Rural LGBTQ+ Life Through Book and Podcast

October 27, 2025 Culture

Country Queers highlights rural LGBTQ+ stories of love, resilience, and community connection

A Safe Haven for Sapphics: Behind The Pink Door Keeps Lesbian Culture Alive in Kentucky

October 23, 2025 Community, Culture

Behind the Pink Door brings queer joy to Louisville with food, music, and lesbian community.

A photo of The Pearl bar in Louisville, Kentucky, featuring a bright pink fabric doorway installation outside the entrance, symbolizing the “Behind the Pink Door” event. Beside it, an illustrated artwork of The Pearl shows the same pink-draped entrance with handwritten text reading “Behind the Pink Door – The Pearl,” and two silhouetted figures walking toward it, capturing the event’s vibrant, welcoming queer energy.

Radical Joy in a Red State: Queerly Relocating to Northern Kentucky

October 22, 2025 Culture

Finding queer community in Northern Kentucky: book clubs, rainbow crosswalks, neighbors who care.

The Roebling Bridge stands between Covington/Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.

OutReels Cincinnati returns Nov. 7-9: Queer film, community and talkbacks

October 20, 2025 Culture

OutReels Cincinnati, Nov. 7–9 at the Warsaw Federal Incline Theater, showcases LGBTQ films, talkbacks and a youth meetup to build community and representation.

Chuck Beatty and David Wolff sit together at an OutReels Cincinnati event.

An Interview with Em Joy: Program Director for Louisville Youth Group

October 16, 2025 Community, Culture, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Em Joy on how Louisville Youth Group empowers LGBTQ+ youth with support and resources.

Voice Cracks, Backing Tracks, and Comebacks: How to Steer Your Changing Voice on Testosterone

October 14, 2025 Culture, Health, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Trans singer shares journey of finding voice on testosterone and tips for vocal transition care.

Undead Voice launches free three-week training to help Kentuckians begin voice transition

October 13, 2025 Culture, Health

Free 3-week virtual voice training from Undead Voice for Kentuckians; plus $1,000 credit.

Crossing the River for Community: Why NAMI Southwest Ohio’s LGBTQIA+ Support Group Is Worth the Journey

October 11, 2025 Culture, Health, Mental Health, Opinion

Queer Northern Kentuckians find belonging in NAMI’s LGBTQIA+ support group.

Time Slip Theatre Opens 12th Year of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’

October 10, 2025 Culture, Art, Drag

Louisville’s Time Slip Theatre opens 12th Rocky Horror run Oct. 17-Nov. 1 at PLAY | $15

Don’t Dream It, Be It at The Carnegie: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

October 8, 2025 Culture, Magazine, Special Issue: NKY

Covington’s Carnegie stages bold queer stories; “Rocky Horror” runs Oct. 24–Nov. 2, 2025.

‘Til Our Lungs Give Out: Trans Appalachian Love

October 7, 2025 Culture, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Appalachian trans-for-trans love offers freedom, understanding, and joy beyond outdated labels.

So, I’m A ‘Terrorist’: The War on Transgender People

October 6, 2025 Culture, Gov & Politics, Opinion

Transgender lives are under siege; survival depends on allies willing to stand and fight back.

Students organize Pride in the Plaza at EKU for Oct. 14

October 4, 2025 Culture

Eastern Kentucky University students will host Pride in the Plaza on Oct. 14 after a new state law barred the school from officially sponsoring the annual event.

Louisville Roller Derby to kick off 2025 fall home season with October double header

October 3, 2025 Culture

Louisville Roller Derby will close its 20th anniversary season with a doubleheader Oct. 4 at the Triple Crown Pavilion.

For Us, By Us, Because of Us: Beyond the Looking Glass of Black Drag Queens in Kentucky

October 2, 2025 Culture, Drag, History, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Black drag in Kentucky is protest, therapy, and joy—queens thriving beyond survival.

Where to Sip in NKY: Bourbon & Belonging Event Recap with the Midwestern Lesbian

October 1, 2025 Culture, Hospitality, Special Issue: NKY

Queer Bourbon Week recap: NKY tastings, drag, and community—curated by Midwestern Lesbian.

Northern Kentucky LGBTQ+ Culture & Community Guide | Queer Kentucky

September 30, 2025 Art, Business, Culture, Drag, Hospitality, Special Issue: NKY, Travel

Explore our Northern Kentucky Special Issue—street art, drag, affirming businesses, and Bourbon & Belonging—celebrating queer people and places across the region.

Silas House Publishes His Debut Poetry Collection, “All These Ghosts”

September 27, 2025 Culture

Kentucky Poet Laureate Silas House, known for his novels and essays about Appalachian life, has released his first full-length collection of poetry, All These Ghosts.

Transgender Life at the University of Kentucky

September 25, 2025 Community, Culture, Gov & Politics, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

A transgender student finds acceptance, community, and hope at the University of Kentucky.

Actors Theatre of Louisville names new artistic, managing directors

September 24, 2025 Art, Culture

Actors Theatre of Louisville names queer leaders Amelia Acosta Powell and Emily Tarquin to top roles.

Black Wonderland Builds Joyful Black Queer Community Across Cincinnati, NKY and Beyond

Community, Culture

Black Wonderland creates spaces for Black queer joy, connection and regional community.

Access in the Movement: A Shared Byline on Disability & Activism

September 23, 2025 Culture, Health, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Disabled trans voices show why accessibility is the backbone of justice and activism.

Sustaining our Community: The Role of White, Cisgender-led Organizations in Mutual Aid

September 22, 2025 Business, Culture

Mutual aid centers BIPOC trans voices, pushing queer groups toward equity and liberation.

Boone County to host second Pride festival Sept. 28

September 20, 2025 Culture

Boone County Pride Festival returns Sept. 28 with performances, vendors and community fun.

First Steps for Transitioning: Getting into HRT

September 16, 2025 Art, Community, Culture, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Trans Kentuckian share their journeys navigating HRT through clinics and DIY routes.

Lexi Love performs with Sabrina Carpenter at the MTV Awards

September 14, 2025 Culture

Kentucky’s Lexi Love joins Sabrina Carpenter at VMAs, uplifting trans rights on stage.

Kentucky social worker’s comments about LGBTQ+ community broke no law, state board finds

September 13, 2025 Culture

Kentucky board says counselor’s anti-LGBTQ+ post violated no laws after complaints.

Support LGBTQ+ Trans Youth in Kentucky By Joining the Rainbow Dash 5K and Wacky Races

September 12, 2025 Community

Louisville Youth Group hosts Rainbow Dash 5K and Wacky Races Sept. 27 at Seneca Park.

Death Before Detransition: A Word from the Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief

September 11, 2025 Community, Culture, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

Queer Kentucky amplifies trans youth voices amid harmful laws and rising mental health risks.

Death Before Detransition: Letter from the Editor

Art, Culture, Health, Magazine, Special Issue: Trans Youth

A gathering of raw, radiant voices: Kentucky’s trans youth share stories of truth and care.

Louisville indie pop duo RELAAY on queer representation, debut album ‘Midtempo Magic’

September 10, 2025 Culture

Queer Louisville band RELAAY talks debut album Midtempo Magic and finding representation.

Death Before Detransition: Queer Kentucky’s Trans Youth Issue

September 9, 2025 Art, Community, Culture, Special Issue: Trans Youth

This issue isn’t about policy debates — it’s testimony, resistance, and survival. Kentucky’s trans youth wrote and designed this magazine themselves, speaking directly to their peers and communities. “Protect. Trans. Youth.”

Appalachian Queer Film Festival showcases trans, queer voices through rural filmmakers

September 8, 2025 Culture

The Appalachian Queer Film Festival is uplifting queer and trans stories in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

Two Queer Icons Lead River Roots Festival’s First-Ever Headliner Lineup

September 6, 2025 Music

Grammy-nominated artist Janelle Monáe will headline the opening night of the inaugural America’s River Roots Festival, a five-day celebration spanning both sides of the Ohio River. Joining them on the headliner bill is Maren Morris, the country superstar who recently came out as bisexual — making two of the festival’s four headliners proudly queer. Running […]

Two Queer Icons Lead River Roots Festival’s First-Ever Headliner Lineup

Melanin Pride Weekend returns September 18-21 in Louisville

September 3, 2025 Community

Melanin Pride Weekend will return to Louisville on Sept. 18–21, 2025, marking its ninth year as one of the region’s largest celebrations of Black culture and LGBTQ+ pride. Founded and self-funded by Desiree Carr, creator of Pride Game Events, the four-day festival has grown from a grassroots gathering into a fixture of the city’s […]

Melanin Pride Weekend returns September 18-21 in Louisville

Lexington and Covington stand by rainbow crosswalks as federal officials call for removal

September 1, 2025 Culture

Lexington and Covington vow to keep rainbow crosswalks despite Trump admin pressure.

Library receives donations to replace books church leaders targeted for LGBTQ+ themes

August 29, 2025 Culture

Donors give nearly $1,000 to Shelby County Library to replace missing LGBTQ+ books.

Time Slip Theatre Opens New Series WIth Horror Comedy ‘Who Invited Them’

August 28, 2025 Culture

Time Slip Theatre debuts thriller “Who Invited Them” Aug. 29–Sept. 6 at The Henry Clay.

Jacob Yates’ Future is Un-li~mi-ted: From Lexington to Broadway and Back

August 27, 2025 Culture

From Kentucky to Broadway, Jacob Yates brings queer stories to life through music.

Queer Cycling Groups in Kentucky and Ohio Claim Space on the Streets, Build Community

August 25, 2025 Community, Culture, Health

From Covington to Louisville, queer cycling groups reclaim the road and build community.

Queer Kentucky Executive Director Missy Spears wins national journalism award

August 22, 2025 Culture

Missy Spears awarded the 2025 Jeanne Córdova Award for LGBTQ+ journalism leadership

SOL Sisters: How a 1980s Lesbian Collective Forged Lifelong Bonds

August 20, 2025 Culture, History

Lesbian elders reflect on Cincinnati’s SOL group and the power of chosen family since the 1980s.

Queer News Roundup August 9 to August 15

August 18, 2025 Culture

Queer News from Around the world from August 9 to August 15.

Punk, Pride, and Politics in the Eastern Kentucky Music Scene

Culture

In 2000s Whitesburg, Kentucky, a queer punk scene thrived—creating space, resistance, and identity in the Appalachian mountains.

Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Willow Morgan

August 16, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Filmmakers seek to uncover life, murder of Covington politician Sandy Cohen in new documentary

August 14, 2025 Culture

Documentary “Our Friend Sandy” seeks to uncover life, legacy of slain LGBTQ+ Covington politician.

Kentuckiana Pride Foundation to host Shine Gala, launch endowment fund for LGBTQ+ organizations

August 13, 2025 Culture

The Kentuckiana Pride Foundation will host its first Shine Gala on Nov. 15 to launch an endowment fund supporting LGBTQ+ organizations across Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

As anti-trans laws pass, Louisville’s Trans Haven group creates community, comfort and lasting friendships

August 12, 2025 Community, Culture

Trans Haven offers support, connection, and joy for trans adults across Louisville and beyond.

A split image showing a promotional graphic for Trans Haven on the left and the exterior of the Louisville Pride Center on the right. The graphic features a pastel living-room illustration with a trans pride flag, plants, lamps, and logos for the Louisville Pride Center and LTMA, advertising a Trans Haven social meetup held Tuesdays from 6 to 8 p.m. The right side shows the Louisville Pride Center’s beige historic building with tall windows, a red front door, and landscaped greenery along the walkway.

Trans ally, Catholic nun: Sister Luisa Derouen’s 26-Year mission of quiet resistance

August 11, 2025 Culture

After decades of ministering under a pseudonym, Sister Luisa Derouen stepped into the light—risking her vocation to stand in solidarity with the trans community.

Queer news Roundup August 2 – August 8

Culture

Queer News From Around the World August 2 – August 8.

Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Parker Dawson

August 9, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

AFAB and AMAB Realities: The Impact of Gendered Expectations on Trans Lives

August 7, 2025 Culture

Trans people are shaped by unique socialization experiences—AMAB and AFAB journeys reflect deep diversity.

Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Hunter Westenhofer

August 2, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Queer News Round Up July 19 – July 25

July 28, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World July 19 – 25.

Public will be on the outside as Kentucky legislature convenes in temporary quarters

Culture

GOP lawmakers say cost of building galleries couldn’t be justified. Others worry about access and public participation.

Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Bryan Folczyk

July 26, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Anti-trans politics push some Queer Kentuckians out of state

July 22, 2025 Culture

Kentucky continues passing anti-trans legislation and some Kentuckians are fleeing.

Queer News Round Up: July 12 – July 18

July 21, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World. July 12 – 18.

University of Louisville shuts down employee groups in response to Kentucky anti-diversity law

July 20, 2025 Culture

The University of Louisville has disbanded the UofL Women’s Network and four other employee groups in response to a new state law.

Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Beth Merrill

July 19, 2025 Culture

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

ACLU of Kentucky files class action lawsuit over state’s ban on gender-affirming care for incarcerated people

July 16, 2025 Culture

ACLU sues Ky. officials over ban on gender-affirming care for incarcerated trans people.

Beyond the Youth Narrative: Three trans adults discuss life in their 40s

July 15, 2025 Culture

What is it like being a trans adult in 2025? Here are three to talk about life in their 40s.

Queer News Round Up: July 5 -July 11

July 14, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World. July 5 – July 11

Meet Joy Cedar: The Two-Spirit Artist, Activist Reclaiming Land and Nourishing Queer Hearts

Culture

Joy Cedar, a two-spirit artist and activist, blends art, poetry, and pride to uplift Appalachia.

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Beaux Hardin

July 12, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

The Magic of DIY Drag: Delusiona Grandeur masters the art of disruption

July 11, 2025 Art, Culture, Drag

Delusiona Grandeur redefines drag with sex work, satire, blood, glitter, and defiance.

Let’s discuss the oversexualization of an Appalachian cryptid: Mothman

July 10, 2025 Culture

Mothman has long served as a queer symbol in Appalachia. Here’s why!

Kentuckian Tommy Heleringer stars in new queer movie “Throuple”

July 9, 2025 Culture

“Throuple” star Tommy Heleringers explore queer love, desire, and identity in this bold new indie film.

Queer love songs and rural lineage shine in Sam Gleaves’ new release

July 8, 2025 Art, Culture

Queer Appalachian artist Sam Gleaves explores love, roots and truth on new album “Honest.”

Queer News Round Up June 28 – July 5

July 7, 2025 Culture

Queer news from around the world. June 28 – July 5

Fried Chicken and Jockstraps: “KFC Santería” singer Cain Culto finds queerness in Kentucky Latin Art-Pop music

Culture, Music

Cain Culto is here, Kentucky and he’s created his own music genre: Kentucky Latin Art Pop.

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Trey Gertz

July 5, 2025 Culture, The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Behind the Scenes: Laura Petrie Reflects on Pride and the Impact of Lesbian Film

July 4, 2025 Culture

Cinema Systers Film Festival Executive Director Laura Petrie on the importance of the sapphic community.

Blooming in Bumfuck Nowhere: On the Work of Appalachian Artist Dustin Hall

July 3, 2025 Art, Culture

Dustin Hall’s art reclaims Appalachian memory, queerness, and grief through layered materials.

‘Mother Tree’ grows a movement: Trans activist Caasi Gray branches out with Wandering Treehouse

July 2, 2025 Culture

Louisville’s Wandering Treehouse offers safe and affirming spaces for marginalized communities.

Portals & Poems: Photographer Trish Gibson on capturing Appalachian grief

July 1, 2025 Art, Culture

Photographer Trish Gibson captures Appalachian grief, trauma, and queer identity through film.

Queer News Round Up: June 21 – June 27

June 30, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World. June 21-27.

A Life of Gay Liberation: Remembering Peter Taylor

Culture

LGBTQ activist Peter Taylor, a founder of Kentucky’s gay rights movement, dies at age 71.

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Vincent Donahue

June 28, 2025 Culture

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Jim Obergefell speaks with Queer Kentucky on storytelling’s power 10 years after Supreme Court marriage ruling

June 26, 2025 Community, Culture, Gov & Politics, History

Jim Obergefell reflects on 10 years since marriage equality and the fight still ahead.

Macaron Bar builds sweet success with queer-inclusive business model and community support

June 25, 2025 Business

Macaron Bar blends French sweets with queer pride, offering safe jobs and baking classes.

Ashland Archivist Preserves Everyday Queer History Through ‘Our Community Filing Cabinet’

June 24, 2025 Culture

Ashland archivist Hollyn-Reid preserves queer life with zines, selfies, and filing cabinets.

Queer News Round Up June 16 – June 20

June 23, 2025 Culture

Here’s all the queer news you need to know!

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Project: Joshua Tyler Jones

June 21, 2025 The Polaroid Project

The Queer Kentucky Polaroid Projects uplifts individual unique experiences from around the state.

Joy and Connection: Celebrating Pride as a trans person in rural Kentucky

June 20, 2025 Culture

Pride festivals in Kentucky offer safety, education, and life-saving support for trans people.

Gunpowder and Wildflowers: Malcolm Davis and the Art of Affrilachian Revival

June 19, 2025 Culture

Malcolm Davis uplifts Black queer Appalachian stories through Affrilachian Arts Institute.

‘To Thine Own Self Be True’: Kentucky Shakespeare to Debut Gender-Swapped ‘Hamlet’

June 17, 2025 Art, Culture

Kentucky Shakespeare casts non-binary actor as Hamlet, debuting first queer romance on its stage.

Queer News Round Up June 7 – June 13

June 16, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World June 7 – 13

Black Queer Joy, Songwriting, and the Power of Intergenerational Pride with the Louisville Orchestra

June 14, 2025 Art, Culture, Sponsored Content

Louisville Orchestra spotlights LGBTQ+ voices in new Pride songwriting concert June 20.

Richmond Pride brings hope and unification to rural queer folks

June 13, 2025 Culture

Richmond Pride brings queer joy, politics, and rural stories to the heart of Eastern Kentucky.

Dreamin’ in a Small Kentucky Town: Who is DaAnte Bowman?

Culture

From Kentucky to LA, DaAnte Bowman blends dance, film & soul to uplift Black Queer artists.

Researcher creates study to explore mental health and resilience of LGBTQ+ youth in Appalachian Kentucky

June 12, 2025 Culture

New study explores mental health and resilience of LGBTQ+ youth in Appalachian Kentucky.

Boosting Confidence With Gender Affirming Haircuts Through Queers With Shears

June 11, 2025 Culture

Queers With Shears helps LGBTQ+ Kentuckians express identity through affirming hair services.

Op-ed from AVOL Board President: Defunding Prevention Is an LGBTQ+ Public Health Crisis

June 10, 2025 Culture

CDC funding cut threatens HIV prevention in Kentucky, jeopardizing trust and LGBTQ+ health.

Gay famous comedy duo brings ‘Wish You Were Queer’ to Louisville in OUTtv road series

Culture

“Wish You Were Queer” brings gay comedy to Kentucky in OUTtv series spotlighting small towns.

Queer News Round Up: May 31 – June 6

June 9, 2025 Culture

Queer News From Around the World: May 31 – June 6

LGBTQ+ History Banners Line Vine Street in Lexington for Pride Month Celebration

Culture, History

Lexington honors LGBTQ+ history with Pride Month banners along Vine Street by Faulkner Morgan.

Cruising Kentucky and Bulgaria: An Interview with Author Garth Greenwell

Culture

Garth Greenwell wins PEN/Faulkner for “Small Rain,” a lyrical novel rooted in queer Kentucky life.

Op-Ed: They Gave Us the Stage, Then Took the Mic: Pride as Distraction

June 6, 2025 Culture, Opinion

Pride can’t distract us—our safe spaces are under attack and survival is on the line.

Confidence at Camp: Camp Beacon provides a safe and supportive summer camp experience for LGBTQ youth

June 5, 2025 Culture

LGBTQ+ youth find safety, joy, and lasting friendships at Kentucky’s queer Camp Beacon.

Celebrate Pride Month with Midwestern Lesbian in NKY, Cincinnati

June 4, 2025 Culture

Celebrate Pride with Midwestern Lesbian! 15+ queer events in Cincinnati all June long!

Rural Kentucky Prides offer visibility, community and hope

June 3, 2025 Culture

Pride has always been important for queer communities and individuals. As many of us know, Pride started with the Stonewall Riots in 1969, and one year later, a celebration of the accomplishments made on the anniversary birthed the first LGBTQ+ Pride marches. After thirty years of effort, June became officially recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month […]

Queer News Round Up: May 24 -June 30

June 2, 2025 Culture

Read what happened around the world this past week!

Let Your Rainbow Flag Fly: 2025 Rural Pride Events You Won’t Want to Miss

June 1, 2025 Culture

Looking for a rural Pride celebration near you? We’ve got you covered!

Greg Bourke, Gay Catholic Activist, on Why It’s More Important to Stay and Fight

Culture

Greg Bourke: gay dad, Catholic, activist, and accidental hero in U.S. marriage equality.

Photo Essay: Finding Euphoria through fentanyl testing

May 30, 2025 Culture

This photo essay is part of a special digital issue of Queer Kentucky surrounding harm reduction and its intersection with the LGBTQ+ community. Read the full issue here. Harm reduction strategies have played a significant role in Kentucky’s efforts to combat substance use and overdose deaths. In 2024, the state reported 1,410 drug overdose fatalities—a […]

ActOut Theatre Brings Angels in America to Lexington in Pride Month Production

May 28, 2025 Culture

Lexington’s ActOut Theatre stages Angels in America to explore queer life and politics.

Queer Kentucky World News Round Up: May 19-23

May 27, 2025 Culture

Here’s what happened in Queer news all over the world last week!

What It Actually Looks Like When Trans People Follow Bathroom Bans

May 24, 2025 Culture

Uncloseted Media documents two trans people using the bathroom legally in states with bans.

UK Student Jules Crawley Joins Queer Kentucky as Editorial Intern

May 23, 2025 Culture

We’re so happy to bring on Jules Crawley as our summer reporting intern!

Coming (out) Correct: How Tristan Vaught is stitching safety and strength for NKY, Cincinnati’s gender-nonconforming youth

May 22, 2025 Culture

Nestled between a mix of homes and small businesses on the busy thoroughfare of Montgomery Road in Silverton, Ohio, lies Transform Cincy. This 3,000 square-foot house has been converted into a haven of sorts; Transform Cincy exists as a non-profit where trans and gender non-conforming youth under 18 can receive clothing to be their fullest […]

In Western Kentucky, the Only All-Lesbian Film Festival in the U.S. Is Thriving

May 21, 2025 Art, Culture

Every Memorial Day weekend, something extraordinary happens in Paducah: queer women from across the country and around the world gather for Cinema Systers Film Festival, the only all-lesbian film festival in the United States. In a town known for quilting and riverboats, this four day celebration of lesbian filmmakers has quietly and powerfully carved out […]

Bringing Out Elvis: A Retrospective on the Birth of a Drag King

May 20, 2025 Culture, Drag, Issue 08, Magazine

One Trans Man’s journey into Drag Kingdom.

Lexi Love enters rehab for substance abuse, emotional therapy

May 12, 2025 Culture, Drag, Health, Mental Health, Substance Use

The RPDR Season 17 Finalist has entered a 30-day treatment facility in Texas.

A Toast to Champagne: finding power through dance, community and sobriety

May 9, 2025 Culture, Drag, Issue 08, Magazine

Champagne? We know you know her. She has a story to tell!

Queer Kentucky, Moore Lab launch interactive data dashboard featuring experiences of 3,000+ LGBTQ+ Kentuckians

April 29, 2025 Culture

Curious about what is important to LGBTQ+ Kentuckians? Check out this groundbreaking survey.

Community organizes independent Lavender Graduation After UofL, Bellarmine cancel LGBTQ+ ceremonies

April 25, 2025 Culture

Community hosts Lavender Graduation event while Universities cave to anti-DEI measures.

UK students plan community commencement after the university cancels celebrations for BIPOC, first-gen, and LGBTQ+ students

April 23, 2025 Culture

UK students create their own Lavender Ceremony for Gradutation.

University of Louisville, University of Kentucky cancel LGBTQ+ Lavender Graduation ceremonies

April 22, 2025 Culture

Lavender Graduation Ceremonies get the axe at two Kentucky Universities.

25 Years Since The Real World: New Orleans: Danny Roberts on uplifting stories, increasing visibility, and the fight for queer History Unerased.

April 20, 2025 Culture

Danny Roberts celebrates 25 years of the Real World!

Everybody Say Lexi Love: Louisville’s Roller Derby Girl Dazzles in RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Finale

April 19, 2025 Culture, Drag

RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Finale results are in! We love you Lexi!

Lexington Public Library cancels LGBTQ+ programing, community voices concerns

April 14, 2025 Culture

The Lexington Public Library is making changes.

From Gaza to Kentucky: Sit In the Sun With Your Neighbor, Free at Last

April 11, 2025 Culture, Opinion, PRISM

Queer voices in Gaza mourn love and life under Israel’s bombardment.

Sanctuary on Madison Pike: The Downstairs Club and the Rise of Terry Noel

April 9, 2025 Culture, History

Terry Noel’s legacy lives on in drag and trans history.

Lexi Love advances to RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 Finale

April 7, 2025 Culture, Drag

Lexi Love is in the top four of RuPraul’s Drag Race Season 17.

Old Louisville Coffee Co-Op lease ending, owners seek to buy their own space

April 3, 2025 Culture

After three years in business serving the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, Old Louisville Coffee Co-Op is seeking to purchase their own space.

Louisville Pride Foundation pauses remaining $100K in vaccine program due to DOGE budget cuts

April 2, 2025 Culture

DOGE cuts are coming for Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ community.

Kentucky braces for storms, possible tornadoes. Risk highest in the west.

Culture

Storms are brewing for Kentucky. Read the latest!

Out & Proud: Lexington’s 2025 Pride Festival Moves Back Outside

Culture

The 2025 celebration will prioritize public LGBTQ+ visibility over air conditioning and extra space.

Natasha Bedingfield to headline 2025 Kentuckiana Pride Festival

April 1, 2025 Culture

The Kentuckiana Pride Festival lineup is here! Well, the first part.

Biblically responsible investing is booming — and LGBTQ+ Americans are paying the price

March 29, 2025 Culture, Gov & Politics

The Christian-faith investing movement is a key factor driving American companies away from their DEI efforts.

Kentucky entrepreneurs launch virtual micro-school to support LGBTQ+ students amid hostile climate

March 27, 2025 Business

Amid growing hostility toward LGBTQ+ youth from federal and state governments, two Kentucky entrepreneurs have launched a virtual micro school that fosters community engagement and uses virtual reality to create an affirming, supportive learning environment for LGBTQ+ high school students. Co-founders of The Harbor Academy, Louisvillians Dr. Josh Covington, a former teacher, and Taylor Young, […]

The Power of Trans Visibility: Councilwoman Emma Curtis

March 24, 2025 Culture, Gov & Politics

Emma Curtis made history as the first openly transgender city council member in Kentucky, shaping LGBTQ+ leadership.

Queer Kentucky Southeastern Media Study explores importance of LGBTQ+ Visibility

Culture

Our study shows queer media is a lifeline—fostering community, advocacy, and visibility in the Southeast.

From Archive To Action: The queer, sex-positive magazine bridging print media, history, and activism

March 19, 2025 Culture

Avery Plummer is archiving Queer history through sex-positive magazine, nymph(o).

The Downstairs Club: A History of the Segregated Queer Haven in Kenton County

March 17, 2025 Culture, History

The Downstairs Club was a hidden queer refuge in Kentucky, offering community, defiance, and controversy.

Loving Through Storytelling: Willie Carver Jr. Explores Appalachia, Identity, and Empathy

March 13, 2025 Culture

Willie Edward Taylor Carver Jr. explores Appalachian queer storytelling in Tore All to Pieces, his new book.

Neonatal Clinicians, Entrepreneurs Develop LullaFeed to Support Infants with Feeding Challenges

March 12, 2025 Business

LullaFeed, a smart baby bottle device, uses lullabies to support infants with feeding difficulties.

Black, Queer Mental Health: How Vocalist Otis Junior Found Self-Love Through Community & Authenticity

March 5, 2025 Culture, Issue 1, Magazine

Vocalist Otis Junior found self-love through music, community, and embracing his Black queer identity.

Louisville Pride Says QPOC, Trans Inclusion Critical Under Shifting Political Landscape

February 28, 2025 Community, Culture, Gov & Politics

Kentucky’s political climate threatens Queer, Trans and BIPOC communities, but Louisville Pride is still working.

PRISM: Making Peace at Home

February 26, 2025 Culture, PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky.

Appalshop Preserves LGBTQ+ Stories in Appalachia Through Film and Media

February 25, 2025 Culture

Appalshop’s AMI catalog holds the largest collection of Appalachian LGBTQ+ stories through film and media.

Letting It All Hang Out with Kentucky’s Nude Dudes Yoga

February 22, 2025 Culture

Let’s get naked and yoga! Nude dudes is letting it all hang out in Kentucky.

Running with a purpose: Frontrunners offers community for queer people in Lexington

February 20, 2025 Culture

Every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning, runners and walkers from across Lexington gather to improve their health while also building a community of like-minded people from the Athens of the West.

About to Get Good: Matt Breland on growing up, coming out and Shania Twain

February 19, 2025 Culture

It seems like everyone knows Matt Breland. Whether you covet his front-row seats at nearly every Shania Twain concert, admire his retention of Lady Gaga choreography or play along on his frequent “What shoes am I wearing?” on his Instagram (@matt_breezeland), this out and proud native Missisppian meteorologist is a fixture in the Louisville queer […]

Hip-hop meets community: how a Black queer woman is changing Cincinnati from the underground up

February 17, 2025 Community, Culture

Siri Imani began performing at 9. She struggled with rap but thrived as an artist. She founded Triiibe, a diverse artist collective in Cincinnati.

Six groups uplifting Black LGBTQ voices in Kentucky, Appalachia

February 13, 2025 Culture

Across Kentucky and Appalachia, advocates and organizations are working to make LGBTQ community members feel welcomed and seen. That is especially true for organizations making a particular effort to celebrate the Black LGBTQ experience, through art, entertainment and advocacy. Queer Kentucky has compiled a list of six groups across the region that are uplifting Black […]

Kentucky Creatives Nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Awards

February 11, 2025 Culture

The 36th annual GLAAD Media Awards recognize groundbreaking representation of the LGBTQ+ community in media, and this year’s nominees include a line-up of talent very close to home. With the state of Queer rights at a crossroads of uncertainty and fear, this year’s nominees were fearless in telling the stories of trans athletes, being Black […]

Black Queer Excellence at The Historic Lyric Theatre

February 10, 2025 Culture, History

In the early 1900s, Black drag was happening in Lexington from the Woodland Park Auditorium to the Lyric Theatre. Newspaper clippings even mention James Herndon performing as Sweet Evening Breeze, in “The Passion Dance of the Bongo-Bangoes” at the Woodland Auditorium in the 1920s and 1930s. As the years went on, other venues in Lexington […]

Chat with Volunteer Lawyers, Notarize Documents, or Say “I Do” with Community Support This Sunday in Louisville

February 5, 2025 Community, Culture

This weekend Louisville’s Mandala House is hosting their first LGBTQIA+ Legal Rights Day, a free event offering a wealth of resources designed to inform, educate, and uplift the LGBTQ+ community in an uncertain time. Resources include access to volunteer lawyers and notaries, on-site officiants, mental health resources, and an all day schedule of expert speakers […]

Sweet Resilience: How Hip Hop Sweet Shop Rose from the Ashes

February 3, 2025 Business, Culture, Health, Hospitality

When Lafesa Johnson first started baking, it was out of necessity and creativity. As a young single mother of three, she learned early on how to make the most out of limited resources. When expensive birthday cakes were out of reach, Lafesa began crafting cakes for her children using techniques she picked up from cake-decorating […]

RuPaul’s Drag Race S17’s Lexi Love, LOVES Louisville

January 30, 2025 Culture, Drag

Louisville’s Lexi Love talks drag families and her LOVE for her hometown.

Feed Louisville Executive Chef Callie Critchelow talks working to combat food injustice in Louisville

Community, Culture, Health, Hospitality

Feed Louisville is changing the way people in need receive nutritious food.

A Little Vacation with Matteo Lane: The Gay Comic’s Upcoming Performance in Louisville

January 29, 2025 Culture

Comedy darling Matteo Lane is coming to Louisville!

Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights in Kentucky and Surrounding States: How Community Action Can Combat Legal Uncertainty

January 28, 2025 Community, Gov & Politics

In recent years, the LGBTQ+ community has faced growing uncertainty about the future of their rights, especially following the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The ruling not only removed abortion access as a constitutional right but also raised concerns about the stability of other landmark decisions, including Obergefell v. Hodges, which […]

PRISM: The Fated Failures of a Harris-Walz Ticket

January 26, 2025 Culture, PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. By Drew Webb Before this most recent presidential election, I’ve never wondered if shock is a contingent factor in heartbreak. Surprise can twist a knife but cannot wield that blade alone. It’s historically a recipe […]

Clovers: The Queer Pop Persona Redefining Performance Art in Kentucky

January 22, 2025 Art, Culture

What do you get when you pair up a documentary photographer invested in subcultures like hardcore music and wrestling with an anti-disciplinary queer artist?

Ten Queer-owned businesses to support during the post-holiday sales slump

January 21, 2025 Business

Businesses suffer in January! Here are a few to support this month.

10 Activities to Look Forward to this Spring and Summer

January 15, 2025 Culture

Got the winter blues? Here are 10 activities to look forward to this summer!

Anita Bryant, anti-gay rights crusader, dead at 84

January 9, 2025 Culture

Anita Bryant is dead.

Weekly Queer World News: January 7

January 8, 2025 Culture

Queer World News Round Up: Jan. 7

Meta paves way for hate speech, violence against LGBTQ+ community

January 7, 2025 Culture

Meta is rolling back hate speech policy. What could go wrong?

Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency ahead of winter storm

January 4, 2025 Culture

A storm is coming! Possible 6 inches in the state.

Bowling Green man charged with murdering friend

January 3, 2025 Culture

A Bowling Green man, Ali Fadil, has been arrested for allegedly murdering his friend, Michael Scott Lee, and staging a crash scene. Lee was known for his support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Weekly Queer World News: January 1

January 1, 2025 Culture

New Years Day Queer World News Round Up: Jan. 1

2024 Kentucky General Assembly Wrapped: Horoscope Edition

December 31, 2024 Gov & Politics, Horoscopes

Ever wondered about your state reps and how the stars guide them? Let’s dive in.

Weekly Queer World News: Dec. 24

December 24, 2024 Culture

Christmas Eve Queer World News Round Up: Dec. 24, 2024

PRISM: What Rest is Teaching Me

December 22, 2024 Culture, PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky.

Civitas opens nominations for inaugural LGBTQ+ Awards Ga(y)la in Louisville

December 18, 2024 Business

Civitas, the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce for Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, announced that nominations are now open for its inaugural Awards Ga(y)la.

Weekly Queer World News: Dec. 17

December 17, 2024 Culture

Queer World News Round Up for Dec. 17, 2024

PRISM: The Royal Decree

December 15, 2024 Culture, PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky.

Trouble Bar to close, making way for new community-centered venture

December 13, 2024 Business

The beloved queer-friendly hub Trouble Bar will pour its last drinks on New Year’s Eve, as owners prepare to transform the space into a new business continuing their legacy of advocacy and community connection.

Surviving & Thriving: The Faulkner Morgan Archive’s Traveling Exhibit ‘Here, Black, Femme, & Queer’

December 11, 2024 Culture, History

“Here, Black, Femme, & Queer,” the Faulkner Morgan Archive’s traveling exhibit, celebrates Kentucky’s Black, femme, and queer history through intimate stories and images.

Five LGBTQ+ Louisville Musicians to watch in 2025

December 10, 2024 Culture, Music

Stay on the lookout for these folks in 2025!

Ethel Cain announces ‘limited pressing’ of “Preacher’s Daughter” vinyl release

December 6, 2024 Culture, Music

Ethel Cain announces “Preacher’s Daughter” vinyl release date.

Louisville’s Lexi Love Joins RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17

December 5, 2024 Culture, Drag

Lexi Love is the fifth Kentucky queen to join RPDR.

25 Faces of Fairness: Keturah Herron

December 4, 2024 Culture, Gov & Politics, Issue 7

Keturah Herron is one of Queer Kentucky’s 25 Faces of Fairness.

Queer Kentucky ISSUE 07: Letter from the Editor

December 2, 2024 Culture, Issue 7

Queer Kentucky ISSUE 07: 25 Faces of Fairness is available now in select stores and on our website.

A Community Coming Together: HIV/AIDS Activism in Kentucky

November 30, 2024 History, Issue 7

In honor of World AIDS Day, Queer Kentucky and the Faulkner Morgan Archive remember the history of HIV/AIDS in Kentucky.

Queer Kentucky ISSUE 07: Letter from the Executive Director

November 27, 2024 Culture, Issue 7

Let’s have a word from the coolest dyke in Kentucky, Missy Spears. Queer Kentucky ISSUE 07: 25 Faces of Fairness is available now in select stores and on our website.

Belching Hot Brown Crowns: A Conversation with the Legendary Lady Bunny

November 9, 2024 Drag, Culture

Laddy Bunny is coming to Louisville, Kentucky! Win free tickets through Queer Kentucky’s Instagram.

Fostering Empathy for Immigrants: Finding Common Ground Through Shared Human Experiences

November 4, 2024 Opinion

Amidst the divisive fear-mongering against immigrants, it is important to foster empathy and find common ground through shared human experiences.

Pink Shirt, Pink Hat, and the Western Kentucky BBQ Belt

November 3, 2024 Rural/Appalachia, Business, Culture, Hospitality

I grew up in the outskirts of Henderson County in Western Kentucky. For as long as I can remember, every Christmas, birthday, or day worth celebrating had a central staple: Thomason’s BBQ Baked Beans. When I tell y’all it’s a special local business, I mean it. But, don’t just take my word for it. A […]

Slasher movie “Horrified” filming in Lexington, Bowling Green in 2025

October 31, 2024 Culture, Art

What’s your favorite scary movie? If you’re a Kentucky queer, that answer may soon be “Horrified,” a meta-horror comedy on track to film in Bowling Green and Lexington next year. Los Angeles-based queer director and writer Mike Zara is behind the film, and it stars Hallmark superstar Aimee Teegarden, renowned for her roles in “Friday Night […]

PRISM: Bare Bones of a Trailer

October 30, 2024 PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky.

Louisville’s other derby: an inclusive community on wheels

October 29, 2024 Culture

In the heart of Louisville, echoed cheers and excitement bounce throughout the arena as blurs of speed zoom around an oval track. No, it’s not the Kentucky Derby; it’s the Roller Derby. For nearly two decades, Louisville Roller Derby (LRD) has been an empowering haven for a gender expansive community of people in Kentucky and […]

Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati BLINK with big gay lights

October 25, 2024 Art

BLINK Cincinnati brings lights and queerness to the Northern Kentucky region.

Shopping for Community at Cry Baby General Store

October 18, 2024 Business

Cry Baby General Store is nestled comfortably in the Shelby Park neighborhood of Louisville, offering a wide selection of products like chainstitch embroidered apparel, toilet paper, cards, and crocheted catnip-filled doobies made by “my friend’s cousin’s wife.” You could even find a certain fabulous queer publication on the shelves. But products aren’t all that Cry […]

“We Are From Here,” Pikeville Pride’s Fifth Annual Celebration

October 16, 2024 Rural/Appalachia

photo by Muse Marketing Pikeville Pride held its fifth annual Pride event on Oct. 12, 2024, hosting over 50 vendors from across and beyond Kentucky. The celebration aims to foster diversity, with particular understanding and acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community in Pikeville. The Pride event featured speakers and performers, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, New […]

No Regrets: Kristin Smith’s journey from Williamsburg to wanderlust to home in Wrigley’s Taproom

October 9, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality, Rural/Appalachia

photos by Jon Cherry Along Main Street in downtown Corbin, across the street from White Rabbit Records and bookended between the pinball museum and a local coffee shop called Folktales, Wrigley’s Taproom & Eatery celebrated its ninth birthday earlier this year. That party was, in some ways, the culmination of star chef Kristin Smith’s return […]

We can’t forget about the people of Whitesburg

October 8, 2024 Hospitality, Issue 6, Rural/Appalachia

photos by Samuel Greenhill The spirit, fight, and resilience of Michele Hobbs. Nothing that I describe to you, from her nonstop energy to her multiple successful businesses to the Bourbon that we initially intended to speak about, sums Michele Hobbs up better than her insistence on turning all conversations to the people of Whitesburg, Kentucky. […]

At the Forefront of Queer Inclusive Bourbon: Old Forester

October 4, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

For generations Bourbon whiskey has ebbed and flowed in and out of popularity and prestige, but as a uniquely American product, it’s long been part of the national beverage alcohol conversation. Over the past 20 years, however, Kentucky’s passion for the craft spirit has gained reverence from all over the world and with the institution […]

“The Kentucky Gent” Serves the Bluegrass and Bourbon with Spirited Love

October 3, 2024 Hospitality, Issue 6

photos by Milkman Photography Josh Johnson is a Kentucky gentleman. That’s how he put it to fashion industry leaders from New York to Los Angeles while working as a clothing buyer more than a decade ago. Folks followed the phrase with confused looks and questioning glances at Johnson’s long hair and tattooed skin. “You’re not […]

Small Batches of Love and Life Can be Found at Beam Suntory

October 2, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

photos by Beth Burrows April Elston was at work two years ago when she received an email that would change her life. Test results from an April 2022 biopsy revealed that she had cancer in her right breast, and a series of follow-up calls with her medical team presented a narrow range of treatment options. […]

Florals for spring? Groundbreaking. Kentucky’s newest sweetheart yassifies a Derby tradition

October 1, 2024 Issue 6, Hospitality

Contrary to popular belief, The Kentucky Derby has always been queer. Big, boisterous hats and flashy fascinators paired with dresses in bright pastels, deep rosy reds and Kentucky blues fill Churchill Downs from the infield to Millionaires row. Let’s face it: it’s one big drag show. For the Derby’s 150th anniversary, Churchill Downs and Woodford […]

1 Million Strong is giving sober spaces a VIP upgrade

September 27, 2024 Music, Substance Use

Attending Louder Than Life this weekend? Check out the 1 Million Strong tent. The music industry, a hub of entertainment and creativity, is also a sector riddled with substance abuse, much like our own queer community. With 56 percent of industry professionals grappling with addiction, there has been a push to address the severe […]

Bridging the Divide with New Riff’s Jay Dickerson

September 25, 2024 Business

In a recent study, Coqual.org revealed that approximately ⅓ of Black leave corporate America within two years of employment. Now, when I think about this from the bourbon industry. I noticed that when I go on tours of distilleries across the state, I see very little representation of people of color. This led me to […]

PRISM: What Collage Means to Me

September 23, 2024 PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. by Jas Turk “Grounded” by Jas Turk Current Inspirations: Dust Tracks on a Road | Zora Neale Hurston When You’re Ready, This Is How You Heal | Brianna Wiest Frybread Face and Me | Billy […]

Garnished with Glitter: The Rise of the Mocktail

September 17, 2024 Issue 6, Business, Substance Use

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 Kentucky Hug: Eddie Fieldhouse’s Vision for Bourbon Tourism

September 15, 2024 Business, Issue 6

photos by Reed Sampley Read about how this rising CEO’s booking platform revolutionizes the Bourbon Trail, paving the way for inclusive experiences in Kentucky. Eddie Fieldhouse dunks a tea bag into hot water as he sits across from me in a Louisville coffee house. We’re both a bit windswept and wet from the rain, and […]

The Male “Gaze” in Homoerotic Bourbon History

September 12, 2024 History

Queer folks have often taken advantage of ambiguity as a way to get their images and fantasies before a wider audience. Advertisements, especially, have long served as a public-facing format to create such imagery. For instance, young men reading Time Magazine around the 1950s would have been greeted by ads like this one. Though meant […]

5 Queer Places to Visit in Lexington Kentucky

September 9, 2024 Culture

The city is home to thousand thoroughbreds and some pretty cool queer spaces. Whether you’re visiting Lexington Kentucky to see beautiful horses, taste the best bourbon around or take in your favorite artist at a music festival, you won’t regret visiting the queer spaces that make the city homo… I mean home. Queer people have […]

From Doubt to Devotion: How Hannah Lowen Rediscovered Kentucky’s Bourbon Heart

September 8, 2024 Issue 6, Business

Photos by Samuel Greenhill After swearing that she would never return to Kentucky, it was a handshake in a dog park that brought Hannah Lowen back. Lowen was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, surrounded by horses, Bourbon culture, and friends who didn’t look like her. Both of her parents were New Yorkers who had […]

PRISM: The Velvet Phase

September 7, 2024 PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. I heard it first, in the dark: an otherworldly squealing, high-pitched and sometimes close to sweet. Was it some kind of alien insect screeching, sending transmissions to listeners off-planet? UFOs love New Mexico, I was […]

Big dreams in a small town: Burton James Whiskey puts Adairville on the map

September 4, 2024 Issue 6, Business

photos by Frankie Fiore Adairville is a small Kentucky town located in Logan County, about a mile and a half from the Tennessee border. About 800 folks call this farming community home, and most families have resided there for generations. Shawn McCormick is one such resident, and while he wasn’t born in Adairville, his family’s […]

The Four Horsemen: Queer bartenders and their favorite Bourbon drink

September 3, 2024 Culture, Hospitality, Issue 6, Magazine

photos by Matthew Pruitt Amy Mobley (she/her) Bar 32 Covington, KY As I step into Bar 32 located in Covington, I’m overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia. The bar instantly feels like home, where the regulars converse like they’ve known each other for years (which they probably have) and visit this place frequently (which they […]

Brown-Forman, University of Kentucky gut DEI initiatives

August 26, 2024 Hospitality, Business

After the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020, something shifted in the world — at least for a little bit. Conversations surrounding race and LGBTQ+ equality infiltrated family dinner tables and corporate boardrooms across the United States. Four years later, the once touted DEI initiatives are being cut. Last week, Bourbon powerhouse […]

GRLwood shared their new album BLOOD as the first part of a new trilogy

August 22, 2024 Music

Louisville Public Media | By Otis Junior Published August 21, 2024 at 10:22 AM EDT Louisville rock band GRLwood has shared a brand new album titled BLOOD. The new release is the first of a trilogy of albums, with SWEAT and TEARS to complete the collection later this year. It is a deeply personal project, one that GRLwood founder Rej Forester wrote and recorded […]

Feeling at Home in Louisville: PLAY with Bee Harmon

August 16, 2024 Issue 4, Culture, Health, Horoscopes, Sponsored Content

photos by Jon Cherry Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and […]

The Crown Jewel of Lexington: An Interview With Uma Jewels

August 8, 2024 Drag

If you have seen a drag show in Lexington, you almost certainly know about Uma Jewels. She has cemented herself as a staple of Lexington’s drag community. I sat down with her to chat about her incredible resume as a drag performer and to share her dreams for the future of local drag. So let’s […]

What’s the White House Doing for LGBTQ+ Businesses in Kentucky?

August 7, 2024 Business

Just days before Joe Biden’s history-making decision to remove himself from the 2024 presidential race, Chief Economist of Biden’s Invest in America Cabinet Heather Boushey visited with LGBTQ+ business leaders in Louisville. She shared successes from the past four years, heard common issues and solutions from local businesses and emphasized how queer Kentuckians play a […]

PRISM: Wedded To The Land

August 4, 2024 PRISM

by Chaney Williams At the grotto beneath the statue of Mary, I spent several weeks writing and reading every day at the Loretto Community in Nerinx, Kentucky. I was there as an Artist in Residence through the Kentucky Foundation for Women. I sat on the stone bench and prayed for the collective liberation for all. […]

“The Book of Saris” community art project to encourage conversation between transgender, religious communities

August 3, 2024 Culture

Saris – from an unused root meaning to castrate; a eunuch; by implication, valet (especially of the female apartments), thus, a minister of state: chamberlain, eunuch, officer. On August 10, the First Unitarian Church in Louisville will temporarily become a transformative community art project that will encourage intentional conversation between the trans community and religious […]

Masculinities in Art: Considering the ‘other’

August 1, 2024 Art

This story is part of ISSUE 05: Reimagining Masculinity. The magazine is available for purchase here.I struggle with understanding my own masculinity. Constantly, I am reminded in passing of my physical “unmanliness” whether it be in regards to my style of choice or how my attention to more feminine beauty regimens. I am not ashamed […]

“Monster” themed season will grace Pandora Productions 2024-25 season

July 28, 2024 Art

Tickets and season subscriptions to Pandora Productions fifth show season celebrating queerness, relationships, and love are now live. Gil Reyes, producing artistic director for Pandora audiences are in for a fun and meaningful season. The stellar “MONSTER 2024-2025” themed season presented itself naturally and organically. “We had our calendar slots set before the selection of […]

Not in My Name: Netanyahu, Make a Deal and Stop the Genocide

July 26, 2024 Culture

A recent Jewish Heritage Fund survey found that 7% of respondents identified as LGBTQ+. Queer Kentucky has partnered with the Jewish Heritage Fund to uplift queer Jewish people. With anti-Semitism spreading in the United States and abroad, it is important to uplift our Jewish community members. Queer is an identity that crosses racial, geographic, ethnic, class, and cultural […]

Emboldening the Queer Community: Lexington’s Gay Hot Dog Stand

July 25, 2024 Hospitality

Marcus Randolph and Brad Love bought Sam’s Hot Dog Stand in downtown Lexington three years ago. Sam’s has been in operation for 30 years, and the business has never shied away from queer allyship. The hot dog stand has a history of opening later at night to make food for the clientele next door at […]

Gay Polo League to transform Kentucky Horse Park into Pink Pony Club

July 23, 2024 Culture

Two very distinct worlds will trot side by side into Lexington the first week of August — the prestigious sport of polo and gay people. The International Gay Polo League Tournament, which produces events globally, will take place Aug. 3 at Lexington’s famous Kentucky Horse Park. Chip McKenney, founder of GPL, said his horse loving […]

Speed Art Museum brings sense of wonder, reflection with Japanese artist’s immersive experience

July 21, 2024 Art

Yayoi Kusama takes self-reflection literally. Her immersive experience, “LET’S SURVIVE FOREVER,” offers Kentuckians 90 seconds of unbridled introspection. The room, filled with angular and spherical mirrors, also reflects the unique lens with which Kusama engages the world. Born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, Kusama moved to New York in 1957, where she lived and supported the […]

Stories of Hope: Dicks, Dollars, Drag and Drugs

July 19, 2024 Drag, Substance Use

Queer Kentucky was built on a foundation of community. And as an organization that lives and breathes community, we are acutely aware of when our members are hurting. LGBTQ+ people are succumbing to substance use disorder at an alarming rate and Queer Kentucky is determined to loudly discuss this topic through a series of stories […]

The Punchline Paradox: Embracing My Jewish-Queer Identity

Culture

A recent Jewish Heritage Fund survey found that 7% of respondents identified as LGBTQ+. Queer Kentucky has partnered with the Jewish Heritage Fund to uplift queer Jewish people. With anti-Semitism spreading in the United States and abroad, it is important to uplift our Jewish community members. Queer is an identity that crosses racial, geographic, ethnic, class, and cultural […]

From the Archives: A Brief Butch History

July 18, 2024 History

The term “butch,” commonly associated with LGBTQ+ women, originated from a robust Lesbian subculture in the mid-1900s. While its cultural meaning has shifted and is more widely used amongst many different genders and sexualities, it is still predominantly used to describe more masculine-presenting women. In our collections at Faulkner Morgan Archive, we have a wide […]

A Dusted Decade with Dusty Ray Bottoms

July 14, 2024 Drag

I first got to know Dusty Ray Bottoms during Lousiville Pride last year. I was a backup dancer for Drag Daddy Production’s mainstage Wizard of Oz set, and Dusty played Elphaba in all her witchy glory. Soon we worked again for Snow White and the Seven Drag Queens, and upon seeing me at a Halloween […]

Seventeen Minutes: What the presidential debate taught me

July 10, 2024 Opinion

One could say that I am slightly obsessed with politics, but that would be an understatement. It’s more like a fetish, and, in this current political climate, one could call it masochistic. After Barack Obama became president, it was easy to ignorantly believe that, as a nation, we had moved past hate and the idea […]

Painting Chappell Roan with Andrew Dahling

July 9, 2024 Drag

Hear how this Kentuckian catapulted himself from a gay kid in Boone County to a big fuckin’ deal across the globe

Roving queer happy hour Outpost creates community in Northern Kentucky, Cincinnati

July 6, 2024 Hospitality

Every month, a queer happy hour blesses a different bar in the Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati region, and in addition to the regulars that usually haunt the place, one can expect to see a gaggle of queers. Responsible for this queer takeover is Outpost, a monthly queer happy hour with a rotating venue. The idea […]

Queer Kentucky Horoscopes: StarGazing for July

July 2, 2024 Horoscopes

7/2- Mercury enters Leo 7/2- Neptune Retrograde in Pisces 7/5- New Moon in 14° Cancer 7/10- Pluto trine Lilith 7/11- Venus enters Leo 7/12 Jupiter sextile North Node 7/20- Mars enters Gemini 7/21- Full Moon in 29° Capricorn 7/22- Sun enters Leo 7/25- Mercury enters Virgo On the 2nd, Mercury will roam into Leo’s […]

CONVERSION Movie release party set for tonight at Big Bar

Culture

Conversion therapy survivors tell their story in a now publicly released documentary created and produced by Kentuckian Zach Meiners. To celebrate this, Big Bar will be rolling out the red carpet tonight from 6 – 8 p.m. Gravitas Ventures, an Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, announced today the acquisition of U.S. and Canadian distribution rights […]

15 Queer Businesses to Support During Pride Month and Beyond

June 28, 2024 Business

Pride month is over, y’all. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate queer-owned businesses across the state! Purchasing your goods and services from LGBTQ+ owned businesses is one of the best ways to celebrate pride all year long. Check out these 15 vendors…and by no means is this an exhausted list. Lexington Sam’s Hot Dog […]

Trans-led “The Daddy Sisters” release powerful debut album

June 24, 2024 Music

by Will Whaley With their empowering lyrics, energetic stage presence and fashion styles harkening back to glamorous rock icons, The Daddy Sisters, Bowling Green’s very own transgender led punk rock band, is hitting a milestone in 2024. With the release of their 10-track debut album, “Beast With Two Backs” set for June 29, the rock […]

PRISM: ACQUIESCE

PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. by Kenresa Jones Waxing Gibbous Moon March 22, 2024 11:04pm Jefferson County, Kentucky, USA PLAYLIST: Galimatias – “Wonder” Aches – “Her” Maxwell – “Silently” Marzz – “In The Morning” Emeli Sandé/Jay Electronica/Áine Zion – “Garden” […]

Lee Initiative Lunch Break: The door is always open at Lesbian-owned bar, Birdie & Vi’s

Hospitality

photos by Milkman Photography (Feature photo: Dani DeVincentis serves up drinks to Birdi & Vi’s customers) Queer Kentucky is a proud partner of the Lee Initiative. This is the first part of a series of stories uplifting Queer voices within the hospitality industry in partnership with the Lee Initiative. “We started The LEE Initiative in […]

Chappell Roan gives “Swan Lake” in dress designed by Kentuckiana native Gunnar Deatherage

June 21, 2024 Art

After selling out Kentuckiana Pride last week, pop sensation Chappell Roan has dipped her pink pony toes back into the Kentuckiana community, however this time she worked with regional native Gunnar Deatherage on the perfect dress for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The Project Runway alum took some time to chat with Queer Kentucky […]

Leading with Pride: Matt Dodd’s Story of Success and Advocacy

June 20, 2024 Sponsored Content, Business

How a McDonald’s franchisee is using his platform to support and uplift communities in the Louisville area. It wasn’t even a week into Pride month when I got to meet with Matt Dodd at Flanagan’s Ale House in Louisville. Hoping to get away from the June heat, we each order a drink and start talking […]

Reimagining Masculinity: Black, Queer and Free

June 19, 2024 Culture

Photos by Sarah Davis In our societies, there is an expectation on how we are supposed to act while expressing ourselves as men. This includes how we present ourselves to others. As a Black queer man I have had to “be what it is expected” of me in many situations. Knowing who I am, as […]

Bowling Green born artist curates sexy, uncensored magazine for queer creatives

June 18, 2024 Art, Culture, Issue 5, Sex

photos by Brett Loudermilk I Will Follow You to BG ‘Cause That’s What Us Boys Are For In 2022, I stumbled upon an Instagram post of a sun-kissed bronze, tatted, and otteresque artist, Zain Curtis. He had recently gained notoriety from screen printing T-shirts with blood infused paint to raise awareness of the homophobic blood […]

A Deeper Dive into Kentucky’s Gay Liberation Front with the LGBTQ History Project

June 12, 2024 History

The LGBTQ History Project At the heart of our work is the extensive archive of August Bernadicou, who began recording conversations and interviews with these pioneers when he was 13 years old. With thousands of hours of recorded audio and video materials, we aim to capture the LGBTQ+ community’s struggles, losses, and triumphs. We are committed to […]

Kentucky Historical Highway Marker honors the road to LGBTQ liberation

History

The intersection of Saint James Court and Belgravia Court in Old Louisville just got a little bit gayer. The Fairness Campaign joined dozens of queer people, young and old, to unveil a new historical highway marker this pride month. The bronze gilded sign honors trailblazing troublemakers who pushed Louisville to be a more inclusive space […]

Chappell Roan, Icona Pop and Robin S. to headline Kentuckiana Pride

June 7, 2024 Culture

Get ready, Kentuckiana! Louisville’s Waterfront Park will turn into the Pink Pony Club when the Midwestern Princess herself, Chappell Roan, Swedish duo Icona Pop, and the legendary Robin S. perform Saturday, June 15 at Kentuckiana Pride Festival, kicking off pride in the Bluegrass. In its 24th year, Kentuckiana Pride has served as an event for […]

Calvary Episcopal Church’s Second Annual Drag Me to Church: A Gospel Drag Show

Drag

Calvary Episcopal Church invites all to celebrate the end of Pride Month with their second annual Drag Me to Church: A Gospel Drag Show. The event follows the success of the inaugural Drag Me to Church last year, which raised roughly $9,000 and gathered hundreds of food item donations. Drag Me to Church will be held […]

Sweet Evening Breeze: Honoring the legacy, paving a path and sending a message

June 6, 2024 Health, Business

“As long as you live in this house, you’re going to act a certain way. I don’t want you embarrassing me.” The words change as they echo from parents’ mouths but the feeling is universal for children who hear them: you are not welcome. Children like Robyn, who was fourteen years old when she came […]

Masculinity Through a Queer [Camera] Lens

June 5, 2024 Art

It’s a complex question that traverses the realms of politics, media, and personal identity. In today’s world, where male lawmakers legislate against women’s bodies and entire American cities are banning queerness in public, masculinity can feel overwhelmingly like an oppressive force. However, amidst this narrative, masculinity can sometimes also symbolize rebellion, strength, and provide a […]

Stargazing with Tigresse Bleu: June Horoscopes

June 3, 2024 Horoscopes

Photo: Lolita Loveless/Summer Deringer 6/3- Mercury Enters Gemini 6/6- New Moon in 16° Gemini 6/9- Mars Enters Taurus 6/17- Mercury + Venus Enter Cancer 6/20- Sun Enters Cancer (Summer Solstice) 6/22- Full moon in 1° Capricorn On the 3rd, Mercury settles into the sign of Gemini where it cosmically blossoms. This is a placement […]

The Head Butch in Charge: Missy Spears

Business, Issue 5

Queer Kentucky’s New Executive Director to Lead Organization’s Future This story is part of ISSUE 05: Reimagining Masculinity. The magazine is available for purchase here. Before I understood queerness, I understood masculinity. When I was a child I emulated masculine stereotypes at every turn, grabbing a hammer I could barely hold to help on a […]

Southern LGBTQ+ nonprofits receive most funding from outside of region

May 31, 2024 Business

In 2019, LGBTQ+ nonprofits received 0.13% of all charitable donations, despite roughly one in six gen z adults identifying as LGBTQ+. The number of people identifying as queer continues to grow as younger generations are generally more educated, open, and accepting of all sexualities, genders, and orientations. Despite younger populations becoming more accepting, states and […]

Reimagining Masculinity: Transmission

May 30, 2024 Art

This story is part of ISSUE 05: Reimagining Masculinity. The magazine is available for purchase here. As a trans man, I’ve been asking myself for years what it means to be a man and to be masculine. This is one of the things that led me to creating this piece, which originated from the time […]

$2 million endowment to enhance lives of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky

May 29, 2024 Business

Kentucky LGBTQ+ nonprofits deserve more funding from Kentucky foundations. Because of increasing hostility towards our community in the Bluegrass and across the United States, our nonprofit ecosystem is growing and expanding resources while we race for an almost fabled pot of gold nestled at the end of an even more elusive rainbow. However, one Louisville-based […]

Lavender Country: A vibe that’s worth the drive

Hospitality, Business, Issue 5, Travel

At Little Mount Lavender, about a mile off the outlet mall exit in Simpsonville, Kentucky, both owners, both named Jason, own what they say is the largest year-round lavender store on the Eastern seaboard. Both Jasons are also in love: Jason Woodlief married Jason Walker, who subsequently became Walker-Woodlief, in 2014, with an officiant and […]

The Agony of the Leaves: Reflections on Tea

May 17, 2024 PRISM

As early as I can remember, I’ve been a student and lover of tea, Camellia sinensis. Green tea was my preferred beverage growing up, and if given a choice between tea, juice, and soda, I would choose green tea–preferably with honey and fresh lemon.

Time for Clack Fans and Flags: Kentucky’s 2024 Pride Festival Schedule

May 14, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky’s Covington Kentucky Pride Party Friday, May 31, 8 p.m. – 11 p.m. Paducah Pride: United Together Saturday, June 1, 11 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. CT, 1857 Event Center Richmond Pride Saturday, June 1, Noon – 8:00 p.m. ET, Irvine McDowell Park Shelby County Pride Dragapalooza Saturday, June 1, 5:00 p.m. ET, The Barrel […]

Noah J. Ricketts Brings the Bluegrass to Hollywood and Broadway

May 13, 2024 Culture

Noah J. Ricketts, Louisville, masterfully donned 1950s drag and 1980s swag as Frankie Hines in the Showtime political romance miniseries, Fellow Travelers. The show follows a group of men, led by Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, through the Lavender Scare, the Vietnam War, and the AIDS Crisis.

Meet your genderqueer, Jewish uncle with “amazing tits!”

Culture

A recent Jewish Heritage Fund survey found that 7% of respondents identified as LGBTQ+. Queer Kentucky has partnered with the Jewish Heritage Fund to uplift queer Jewish people. With anti-Semitism spreading in the United States and abroad, it is important to uplift our Jewish community members. Queer is an identity that crosses racial, geographic, ethnic, class, and cultural […]

Covington’s Carnegie Theater Director offers passion and community through queer performances

May 9, 2024 Culture, Art

In case you didn’t know, Covington is bursting with queerness. From their downtown rainbow crosswalks, ever-growing queer-owned businesses sprinkled on Main Street, and flamboyant theater productions, the Northern Kentucky city is an underrated queer-friendly mecca. No one knows this better than Carnegie Theater Director and queer culture leader, Tyler Gabbard. “People are friendly here,” the […]

Queer Kentucky Horoscopes: StarGazing for May

May 6, 2024 Culture, Horoscopes

5/2- Pluto Retrograde in Aquarius 5/8- New Moon in 18° Taurus 5/15- Mercury enters Taurus 5/20- Sun enters Gemini 5/23 Full Moon in 2° Sagittarius + Venus enters Gemini 5/25- Jupiter enters Gemini In the wake of the eclipse season, we have been left open, vulnerable, and exposed. There have been some hard endings that […]

Slipknot Made Me Gay: How metal music broke down my closet door

Culture

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Slipknot? Not Britney Spears or Lady Gaga or any number of queer icons? And to that, I say: Yes. Of course. Before Britney, Madonna, or Beyonce existed in my little spot in the universe…there was Slipknot. Growing up in Shepherdsville, Kentucky with a Southern Baptist family during the age […]

Blending identities as a trans, Jewish boy in Kentucky

May 1, 2024 Culture

A recent Jewish Heritage Fund survey found that 7% of respondents identified as LGBTQ+. Queer Kentucky has partnered with the Jewish Heritage Fund to uplift queer Jewish people. With anti-Semitism spreading in the United States and abroad, it is important to uplift our Jewish community members. Queer is an identity that crosses racial, geographic, ethnic, class, and cultural […]

Lee Initiative Lunch Break: “Why do you have to act like a guy all the time?”

April 22, 2024 Culture, Hospitality

by Ashlee Martinez photos by Jon Cherry Queer Kentucky is a proud partner of the Lee Initiative. This is the first part of a series of stories uplifting Queer voices within the hospitality industry in partnership with the Lee Initiative. “We started The LEE Initiative in Louisville, KY in 2018 after we saw a need for […]

Bourbon and Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week

April 18, 2024 Hospitality

Dear Queer Kentucky, I am thrilled to announce Bourbon and Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week. After working behind the scenes on this project since late last summer, I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce Bourbon and Belonging to you. Over five days and across eight cities in October, participants will partake in dozens of curated […]

Queer Kentucky x Louisville Magazine: Connor Holloway

April 16, 2024 Culture

Grew up in St. Matthews, now living in Brooklyn, they/them photos by Clifton Mooney, he/him Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like […]

Queer Kentucky x Louisville Magazine: Finding asexual self-love with Ami C

April 2, 2024 Culture

by Ami C. she/her photos by Clifton Mooney New York City Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the […]

‘Pretending to be a princess and feeling pretty’ with Tana Boots

Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

Feeling home in Louisville’s recovery rooms: Dave Conrad

Culture

Photo by Sarah Davis Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and […]

Finding home in Louisville’s Germantown: Bearykah Shaw

Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

Finding a queer home in Louisville’s NuLu: Patience Fields

Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

Feeling safe while trans in Kentuckiana: Luci Lyle

Culture

Luci Lyle Jeffersonville, she/her Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and […]

Hold Me Closer Teeny Tiny Dancer: A Conversation with Salem Vytch Tryells

Culture

The queer community has long admired drag performers and are only recently (with the arrival of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race or POSE) coming to widespread appreciation. Although the audience’s appetite for drag has grown, it remains a niche art form, often looked as being to0 flamboyant to be a serious art form. Covering amateur […]

Queer Kentucky Horoscopes: StarGazing for April

March 19, 2024 Horoscopes

photo by Bearykah Shaw 4/1- Mercury in Retrograde in Aries 4/5- Venus Enters Aries 4/8- New Moon in 19° Aries 4/19- Sun Enters Taurus 4/23- Full Moon in 4° Scorpio 4/29- Venus Enters Taurus 4/30- Mars Enters Aries Go ahead and let out your groans because this month begins with the dreaded Mercury in retrograde […]

Actors Theatre of Louisville Celebrates Drag and Theatre with Dusty Ray Bottoms and May O’Nays

March 15, 2024 Culture, Sponsored Content

Already enjoyed an evening of theatre at Actors Theatre of Louisville or somewhere else in town? The fun doesn’t have to stop there! Prepare for a night that’s more thrilling than an 11 o’clock number and as memorable as a classic show tune by sashaying your way to The After Show Show—a late-night offering where […]

PRISM: The Call for Home

March 13, 2024 PRISM

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. by Persephanie Chiddick The country of my origin celebrated her 42nd year of independence from Great Britain the same month that I turned 32, November 2023. I stood over my latest attempt at our national […]

OPINION: We’re tired of our rights being trampled on constantly

March 11, 2024 Culture, Opinion

The views and opinions expressed in submissions to Queer Kentucky are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Queer Kentucky. Any content provided by our submissions or regular columnists are of their opinion. As a reader, you are always welcome to submit your op-eds through our submission form: […]

Actors Theatre of Louisville, Dallas Theater Center present the queer comedy I AM DELIVERED’T

March 6, 2024 Culture, Sponsored Content

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE Good Friday. The New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church’s Seven Last Words service is in full swing. But outside—in the church parking lot—another resurrection story is taking shape. Sis, the Vice President of Usher Board Number One, and her protégé Pickles find themselves in a battle royale of romantic quagmires. This joyful new […]

Gold Dusted Woman: A Conversation with Stevie Dicks

February 29, 2024 Culture

The queer community has long admired drag performers and are only recently (with the arrival of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race or POSE) coming to widespread appreciation. Although the audience’s appetite for drag has grown, it remains a niche art form, often looked as being too flamboyant to be a serious art form. Covering amateur […]

Queer superstar Omar Apollo among Jack Harlow’s Gazebo Festival Lineup

February 28, 2024 Culture

Jack Harlow is bringing big gay talent to the Bluegrass for his newly announced Gazebo Festival happening May 25 and 26. Omar Apollo will grace the stage on Louisville’s Waterfront Park during the two-day festival headlined by SZA and Harlow himself. Special fan presales will take place beginning March 6, 2024 at 10 a.m. EST. […]

Horoscopes: StarGazing with Tigresse Bleu

Horoscopes

March Horoscopes March 10th: Mercury enters Aries + New Moon in Pisces 20° March 11th: Venus enters Pisces March 20th: Sun enters Aries (Spring Equinox) March 22nd: Mars enters Pisces March 25th: Full Moon in Libra 5° Our energy could feel more buzzy and uplifted as we shift into March, the ~energetic~ new year motivating […]

COVER STORY: Skate park punk shows with Shitfire’s lead singer Hannah Blakeman

February 27, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

A Queer Kentucky Safe Space: Trouble Bar

February 26, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

A Queer Kentucky Safe Space: Cherokee and Cox Park

February 23, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

We Been Here: Honoring Black Queer Kentuckian Ancestors

February 16, 2024 PRISM

Austen Smith is a spirit-forward visionary artist, writer, social researcher, and founder of Our Lunar Intelligence, a black-centered organization focusing on housing justice and arts/culture. Austen uses ancestral reverence and black philosophies of space/time to restore the imaginations of systemically disempowered peoples. The PRISM storytelling series is back, and it’s Black History Month. I am […]

A Queer Kentucky Safe Space: Kentucky Shakespeare in Central Park

February 13, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

A Queer Kentucky Safe Space: The Merryweather

February 6, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. We would […]

A Queer Kentucky safe space: Old Louisville Coffee Co-op

February 2, 2024 Culture

Queer Kentucky has partnered with Louisville Magazine for our fourth print issue. We asked Louisvillians and Kentuckians at large about their queerness and its relationship to the city, where they feel at home, who was there for them when it felt like nobody else was, the biggest issues facing Louisville’s queer communities, and much more. […]

Jewish & Queer: one closet, several hidden identities

January 29, 2024 Culture

by Lar Pearl she/they When I sat down to think deeply about the intersection of my Jewish, Queer, and Kentuckian identities, I realized they all had the same obstructed, hidden-in-plain-sight start: dark, with just a glimmer of light. This is also how many seeds germinate and start their growth. Hiding, just out of sight, with […]

Northern Kentucky Health Department hires from within queer community for its first-ever deputy director

January 24, 2024 Business

In a groundbreaking move towards enhancing public health initiatives, the Northern Kentucky Health Department hired Fort Wright resident, and prominent member of the NKY LGBTQ+ community, Elise Sebastian, as their first-ever deputy director. On December 27, Sebastian stepped into the role, marking a notable organizational shift as the health department aims to fortify its commitment […]

Louisville Pride Foundation appoints interim executive director

January 22, 2024 Business

The Louisville Pride Foundation hired an interim Executive Director who aims to make the Louisville Pride Center more accessible for people of all ages, folks in recovery, and the entire community. In December, the Louisville Pride Foundation’s founding executive director, Mike Slaton, stepped down from his position to take a job with the Louisville Orchestra. […]

StarGazing with Tigresse Bleu: February

January 19, 2024 Culture, Horoscopes

2/5: Mercury Enters Aquarius 2/9: New Moon in 20° Aquarius 2/13: Mars Enters Aquarius 2/16: Venus Enters Aquarius 2/19: Sun Enters Pisces 2/23: Mercury Enters Pisces 2/24: Full Moon 5° Virgo A macrocosm in bloom, we expand past our personal cosmos and reach for the idyllic, composed and assured. Enter the season of The Water […]

Recovery advocate discusses intersections of Jewish identity

January 18, 2024 Community, Culture, Health, Substance Use

By Aaron Guldenschuh-Gatten he/him One June weekend, on a Friday, I arrived at the crest of a hill on a hundred-acre farm, deep in the rolling wooded hills of Central Kentucky. The setting summer sun bathed the distant pasture in gold as waves of tall grass seemed to whisper to me. A close-by friend, also […]

Kentucky’s Regional LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce hires new executive director

January 15, 2024 Business

Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ Regional Chamber of Commerce has hired a new executive director and will be hosting monthly events for small and large businesses, corporate suppliers, and entrepreneurs to enhance the LGBTQ+ business ecosystem. The CIVITAS board of directors hired Bryce Cariel to lead the organization into financial and organizational sustainability in 2024. Born a […]

Louisville native, Fellow Travelers star heads into awards season with high hopes

January 5, 2024 Culture

As gaggles of gays make plans to cozy up around their TV’s dressed in their Saltburn-themed attire to watch the glitzy and glamorous award shows, one queer Kentuckian is heading to the ceremonies with nominations in hand. Noah Ricketts, from Louisville, blessed screens donning his best elegant 1950s drag attire and 1980s swag in 2023 […]

Op-Ed: On Supporting a Free Palestine as a Queer, Rural Kentuckian

January 2, 2024 Culture, Opinion

The views and opinions expressed in submissions to Queer Kentucky are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Queer Kentucky. Any content provided by our submissions or regular columnists are of their opinion. As a reader, you are always welcome to submit your op-eds through our submission form: […]

January StarGazing With Tigresse Bleu

January 1, 2024 Horoscopes

Planetary Placements for Jan: Jan. 4th- Mars enters Capricorn Jan. 11th- New Moon in 20° Capricorn Jan. 14th- Mercury enters Capricorn Jan. 20th- Sun enters Aquarius Jan. 22nd- Pluto enters Aquarius Jan. 23rd- Venus enter Capricorn Jan. 25th- Full Moon in 5° Leo Congrats! You made it to another calendar year and if no one […]

I am Palestinian, Gay & Kentuckian: ‘Prevent the eradication of my people’

December 27, 2023 Culture, Opinion

Interview questions curated by Marwa Asad she/her Queer experience by Nick Tawasha he/him Edited by Spencer Jenkins he/him and Belle Townsend she/they The views and opinions expressed in submissions to Queer Kentucky are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Queer Kentucky. Any content provided by our […]

The Yee-Haw Outlaw: A One-way Conversation with Sydni Hampton

December 14, 2023 Culture

The queer community has long admired drag performers and are only recently (with the arrival of shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race or POSE) coming to widespread appreciation. Although the audience’s appetite for drag has grown, it remains a niche art form, often looked as being to0 flamboyant to be a serious art form. Covering amateur […]

Louisville Pride Foundation Executive Director Mike Slaton to Leave Organization Dec. 31

December 6, 2023 Business

After five years, Louisville Pride Foundation’s first ever Executive Director, Mike Slaton, announced he will leave the organization on December 31. Slaton will join the Louisville Orchestra as their first Major Gifts Officer. Slaton began his time with the Foundation as a volunteer, chairing the operations committee for the inaugural Louisville Pride Festival in 2015. He was the Foundation’s first […]

Three Kentucky Cities, Companies Score 100 on Their Respective HRC Equality Indexes

Business

Three Kentucky cities scored 100 on the twelfth edition of the Municipal Equality Index, the only comprehensive nationwide assessment of LGBTQ+ equality in the areas of municipal policies, laws and services. The three cities are Covington, Lexington, and Louisville. The Municipal Equality Index scores the 50 state capitals, the 200 largest cities in the United […]

StarGazing with Tigresse Bleu

December 1, 2023 Horoscopes

Planetary Placements for Dec: Dec. 1st -Mercury enters Capricorn Dec. 4th- Venus enters Scorpio Dec. 12th- New Moon in 20° Sagittarius Dec. 13th- Mercury Retrogrades within Capricorn Dec. 22nd- Sun enters Capricorn Dec. 23rd- Mercury Retrogrades into Sagittarius Dec. 27th- Full Moon in 4° Cancer Dec. 29th- Venus enters Sagittarius After a period of needing […]

A figure in a flowing white dress and black brimmed hat running through a field of grass.

Striptease and Solidarity: How Burlesque is Fighting for Us All

Culture

by Kit Bordeaux they/them The bar was alive. I stood on a booth to see the stage and found myself looking out over a crowd of dancing, smiling, crying faces. My friend and fellow performer, Luna Luz, was in the spotlight. Her burlesque act was completely different from the one before her, a classic showgirl […]

StarGazing with Tigresse Bleu

November 11, 2023 Horoscopes

Planetary Placements for Nov: Nov. 8th – Venus enters Libra Nov 10th- Mercury enters Sagittarius Nov. 13th- New Moon in 20° Scorpio Nov. 22nd- Sun enters Sagittarius Nov. 24th- Mars enters Sagittarius Nov. 27th- Full Moon in 4° Gemini Summary This is an ocean we don’t mind sinking into. Our emotions have swelled and there […]

The Lasting Legacy of the House of Sweet Evening Breeze

October 9, 2023 History, Rural/Appalachia

As caretakers of Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ history, we at Faulkner Morgan Archive find it imperative that we continually remind ourselves and our communities of the long-lasting legacy of queer people in the Commonwealth. One of the most prominent ways to do that is by sharing stories of our queer ancestors who paved the path for us […]

The Iconic DJ Syimone: A Louisville Legend

Music, Culture

How does one become an ICON? There are many extremely talented DJs, drag performers, and emcees. However, there is only one Syimone. Over the years, the self-made local superstar has earned herself many titles, accolades, and accomplishments in almost every facet of the trade. She was recently crowned overall Best DJ in the city by […]

The Life of a Quiet Activist

History, Gov & Politics

Beyond the small entryway, on the dance floor and at the meat racks across from the bar, was where Louisville’s gay congregation met to whore-ship, and David’s first few weeks at that bar were a “real revelation.” “I found Jesus. Except he was sitting at the end of the bar having a drink,” Williams said. […]

I’M A GAMER (DEROGATORY): Exploring My Trans Identity Through Gaming

Rural/Appalachia

There’s a stereotype that goes around about a certain type of transgirl — the introverted, striped socks and oversized hoodie, techie kind — and unfortunately, that demographic has long included me. Long before I swallowed my self respect and made swallowing a hobby, I found myself sheltered from the outside world and protected by a […]

Queen of the Rodeo: Entrepreneur Opens Custom Clothing Shop — Velvet Outlaw

Business, Culture

Miranda Deaton started Velvet Outlaw out of her natural-born desire to defy the odds and test the limits. The local clothing brand made its official debut in late April 2022 and Deaton’s Nudie inspired suits have been popping up all around the city ever since. Whether featured in local magazines or TikTok fashion trends, Velvet […]

Eric King On Visibility, Diversity, and Drive

Rural/Appalachia, History

Eric King, a Murrow and Emmy award-winning journalist, has 20 years of on air experience. He is from Bardstown, Kentucky, and he is a graduate of the University of Louisville. A journalist and broadcaster with a love for traveling and storytelling, King uses his perspective in news to challenge and educate. On the topic […]

Coming Home: Lesbian Connection and Representation in Kentucky

October 8, 2023 Culture, Gov & Politics, History

story by Jessica Carner she/her photo by Quinton Thomas he/him I’m what you might call a late bloomer; a “later-in-life” lesbian. It’s a thing, y’all. Even though my first romantic relationship was with a woman, when that young love died on the vine I pushed those feelings aside and conformed to what was expected of […]

Lessons from the Orange Juice Queen

October 5, 2023 History, Culture

I first encountered Anita Bryant in a grad school gender and women’s studies course called “History of Feminist Thought.” One week, our content area was conservative activists of the mid-twentieth century. These women spent their lives pushing back on the contemporary feminist movement, advocating for traditional [read: white, middle class, American] ideas of womanhood. That’s […]

Three Generations of Tennessee Pride-ful Drag

Culture, Gov & Politics

Kentucky is one of many states that are working to pass anti-drag-performance bills, which by no coincidence negatively impacts transgender people and may lead to further oppression of entire LGBTQ+ communities. Kentucky’s Senate Bill 115 describes drag as a “live performance involving male or female impersonators […] that appeals to a prurient interest in sexual […]

StarGazing: Lunar Eclipse in 5° Taurus

October 4, 2023 Horoscopes

October 28th, 2023 By the end of October, we find the grim reaper knocking on our door asking for our dead. It is the death of bad habits, the death of things that threaten our sense of safety, or security, or a past value or stance. This is the last breath of a past identity, […]

StarGazing: Solar Eclipse in 21°Libra

Horoscopes

October 14th, 2023 A recentering of the heart and energy. This is where we take our time and try to delve into pleasures as the moon crosses over the sun, casting a shadow on us. This period of darkness does not dampen our need for a new beginning or fresh start but in exchange we […]

StarGazing with Tigresse Bleu

Horoscopes

Planetary Placements For October Oct. 3rd- Lilith enters Virgo Oct. 5th- Mercury enters Libra Oct. 9th- Venus enters Virgo Oct. 12th- Mars enters Scorpio Oct. 14th- New Moon in Libra (Solar Eclipse) Oct. 22nd- Mercury enters Scorpio Oct. 23rd- Sun enters Scorpio Oct. 28th- Full Moon in Taurus (Lunar Eclipse) October Overview Profound, penetrative, and […]

Communing with the Divine: Trans Folk Artist Larah Helayne to Headline 2023 Queer Kentucky x Mile Wide Pride Kick-Off Party

Culture, Rural/Appalachia

Story by Sydni Hampton she/they Photos by Ash When I first met Larah Helayne (they/he) at a bar during a show I was performing in, I was just drinking up the compliments and praise a drag queen receives throughout the night. I had no idea this random introduction would lead to me ending up being […]

Queer-led Appalchain Arts Alliance transforms Hazard

Rural/Appalachia

Photos by Bearykah Shaw Hazard made a decision in 2013: they wanted more art in their community, and an arts organization to spur it on. With recent funding from the Foundation for Appalachian KY, they had the means to make it happen. “The arts in the schools were dwindling every single day,” Tim Deaton – […]

Sapphic-Held Spaces Created for and by Sapphic-Minded People

October 3, 2023 Culture

by Belle Townsend Photo by Amber Lawrence “It’s important that sapphic minded individuals have safe spaces, even if it’s just one day a month of saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to get together and meet each other,’” shared Lussi Brown Coffee Bar Owner, Sarah Brown. She continues, “There’s more than a handful of us. There’s a […]

Rockin’ Community: Central KY Roller Derby Team fostering a place for LBGTQIA

September 19, 2023 Community, Culture

My first real look at roller derby was what I consider to be the cult classic “Whip It,” a combination of bad-ass body slams and young people finding both happiness and the strength to stand in their truth. I felt so empowered by the charm of this coming-of-age film focused on finding oneself with the support […]

bell hooks and My Black Queer Southern Politics

September 17, 2023 History

by Charles Stephens photo: bell hooks in 1995. Photograph by Monica Almeida/The New York Times/Redux I am a Black gay man from the South. I grew up in a working-class community in Southwest Atlanta that shaped my politics as much as my identity. bell hooks was an accomplished scholar, academic, and public intellectual from Kentucky, […]

Queer Kentucky hires Northern Kentucky LGBTQ+ activist Missy Spears as director of operations

August 17, 2023 Culture

Queer Kentucky is proud to announce our new director of operations, Missy Spears! Missy Spears is a community advocate, project manager, and award-winning asshole that uses humor to further civic engagement in the region and inspire action. Spears’ recent work includes leading projects for Cincinnati nonprofit Action Tank, assisting nonprofit Concerted with their expansion into […]

Tyler Childers’ newest single depicts gay love in rural Appalachia

July 28, 2023 Culture

PRESS RELEASE July 27, 2023—Rustin’ In The Rain, the new album from renowned singer, songwriter and musician Tyler Childers, will be released September 8 on Hickman Holler Records/RCA Records (pre-order/pre-save). Of the album, Childers shares, “This is a collection of songs I playfully pieced together as if I was pitching a group of songs to […]

Beechmont Neighborhood Association Aligns with Baptist Transphoboia, bullies Out Farmers Market Manager

Culture

Imagine you showed up to your job and were told that, because your gender made your coworkers uncomfortable, you’d need to start dressing differently or the police would be called to remove you from the property. That’s what happened to Nedra McNeil, the former Beechmont Open Air Manager, on June 16th, 2023. McNeil, whose pronouns […]

From Stonewall to Smoketown: Queer Leaders Who Aren’t Fucking Around

June 21, 2023 Culture

Photo by Emmett Valentin “The first Pride was a riot.” This slogan went viral in June of 2020, after countless white queer Louisvillians were activated by LMPD’s murder of Breonna Taylor and the growing global uprising against police brutality. Its primary use was to agitate the ruling class Gays™️ who were critical of the Black […]

Queer thrift collective opens in Butchertown, offering the gayest gifts

June 12, 2023 Business

by Sophia Lee (she/they)[email protected] “We want the queer community and adjacent offshoots of that to feel safe here and know that they’re loved and welcome, always and in any circumstance. We really want to be able to help anyone in need while also clothing our queer besties.” – Chaella Higdon When Megan Widmer and Chaella […]

Central Kentucky Climbing: Interview with Cat Runner and Blake Nantz

June 9, 2023 Culture

by Bethany Robinson The later days of spring have arrived, and we are on the precipice of hot summer days with that itch to engross ourselves in the beauty of nature. Many opportunities exist to get out in the beautiful world of Kentucky outdoors, with exciting opportunities of climbing popping up within central Kentucky. With […]

Calvary Episcopal Church to Host a Drag Show in Honor of Pride Month

Culture, Drag

The Drag Show Will Benefit the Church’s Ministry of Feeding Neighbors in Need by J.C. Phelps Louisville, KY [June 2023] – Calvary Episcopal Church, which was founded in 1860, has a long history of reaching out in love to their neighbors. In that spirit, the Downtown Louisville congregation invites and welcomes all inside their doors to […]

Kentucky-based LGBTQ+ event production Hard Candy brings Drag Race and Dragula fun to Louisville in time for Pride.

June 8, 2023 Culture

Sunday, June 11 – RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 15’s Jax comes to Play Louisville. Jax is an NYC-based drag queen affectionately known as the Simone Biles of Drag. Expect plenty of flips and stunts at this show! TICKETS Sunday, June 18 – Boulet Brothers Dragula Season 4 and Titans finalist Hoso Terra Toma makes her Louisville debut. […]

Queer activists stare down a barrel of hate in Eastern Kentucky park

June 6, 2023 Culture

by Spencer [email protected] At Sanders Park in Corbin, KY, members and activists of the LGBTQ+ community rallied together on June 3rd to support one another. What should have been an uplifting event turned unsettling when faced with animosity and hate. LGBTQ+ activist Trent Osborne said he and his friends were having a peaceful protest in […]

THE ERA OF THE TRANSGENDER HEROINE: A glance at trans femme-inclusion in media

Culture

There’s a man in a synthetic wig, the fibers shining on camera, eyes coated in blue, heavy eyeshadow and cheap plastic-y lashes that look like they were applied by a 6-year-old experiencing cough syrup for the first time. His stubble is visible, intentionally, the actor going unshaved for the day, and a sequin — perhaps […]

Nashville’s big, gay MeatUp party set to grind in Louisville’s Butchertown

May 22, 2023 Culture, Hospitality

By Spencer Jenkins he/[email protected] Booty shorts, knee-high socks and belly-revealing crop tops are just some of the looks to embody for the Nashville-based event, MeatUp, coming to PLAY Louisville on May 27. MeatUp is an event created by couple Al Gregory and Toby Sturgill, and their friend Griffin Green. It offers a retro-inspired experience for […]

The Revolution Will Not Be Gender-Conforming: Trans/Non-Binary Comrades Talk About Socialism

May 18, 2023 Culture

On May 1st 2023, the Party for Socialism and Liberation held a May Day block party and rally for trans rights at Old Louisville Coffee Co-op in Louisville. The event kicked off with a march, which began at Central Park, and ended in front of the coffee shop. I had been assigned the role of […]

Nationally recognized pageant promoter gears up for 2023’s Kentucky Regional Entertainer of the Year

May 3, 2023 Culture

by Sydni Hamptonshe/[email protected] Each year, hopeful contestants from Arizona to New York, descend upon Louisville in hopes of being crowned the next National Entertainer of the Year. Winners include the likes of Maya Douglas (1997, F.I.,) Erica Andrews (2006, F.I.,) Nina West (2008, F.I., RuPauls Drag Race,) Mokha Montrese (2012, F.I.,) and Trinity “The Tuck” […]

LEE INITIATIVE LUNCH BREAK: A LOUISVILLE LAYOVER WITH AKEEM HASEGAWA

May 2, 2023 Culture

by Taylor Cochranshe/[email protected] Queer Kentucky is a proud partner of the Lee Initiative. This is the first part of a series of stories uplifting Queer voices within the hospitality industry in partnership with the Lee Initiative. “We started The LEE Initiative in Louisville, KY in 2018 after we saw a need for more diversity, more training, […]

First openly gay Kentucky Poet Laureate, Silas House talks visibility and backlash

April 27, 2023 Rural/Appalachia

By Belle Townsendshe/[email protected] Silas House, a Whitley County-born author whose works have become beloved bestsellers, was selected by Governor Andy Beshear to be Kentucky’s 2023-24 Poet Laureate. “I think it’s particularly important to me right now, to be trusted as the governor as a representative, in a time when there’s so much anti-LGBTQ+ legislation out […]

Panelists discuss ‘What’s Next for LGBTQ+ folks in the Bluegrass state’ amidst passage of anti-LGBTQ+ SB 150

April 25, 2023 Culture

by Belle Townsendshe/[email protected] “I’m so sorry that we even have to be here,” said Cherlynn Stevenson (she/her) to the audience of concerned Kentuckians. Stevenson, the District 88 state representative and House Democratic Caucus Chair, opened the Bluegrass LGBTQ+ Town Hall held in Lexington, Kentucky, held in response to the recent legislative LGBTQ+ attacks. She continued […]

Book Review: ‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ weaves the tale of teenage angst and witchcraft

April 24, 2023 Culture

By Alixandria [email protected] ‘All Our Hidden Gifts’ By Caroline O’Donoghue | Illustrated by Stefanie Caponi Walker Books; $19.99 “All Our Hidden Gifts” is the perfect YA cozy read, especially now when darkness comes soon after the workday ends. It has witchcraft, tarot, betrayal, romance and spookiness galore. This coming-of-age novel depicts the difficulties of growing […]

Medical professionals and community activists organizing to provide gender-affirming healthcare to transgender and gender-nonconforming Kentuckians

April 21, 2023 Culture

by Belle Townsendshe/they [email protected] With Omnibus anti-trans bill SB 150 passing in Kentucky, transgender and gender non-conforming Kentuckians and their loved ones are worried for their safety and access to life-saving medical care. Hosted by Suzanne Kingery, M.D. (she/her) and presented by the LGBT Center and Office of Diversity & Inclusion, University of Louisville, Health […]

Op-ed: Impellizzeri’s Pizza hosts anti-trans event, perpetuating anti-trans stigma and violence

April 14, 2023 Culture

Editor’s Note: Comments were requested from both Kelly Craft and Impellizzeri’s Pizza, but neither responded. A request for the police report has been submitted the the Middletown Police Department. We will add to the story as soon as it is available. On Monday April 10th, a Black trans man from Louisville’s West End, Alexander Griggs, […]

Alice in Derbyland Returns for Third Year to Celebrate Derby Festivities

April 13, 2023 Culture

by Sydni Hampton (They/Them, She/Her) Alice in Derbyland Returns for Third Year to Celebrate Derby Festivities Sydni Hampton (They/Them, She/Her) It’s that time of year again… Mint Juleps, larger-than-life hats, pastels, nightmare parking- and Drag Daddy Productions’ ALICE IN DERBYLAND returns to celebrate and pay homage to our city’s beloved Derby traditions for the third […]

Berea PRIDE to host second annual Easter egg hunt

April 6, 2023 Culture

On Saturday, April 8th from 1 to 4 PM, Berea PRIDE will be hosting its second annual Easter egg hunt. There will be games, food, and prizes available for anyone interested in joining. In Berea, there are very few Easter egg hunts and even fewer that aren’t church affiliated. Berea PRIDE’s new Easter egg tradition […]

Phëlix Cultivates Black, Queer Joy while Sprouting Roots in New Places

April 5, 2023 Business

By Aaron Thomas he/him Being Black is my activism. My Black joy is resistance, my purest form of protest. Black rest is an inherent right bestowed upon me by my ancestors. My enslaved ancestors will always live free, vicariously through me and the generations after me, because I will empower them with Black joy in […]

‘Work is a Drag’ at Cornett, Amid rising anti-drag sentiment, Kentucky ad agency goes glam in support of self-expression

April 4, 2023 Business

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (March 25, 2023) — With legislative attacks against the LGBTQ+ community sweeping the nation, a Kentucky ad agency is letting it be known that their workplace will always be a safe haven for self-expression. Cornett, a Lexington-based full-service agency, has instituted “Work is a Drag”—an official workplace policy that welcomes and encourages any […]

Japanese Games Serve Femme Better: a trans gamer’s outlook on women in games

April 3, 2023 Culture

With the release of a *particular* game about wizards in an IP created by famed trans-exclusionist/man in bathroom paranoia-conspiracy theorist J.K Rowling, my social media, which largely consists of millennials who defined their personality traits based on Hogwarts houses— for the record, I’m a Slytherin — and gen Z’ers who don’t have the attachment and […]

UofL’s Black, Greek life celebrated historical queer voices

March 23, 2023 Culture

“The reality is you’re going to interact with somebody from all walks of life if you live long enough. A lot of people are under the impression that I will never, because I won’t befriend a queer person. I’ll never have to respect one but you will. They’re gonna be your manager, your taxpayer, your […]

Queers Say No to War! Demonstration March 18th on the 20th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq

March 15, 2023 Gov & Politics, History

By Christian Brawner and Sunny Cobb With the 20th anniversary of the Iraq invasion approaching, and while facing a seemingly insurmountable upsurge in state repression against our trans community, I want to honor the legacy of our queer and gay ancestors by reminding you of our revolutionary struggle. It’s absolutely no coincidence that when the […]

Queer Workers Form City-Wide Direct-Join Labor Union: First of its Kind in Louisville

March 14, 2023 Business

By Benjamin Berry In late October 2022, after months of organizing, the two dozen workers at local pizzeria, Pizza Lupo, notified management of their intention to unionize as members of the Louisville chapter of Restaurant Workers United (RWU). A young union founded at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, RWU uses a direct-join model through […]

Suspect in murder of Black transgender woman has bail increased, JBS union begins inclusion efforts

March 9, 2023 Culture

Imanitwithago Zachee (pronounced Za-shay, known as Zachee to friends) was a Black transgender woman gunned down outside of her work on February 3. In addition to being murdered outside of her workplace at JBS plants in Butchertown, Zachee was murdered by one of her coworkers. The suspect, who turned himself in and now is pleading […]

Students Organizing at the University of Louisville for Trans Rights in ULTRA

Culture

The University of Louisville Trans Rights Alliance, or ULTRA, has been bringing attention to policy and culture promoting transphobia on the college campus. The student organizers leading this group include juniors Miles Lanham and Calvin Silver, with senior Parker Albro. According to University of Louisville students and activists associated with ULTRA, there have been lasting […]

LA based dancer frequents home to teach others his movement art

February 21, 2023 Culture

When asked why he keeps coming back to the art form of dance, Ryan Green said that he has been dancing since middle school and is always coming back for different reasons. Green, Louisville community member turned Los Angeles professional dancer, expanded on his evolution of loving to dance and teach dancing. He shared the […]

Suspect pleads not guilty to the killing of Black transgender woman, Imanitwithago Zachee

February 15, 2023 Culture

Imanitwithago Zachee (pronounced Za-shay, known as Zachee to friends) was a Black transgender woman gunned down outside of her work on February 3. Soon after, a dozen Louisville advocacy and support groups, as well as friends, family, and community members, gathered to honor her life through a candlelight vigil. Zachee was shot and killed as […]

Queer liberation, not queer liberalism: when your Zodiac signs are compatible but your politics clash

February 14, 2023 Culture

photo credit https://twitter.com/slutpilled I’ve already done the Valentine’s Day love letter and mixtape thing, so this year I give you a Thinking Queerly entry centering around identity crisis. A love story spoiled by politics. A confessional-manifesto. A bad romance, if you will. Oh, and a poem: The globe is overheating.The economy is depressed.We’re on the […]

Slay II: Love Bites, The Epic Party Returns for a Sequel

Culture

This Valentine’s Day do you find yourself brokenhearted, disposed of, or eating chocolates in your bed and crying to Lana Del Ray? Baby, fuck that. You need to dance. You need to party. You need to forget all about them. When your heart gets ripped out of your chest, you bleed out… but what if […]

Black, transgender woman murdered in Kentucky

February 7, 2023 Culture

It is only the beginning of February, and there is already another violent killing of a Black trans woman. An immigrant from Rwanda, Africa, Imanitwitaho Zachee (pronounced Za-shay), known as Zachee to friends, was shot and killed outside of the JBS Foods plant where she worked on Feb. 3. Police say the gunman and Zachee’s […]

Black, gay publication gives visibility to Louisville’s West End through authentic storytelling

January 30, 2023 Business

“bell hooks was from Berea, I’m from Louisville. Let’s make it happen,” said Talesha Wilson of Black Gay Tymes, a Louisville-based Black archival research project. Working with several organizations, including the Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky (BLACK) and Change Today, Change Tomorrow, Wilson is a full-time organizer who is dedicated to cultivating and maintaining […]

Bodies After Dark: a Black, queer variety show to enhance community within a safe space

January 24, 2023 Business, Culture

Ready to see the most random, queer, gender roles fucking variety show you’ve ever experienced? Drag and boylesque artist Blaque Diamond, The Trans God, and founder of Love Thy Belly, LLC, Fairen Kia, joined forces to curate a safe space event for people to express themselves and learn what feels comfortable and free for them. […]

LEE Initiative Lunch Break: Catching Up with Mark David Corely from Carollton

January 19, 2023 Culture

“When I was growing up in Carollton, I used to daydream about gay bars in the big city and what it would be like to go there and dance to all the music I loved. In some ways, working at Big Bar is like living my wildest dreams.” Carrollton is a small community nestled among […]

PART 4. Gentrifying For Jesus: Louisville’s Southern Baptist Empire and Faith-Based Investing

December 30, 2022 Culture

image source: Washington Post Note from Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director of Queer Kentucky, Spencer Jenkins: Queer Kentucky has had past relationships with some of the subjects within this article. Gill Holland previously donated $1,000 to Queer Kentucky in 2020 and also donated $1,000 to TAUNT, an archived project under the Queer Kentucky umbrella. We have […]

Ashland native launches Queer music label with partner in January

December 29, 2022 Business

A local couple will launch a new record label in January to help promote BIPOC and LGBTQ musicians.

Philip Odango and his partner David Johnson are the founders and co-managers of BlackRainbow Records. A press release says that BlackRainbow will offer clients “music production services, video production, licensing and distribution assistance, marketing, and merchandise sales support while celebrating diversity.”

“Our vision is to elevate, amplify, innovate, and energize our artists to new creative and expressive heights and reach broader audiences,” the press release said.

TSA working toward greater inclusivity of the queer community

December 25, 2022 Culture

As the LGBTQ+ community becomes more visible, institutions are adapting their policies to be more inclusive. The Transportation Security Administration will now offer gender-affirming screenings for queer and transgender travelers.

Hip Hop Sweet Shop WILL remain a staple in Louisville’s West End despite fire

December 22, 2022 Business

Editor’s note: The 18th & Jefferson Street Plaza succumbed to fire before we were able to publish this story. We still believe it is essential to tell Hip Hop Sweet Shop’s story, and we hope you will help us support them in rebuilding. Please keep us all in your thoughts and prayers, as our hearts […]

Trans activist, child of Kentucky state senator dies of suicide

December 20, 2022 Culture

Kentucky Democratic state Sen. Karen Berg has announced in a statement on Tuesday, that her transgender son died by suicide. Berg said in the statement that Henry Berg-Brousseau, 24, spent his life “working to extend grace, compassion and understanding to everyone, but especially to the vulnerable and marginalized.” “As the mother of a transgender son, […]

This year’s girl: Bussy Beat Birthday Celebration

December 19, 2022 Culture

Although my column is rooted in my own experiences which I try to paint as humorous, there’s always been something I’ve been paranoid about, or avoided. Through myriad years of lying about my age, never once thinking about what I should do with myself at all for too long, and rushing in and out of […]

Part Three: Heine Brothers’ and Sunergos: Louisville’s anti-union coffee shops

December 15, 2022 Business

This is part three in a series of stories that center around Louisville’s local coffee scene: a battleground of ongoing spiritual and class warfare between Christians and queers, workers and business owners. The purpose of the series is not to publicly drag local businesses or individuals, but to trace the connections between those businesses/individuals to […]

Part Two: An exiled Sojourner, SBTS scandals, forced birth, AND MORE coffee

December 7, 2022 Business

Editor’s Note: Regarding boycotts: This article is the second installment in a series that is intended to raise awareness around the systemic injustices that poor, queer, working class Louisvillians (specifically baristas) experience, and the ways certain local religious institutions and powerholders contribute to these injustices. While increased awareness often does, and should, result in action, […]

Great Meadows Foundation uplifts Queer artists alongside Queer Kentucky: J. Cletus Wilcox

December 6, 2022 Culture

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. In order to […]

Two Louisville nonprofits collaborate for the benefit of the QTAAPI community

December 5, 2022 Culture

On the horizon for Louisville queers, is a new collaborative inclusion effort supporting the Queer Trans Asian-American Pacific Islander (QTAAPI) community. The initiative is supported by Joel Buno, director for the Asia Institute – Crane House (AICH), and Mike Slaton, executive director for Louisville Pride Foundation (LPF). With May being AAPI history month and June […]

Sissy That Strut: DJ Slim Thicc

December 2, 2022 Culture

Q: Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? A: Louisville born, Jeffersonville, Ind., raised, but I consider Louisville home ALWAYS. After I graduated from UofL, I traveled a lot to larger cities like L.A., New York and Chicago. I truly loved those places, but they just weren’t checking all the […]

The Lesser-Known Pioneer: Lige Clarke and the queer legacy left behind

November 30, 2022 Rural/Appalachia

It was just two months since the United States was plunged into World War II. Temperatures were below zero in the hollers of East Kentucky and, while a nation mourned, James and Corinne Clarke of Cave Branch Hollow in Hindman, Kentucky, welcomed a son to the world. Elijah ‘Lige’ Clarke would live out his days […]

PART ONE At the crossroads of class struggle and religious bigotry: field notes on Louisville’s coffee scene

November 23, 2022 Business

Editor’s Note: Adrian Silbernagel is a former employee of Heine Brother’s Coffee and is currently one of the co-op members of Old Louisville Coffee Shop. We understand that a bias exists, and we also know that this story is incredibly important and we’ve matched commentary with factual information. You can always send a letter to […]

Twink, bear, Otter Creek, OH MY! Let’s talk about the first Kentucky Pride

November 21, 2022 History

*Had to sign a Copy Service Agreement and Permission to Publish forms with U of L Special Archives to use the first pride flyer and Lavender Letter images* From my younger days, to when we moved to Meade County when I was in sixth grade and now into adulthood, Otter Creek Park has been in […]

5 killed, over a dozen injured in LGBTQ+ club shooting in Colorado Springs

November 20, 2022 Culture

Update 5:18 p.m. Via CNN Nineteen of the 25 people wounded in the overnight shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado Springs sustained gunshot wounds, Mayor John Suthers told CNN’s Jim Acosta Sunday. Based on his communication with medical personnel, Suthers said he expects the injured victims to survive, and the community is “crossing our fingers” for no more fatalities. Suthers […]

Big wigs and big dreams from Bowling Green: Chatting with Eldar Gorak

November 16, 2022 Culture

When visiting your favorite local venue to be entertained by some of the badass queens that grace the stage, what snags your attention first? The flawless faces, the snatched body, or the hair that has everyone wishing they had THAT on their head? The hair can transform an outfit and performance from “Okaaaay” to “YAS […]

LEE Initiative Lunch Break: Picking up Coffee with POCO’s Connie Hartsock

November 14, 2022 Culture

“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 […]

Hard Candy brings Ongina back to the Bluegrass and PLAY Louisville

November 12, 2022 Culture

Daniel Cole’s Hard Candy presents yet another stunning RuPaul’s Drag Race star for its upcoming mini tour series with the one, the only, the Bald Queen herself, Ongina. Ongina is a Filipino-American drag performer who became the first queen to not wear a wig on the main stage, and the first to come out as […]

LGBTQ+ owned, horror-themed bookstore opens in Highlands neighborhood

November 10, 2022 Business

When most Louisvillians think of local book shops to hang around, they tend to patronize the city’s staples — Carmichael’s or the Book & Music Exchange. In terms of niche sub-genres and cult picks, there isn’t a large variety for us queerdos to browse. As Louisville continues growing, we’ve seen an abundance of food, clothes, […]

VOTE: Reproductive rights restrictions will affect the LGBTQ+ community

November 8, 2022 Culture

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe. v. Wade, the landmark case in 1973 that ruled to affirm the constitutional right to an abortion. Months later we are still reckoning with this decision while the consequences of what this will mean for many marginalized people still hangs in the air. We spoke with […]

What’s the damage? Trans resilience through the lens of class struggle

October 31, 2022 Culture

Coming out as queer as a young adult was my first step into the world of financial insecurity. Thanks to my white middle class upbringing, I knew little about systemic injustice and the evils of capitalism. I couldn’t have guessed that trans people are twice as likely to be unemployed, and four times as likely […]

Book Review: High-Risk Homosexual by Edgar Gomez

October 20, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Tea Dancing With Louisville and Lexington Lesbians

October 17, 2022 Culture

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 […]

BODY HORROR: THE QUEER AND THE MACABRE

October 11, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Stomping out stigma: mental health awareness music festival back for 6th year

October 7, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Melanin Pride celebrates Black queer folks, continues growing

October 5, 2022 Culture

Since 2017, Desi Carr has been the sole organizer of Melanin Pride – a multi-day social event that celebrates the Black queer community. The event started with Black queer folks wanting to play kickball together, but slowly grew into something much bigger. The 2021 festival was five days long, in celebration of the event’s five […]

Reflecting on Evangelical Christians spewing hate at Shelbyville Pride

October 3, 2022 Culture

Earlier this Summer I had the opportunity to attend Shelby County Pride Parade and Festival, which took place on June 26 at the Shelbyville Stargazer Plaza. The event was filled with queer folks and allies, vendors and entertainers alike. I had a great time, and would give the festival five stars–were it not for the […]

Nowhere Bar owner charged with sex crimes

September 22, 2022 Culture

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 […]

What President Biden’s Student Debt Plan Relief Didn’t Take Into Account

September 16, 2022 Business

On August 24th, President Biden announced a three-part plan to provide students with loan debt relief. The three-part plan promises debt relief to current loan holders, the creation of a more manageable loan system for current and future borrowers, and future protection by reducing the overall cost of school. The forgiveness plan states the Department […]

There’s a new neighborhood art space in town and the locals are loving it

Culture

There’s a new neighborhood art space in town and the locals are loving it. Highview Arts Center launched its inaugural season with “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)” directed by Kieth McGill. Starring Derrick Ledbetter, Clarity Hagan, and Jay Padilla-Haytera, the cast of three performs this modern day twist on all the classics packing […]

Sissy That Strut: Diana Rae Ellis

September 13, 2022 Culture

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 […]

I’m the Girl who’s F**king your Husband

September 7, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Great Meadows Foundation uplifts Queer artists alongside Queer Kentucky: Brennen Cabrera

September 6, 2022 Culture, Rural/Appalachia

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 […]

Actors Theatre adopts feminist script of ‘Dracula’ and it’s giving Queer femme realness

September 2, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Silas House weaves hope throughout the pages of his new dystopian novel, Lark Ascending

August 27, 2022 Culture

“I’ve burned, and that’s what I wish for all of you. To burn with anger, desire, joy, sorrow. All of it.” -Lark Ascending Lark Ascending by Silas House was the first book in a long time that I read deep into the night with no hope of sleep until I finished the very last word. […]

Louisville Pride Foundation announces festival theme, opening date for community center day after founders cut ties with organization

August 25, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Love thy belly movement created by powerhouse Fairen Kia Harris

August 23, 2022 Culture

Fairen Kia Harris (she/her/hers) sits at a booth in the Old Louisville Coffee Co-op, surrounded by unsuspecting customers who might not immediately know they are in the presence of a powerhouse. She looks unsuspecting in glasses and what she deems her ‘teacher dress’… a long red sundress, arms out, braless, long blonde dreadlocks with rainbow accents […]

Intentionally Vague: Florida passes purposely unclear bills

Culture

National News: With the growth of Queer Kentucky, we think it is important to keep our audience up to date on big national Queer news that may affect Kentucky in the future. This year, the Florida government passed bills that use purposefully vague wording and interpretation to manipulate and scare LGBTQ+ communities. Unclear and nonspecific […]

Top Queer albums thus far brought to you by Queer Kentucky

August 19, 2022 Culture

CRASH by Charli XCX Charli XCX has taken the indie pop/hyperpop scene by storm for years. Most people either know her name or know a song or two by this queen, but we never imagined that during this hellacious pandemic she would give us some of her best bops yet; using several ‘80s pop influences […]

Lexington Fair Housing Council seeks volunteers to investigate housing discrimination

August 16, 2022 Culture

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 […]

Drag Daddy Productions to hold open auditions Aug. 14 and 17

August 10, 2022 Culture

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, […]

How trauma kept me loyal to my abuser: capitalism

August 9, 2022 Culture

“Why did you stay?” is a question survivors often hear after they leave their abuser. It’s a loaded question, whose bullets spell blame. I can tell by a person’s face when they are thinking it as I share what it was like transitioning in the workplace while working for a transphobic employer (let’s call him […]

Eastern Kentucky floods: Stepping up to help friends in need

August 5, 2022 Rural/Appalachia

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 […]

Sydni Hampton Presents Reely Queer: Jason X

August 2, 2022 Culture

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 […]

The inclusivity of sport and creating the network for more involvement: Lexington Black Widows Rugby Team

August 1, 2022 Culture

“Come as you are, play as you are.” Who wouldn’t love to hear or see that motto when entering a team sport? Ideally, queer folk want to come into a space that creates a culture where there is inclusion and acceptance for one’s identity. The Lexington Black Widows, a rugby team within the Ohio Rugby […]

Sissy That Strut: Queer Kentuckian, Artemisia

July 30, 2022 Culture

Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? I was born in Boston, MA and I’ve lived in Kentucky the last 25 years or so. My parents met in Boston. Dad was a refugee from Argentina during the Dirty War. After they had my sister and I, we moved out to […]

Business accelerator program for Black and brown femmes receives $270,000 from JPMorgan Chase

July 29, 2022 Business

Story Louisville has long been a local hub of inspiration, innovation, and possibility. Story’s Wild Beta Accelerator Program is now poised to connect and invest in even more startups led by minority women after receiving a $270,000 investment from JPMorgan Chase. The investment into Wild will focus on empowering Black and Latinx femme-identifying founders to create, […]

‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ era veteran wants to people to know that life does get better

July 27, 2022 History

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 […]

Great Meadows Foundation uplifts Queer artists alongside Queer Kentucky: Ceirra Evans

July 26, 2022 Culture, Rural/Appalachia

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 […]

Silas House awarded Duggins Prize for LGBTQ+ writers during Pride Month

July 21, 2022 Culture, Rural/Appalachia

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 […]

Celebrate Disability Pride Month during July by removing the stigma year-round

July 19, 2022 Culture

I’m sitting on my bed, laptop cooking my thighs as my partner comes into the bedroom to ask what I’m doing. Staring at the blank word doc in front of me I reply, “I’m writing an article about Disability Pride Month.” The question tumbles out of their mouth, “Shouldn’t they have someone with a disability […]

Getting Glitzed with the Gays: Biodegradable centered startup launches holographic product line tomorrow at Darling’s Bar

July 6, 2022 Business, Culture

Need more looks to kill for this raging festival season? Well theys, gays, and baes, I sure do have a newly improved, and environmentally sustainable accessory for you. Every year at Forecastle Music Festival, there is one table that shines a little brighter than others. Probably due to the immense amounts of glitter wafting through […]

Filson Society to host The History of Gay Press in Kentucky this Friday

History

We all know the story of Stonewall and historic Queer figures like Marsha P. Johnson, Harvey Milk and Matthew Shepherd, but have you heard the tales of David Williams, Henry Faulkner and lesbian feminist-led publication the Lavender Letter? Most likely, not, but you can learn about all of these Queer Kentucky gems from history this […]

Living Loud and Proud: Sober Spaces Bring Joy and Love to Pride Month

July 5, 2022 Culture

LEXINGTON Ky. — Pride month is a time for celebration and remembrance — a time for the queer community to let our hair down and live it up with friends and (chosen) family. Pride began in 1969 with an outburst of rage and violence, in defiance of the oppressive police who regularly harassed queer folks […]

Body positive pool party hosted by local boudoir photographer set for July 9

July 1, 2022 Culture

Kaitlin Keane (she/her) is celebrating the anniversary of her local Louisville, Kentucky photography business by hosting the third Annual KKP Boudoir Pool Party Saturday, July 9 at 7:15 p.m. The 18+ only event is Kentuckiana’s most inclusive and body positive pool party where all genders and body types are invited to don a sexy suit […]

Jack Harlow donates to three Kentucky LGBTQ+ nonprofits in celebration of PRIDE Month

June 29, 2022 Culture

Kentucky has a habit of pumping out celebrities with impeccable talent. The Bluegrass State is home to folks like country legend and coal miner’s daughter Loretta Lynn, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, boxing legend Muhammad Ali to name a few. But the most recent addition to the state’s celebrity pantheon? 3x GRAMMY-nominated, multi-platinum, chart toping rapper […]

Holding Space While Climbing for Connection: Cat Runner, Organizer of Queer and Trans Climbing Club

June 16, 2022 Culture

I’ve always found something beautiful in watching climbers scale massive rocks; the way their powdered fingertips would grip onto tiny ledges of earth. The way they gracefully scale a massive surface. Imagining their fingertips pressing into the rock, making a small impression of their fingers, a little memory that they made their mark there on their […]

Newly founded LGBTQ+ Appalachian fund aims to increase resources for Queer community

June 13, 2022 Rural/Appalachia

Appalachia has a newly founded LGBTQ+ fund that will ensure queer youth and leaders have the tools and resources they need to build a more just, diverse and vibrant region. Co-founded by Lora Smith and Baylen Campbell, the Lige Clarke Liberation Fund honors his life’s work by supporting LGBTQ+ activism, leadership, and infrastructure in his […]

Great Meadows Foundation uplifts Queer artists alongside Queer Kentucky: Vinhay Keo

June 10, 2022 Culture

Vinhay Keo (b. 1994) is an interdisciplinary visual artist, performer, and researcher who is based in Los Angeles. Keo utilizes photography, video, installation, performance, sculpture, and writing to navigate hauntological framework of historical residue — the effects of intergenerational trauma. His work traverses through the legacy of the Vietnam War, Khmer Rouge Genocide, French Colonialism […]

Appalachian singer, artist debuts sophomore EP during Pride month

June 7, 2022 Rural/Appalachia

Larah Helayne’s (they/them) sophomore release Good Riddance is a stirring compilation of banjo pop songs heavy with pain and healing. The follow up to their teenage debut Roots, written as a love letter to Appalachia, debuts live Saturday, June 11 at Steam Engine Room in Irvine, Kentucky. The EP release show featuring the single State Line […]

Reflect on Queer rights origins by reading Stonewall during pride

June 6, 2022 Culture

For Pride month I felt there was no better book to review than Stonewall. I hate to admit that this was my first time reading it, despite being out and proud for over a decade. It was amazing to get to learn such a pivotal part of our history. Stonewall was written by Martin B […]

Forcastle Festival Roundup: It was gay AF in 2022, to that we say, ‘hell yeah!’

June 2, 2022 Culture

After two years of longing from Louisvillians all around, Forecastle Music Festival has finally returned. And they are back with a bang. While I haven’t been to every Forecastle ever, I will go ahead and say… This was the gayest Forecastle Music Festival yet. With colorful flags, prideful light shows, and the queerest lineup ever, […]

The Journeys to Freedom: (Un)Known Project River Cruise will make its debut on the Belle of Louisville

Culture

While floating along the Ohio River between Kentucky — a slave state — and Indiana — a free state — participants will be immersed in the stories of two families seeking to escape enslavement by boat. As each guest boards the Belle for the river cruise, they will receive a color-coded passport and be assigned […]

Queer Northern Kentucky leader talks diversity, equity and inclusion

Culture

Please tell us your quick and dirty bio I’m a Cincinnati-area native. Born and raised on the westside of town. Just barely graduated Walnut Hills High School and then ended up at UC, where I thrived (the second time around). It was there I discovered conversations around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) through a nationally […]

Pencils, books and hope: Louisville middle school celebrates and embraces LGBTQ+ students during ‘Pride Week’

May 31, 2022 Culture

While students across the nation, and here in the commonwealth, continue to face LGBTQ+ discrimination, students at Stuart Academy in West Louisville are celebrated for who they are. Students walking the green and gold-lined halls of Stuart Academy, a middle school located at Valley Station Road in Louisville’s West End, were greeted with reaffirming and […]

Re-entering the patriarchy: male privilege from a trans man’s perspective

May 30, 2022 Culture

Recently someone asked me if trans men transition in order to gain male privilege. My initial reaction was to laugh in their face. But then I realized that, misguided though it was, the question contained an important kernel of truth. So I decided to write this think piece instead. While someone could hypothetically decide to […]

Despite Legislative Onslaught, Kentucky Teacher of the Year Envisions Positive Future

May 25, 2022 Rural/Appalachia

“I’ve definitely seen shifts in teachers feeling confident to speak out about what they believe. It requires someone to really put themselves out there.” Teachers are already encouraged to give more of themselves than their job description demands — sometimes in service of rigorous academic reporting and sometimes in service of caring for the student beyond their retention of grade-11 vocabulary. But in addition to those oft-unrecognized demands, LGBTQ and BIPOC teachers are often solely responsible for cultivating safe and enriching spaces for similar students. This act of “putting themselves out there” is increasingly weighing on Carver and his colleagues.

Sissy that Strut: Louisville’s multi-talented Queer, Bearykah Badu

May 19, 2022 Culture

I’m an acquired taste. If you don’t like me, acquire some taste.” -Bearykah Badu, a non-binary Photographer, Drag Queen, Model, & Sex Worker. Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? I was born in Jeffersonville and raised in New Albany, Indiana, but home has always been Louisville. Even more […]

Kentucky Wesleyan College makes strides in safe spaces and diversity

May 16, 2022 Culture

Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist university located in Owensboro, Kentucky. The city has made recent headlines in the LGBTQ+ world over the past few years because it keeps failing to enact a fairness ordnance. They consistently also score very low on the Human Rights Campaign’s equality index. In 2017, they received 18 out […]

Lee Initiative Lunch Break: Grabbing coffee with Dee Thornton

May 12, 2022 Culture

If you’ve ventured down to Feast BBQ in the NuLu District of Louisville in recent years, you’ve almost certainly encountered Dee. Starting in a kitchen position in 2017, Dee now works up front, greeting and serving guests with a face full of freckles and the kind of warm demeanor you’d expect from a bbq restaurant […]

A letter from a nonbinary Black woman

May 11, 2022 Culture

By America Medious (they/them/theirs) I’m never more irritated than when I have to beg for my own existence to be respected by my own community. I remember fighting with my own family about whether or not I was ashamed to be Black because I spoke differently and was into “white people shit.” At one point […]

Obituary: Regional Trans rights activist, loved by many, Sarah McKinney

Culture

Sarah Janine, McKinney, 64, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, May 5, 2022, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. She was born on July 30, 1957, to the late Robert Gillenwater and Nora McKinney in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Sarah was an advocate and pillar of the Trans Community and kept many of the community organizations in Louisville, Kentucky communicating with […]

Grab your ticket to Pandora Productions: ‘A Very Sordid Wedding’ runs through May 22

Culture, Sponsored Content

Still Sordid After All These Years: A reflection on the show It’s 2015, and seventeen years later, the sordid saga continues with all the same crazy characters we love. After a chance meeting with a dangerous criminal, Brother Boy, who has added Loretta and Dolly to his repertoire, is forced out on the run. Ty […]

Crossing Borders and Intersecting Identities: The Story of a Queer Immigrant

May 10, 2022 Culture

For many in the queer community, it can feel like a constant struggle to be seen and heard—to even exist. Seemingly, the more a queer identity intersects with the identities represented within other marginalized communities, the greater the magnitude of that struggle. This dynamic is almost certainly no truer than it is with queer […]

‘Conversion’ movie to feature many Kentuckians, including Dusty Ray Bottoms from RuPaul’s Drag Race

May 9, 2022 Culture

When Zach Meiners got a call from his mom about about a childhood friend who had just come out as gay, shock and surprise followed… only because he found out they were about to go see his former conversion therapist. The upset increased as Zach realized even though ten years had passed since his […]

SIGN UP: ‘Race for Justice’ highlights historical sites showing Louisville’s injustices, progress

Culture

Future Ancestors 502 is asking you to meet them at the intersection of justice, love and compassion. Run, march, walk or dance forward at the ‘Race for Justice’ on June 18th, 2022. Participants are encouraged to embark on a creative path through Louisville. The unique race route highlights historical sites that show the city’s progress […]

Obit: Local activist, former LYG program director Anna Giangrande

May 3, 2022 Culture

by Sara Havens Anna Giangrande passed away unexpectedly on the morning of April 26, a week before she was to be married to her fiancée Amber. She is survived by family, an abundance of friends around the globe and a handful of cats. Anna was a loud and proud member of Louisville’s LGBTQ community. She […]

“How Big is your Bar?” Louisville gay bar celebrates 10 year anniversary with ultimate expansion

May 1, 2022 Culture

When Big Bar opened up on May 1, 2012, Kevin Bryan and Jim Lunger never imagined it would become one of the most popular watering holes in the region. Some incredibly dramatic and traumatic (in a good way) things have gone down in the little 800 square foot building over the past 10 years. Big […]

Vette City Roller Derby integrates gender identity inclusion as top priority

April 29, 2022 Culture

In a blur of rainbow colors, thunderous noise, and a lot of shouting – there’s extreme significance in the sport that is known around the world as roller derby. It’s a room full of people who are 100% unapologetically themselves in every aspect of the way. It’s blood, sweat, mascara, and tears as they’re knocking […]

Drag Daddy Production presents double feature this weekend

April 27, 2022 Culture

Join Drag Daddy Productions for an evening of solo performance by two of Louisville, KY’s premier drag entertainers!IT’S A HARD DOT LIFE Starring Dusty Ray Bottoms (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 10) will make its World Premiere as Dusty explores the things that have lead him from Kentucky to NYC to Drag Race and back to […]

Queer, Highlands-based record company prepares for annual Record Store Day after months of growth

April 22, 2022 Culture

Whether it be jelly sandals, Animal Crossing, or mushrooms, everything you once loved comes back around. Gen Z has been no stranger to the resurgence of trends of the past. Though we’ve seen it the most up close and personal in the form of fashion, one of the greatest resurgences taking place is vinyl records. […]

Why I decided to lower my standards and settle for mediocre manbabies

Culture

If you expect consistency in my articles, you won’t be getting that from me. Not only am I a master of confusion, but also a master of confusing myself (and inflicting humiliation onto myself for years to come each time). In order to avoid the pitfall of expectation, I simply expect nothing. It’s like manifestation, […]

Kentucky fashion designer plans Derby homecoming, reflects on Bluegrass roots

April 19, 2022 Culture

If you’re from Kentucky, you recognize those curtains. The same intricate lace patterns that hung over the window in your Grandma’s front room or the kitchen window where she cooked the kind of comfort food you can only get in one place… home. Fashion designer and Project Runway alum Gunnar Deatherage, whose videos have almost 48 […]

Young Queer playwright tackles backwards notions from his hometown

April 14, 2022 Culture

When one thinks about plays, they often think about full-length pieces. These plays often clock in at just around 90 minutes, which is a substantial enough amount of time to deter some audiences. What may be a welcome meditation on a theme or issue for some, may cause another to balk. The task is also […]

Book Review: award-winning YA novel, Cemetery Boys by trans author Aiden Thomas

April 13, 2022 Culture

By Alixandria Thomason Cemetery Boys is a YA novel that beautifully combines slow-burn romance with supernatural goodness. The main character, Yadriel, is a queer Latinx boy who happens to be trans. He lives with his close-knit family and the spirits who wander around the cemetery on the edge of his home. His family is full […]

Blessed be the fruit: Drink enthusiasts create superfood cocktail mixer with health in mind

April 9, 2022 Business

Most of us have days filled with nothing but pure and utter stress. Overwhelmed, beaten down, and totally drained from your day, you can’t help but crave some sweet delicacy to help you meet your zen. Whether that vice be sugar, alcohol, drugs, sex, is up to you. But for those of us that like […]

Can’t host, won’t travel: Let’s Navigate cis-behavior on the apps

April 7, 2022 Culture

I was newly single and very depressed. In an effort to empower me, my caring friends suggested I get laid. “The best way to get over someone is to get under someone,” they said. A true Pisces, I disregarded their suggestion. I didn’t need to get laid, I needed to wallow. And anyway, how was […]

Lussi Brown Coffee Bar: serving a safe, unapologetic space for Lexington queers

April 6, 2022 Business, Culture

By Alixandria Thomason Lussi Brown Coffee Bar is a queer friendly safe space in the downtown area of Lexington, Kentucky. From the pride flags in the window to the diversity of everyone inside, you feel welcomed the second you walk in the door. The coffee shop and bar opened in June of 2017 following a […]

Glasgow-Barren County Pride set for first street celebration in June

Culture

Lookout Bowling Green, there’s now competition for the best local pride! Glasgow, known for its annual Scottish-inspired Highland Games, now has a new festival making its way to the historic downtown square. In June 2022, Glasgow-Barren County will host its first-ever pride festival! Yes, we’re just as shook as you are, and even more excited. […]

Pride Run Lexington raises funds for Queer youth, educators in Fayette County: Register today!

April 4, 2022 Culture

Registration is now open for the third annual Pride Run Lexington! The race takes place on October 8, 2022 along the scenic trails of Coldstream Park. Participants are encouraged to run, walk, skip, or stroll across the chip timed finish line. The race features three gender categories including Male, Female, and Non-Binary. There are also 13 […]

Trans Bodies and You: A lesson in how you can shut the f**k up

March 31, 2022 Culture

Originally, I thought tranny 9/11 was when Caitlyn Jenner won Woman of the Year — a seemingly out of nowhere tragedy celebrating perhaps one of the worst of our kind, marred by devastation, the sounds of old white men yelling, and internet outrage. But here we are, sitting at our various internet devices, staring stone […]

Queer history recovered: ‘The Lexington Six: Lesbian and Gay Resistance in 1970s America’ by Josephine Donovan

March 28, 2022 History

By Alixandria Thomason, author of Reading (the) Rainbow: The Lexington Six is the story of six queer people in the 1970s standing up for each other and for LGBTQIA+ community. But more than that it is a cultural examination of the time–a time when homosexuality was criminalized, and when queer peoples’ lives were regularly disrupted […]

‘Queers in the Country’ van life camping event comes to Richmond

March 25, 2022 Culture

If you’ve always been curious about what a nomadic lifestyle looks like, here’s your chance to be about that van life for a weekend. Queers in the Country: A community centric meet-up for LGBTQ+ nomads is coming to Richmond, Kentucky April 22-25, 2022. Bring your van for the weekend or just visit for a […]

Anti-trans legislation moves to Governor Beshear’s desk

March 24, 2022 Culture

After months of protesting, debating, and political games, The Kentucky General Assembly has now passed anti-trans Senate Bill 83. Now, Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear will have the option to veto the anti-trans legislation. The bill sought to ban transgender girls from playing on sports teams in Kentucky schools that match their gender identities from sixth […]

Sissy that Strut: Bowling Green drag queen Spectra Cosmos

March 21, 2022 Culture

feature photo by Jon Cherry Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, but I was a baby so I don’t even remember it really. I live in Lexington, KY, but Bowling Green will always truly be home to me. When and where did you […]

Unapologetic Queers live happier, foster community through pushing the envelope

March 20, 2022 Culture

With so much happening in the world, it feels difficult to process anything. The environment blazes and melts, Europe bursts into conflict, The United States are less stately and united everyday, and for some reason, conservative politicians work tirelessly to throw Queer rights back into the Nixon Era. Sometimes it feels like global chaos erupted […]

Trans Wellness Summit to offer free educational, healthcare resources

March 17, 2022 Culture

Navigating the world of healthcare proves difficult for many Queer people throughout Kentucky, especially the transgender community. There’s worry of deadnaming, harassment, body dysphoria and much more. Luckily, the Trans Wellness Summit takes place every year in Louisville, offering healthcare resources and education for the trans community. EXHIBITORS VEND FOR FREE The third annual Transgender […]

Reely Queer Presents: The Cannibal Women of the Avocado Jungle of Death

March 16, 2022 Culture

You’re maybe wondering with a title like this, what to expect of the upcoming Reely Queer: An LGBTQ+ Movie Night. It’s so vague, right? Well, this is a movie about a deadly jungle that is the home to some of the best avocados in the world. A jungle of death, if you will, named so […]

Lexington theater group brings HIV/AIDS story to the stage

Culture

A local production of The Normal Heart brings the critically acclaimed “searing,” “passionate” and “controversial” play to Lexington, making its debut at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center April 1-10, 2022. Produced by ActOut Theatre Group, who’s mission is to promote thought provoking LGBTQ+ themed theatre in and around Central Kentucky, the semi-autobiographical play written […]

The life of a doll, or: How I let fire signs control me for three days

March 15, 2022 Culture

After months of bitching about “autonomy” and how I am not a doll, but rather a living functional human capable of my own decisions, I made a little oopsie. Completely derailing my life in less than a week, it occurred to me that, perhaps, I should not be responsible for myself. Shocker! Britney was freed, […]

First generation American finds strength through online bake shop, queerness

March 11, 2022 Business

Growing up in Clarksville, Tenn., Lease Carmona was the youngest of three children, all born to an Afrolatin family. With their mother being Dominican and their father being Puerto Rican, Carmona had to develop a strong sense of self even if it wasn’t who they were meant to be — it was who they had […]

Queer owned coffee cooperative to open in Old Louisville in 2022

March 1, 2022 Business

Soon, coffee shop choices won’t burden the morals of our community. In addition to Day’s, the cooperative, Old Louisville Coffee Co-op will open serving as a Queer and BIPOC community hub with delicious coffees, teas and pastries. The co-op will be announcing their target opening date and location soon. One founder of the co-op is […]

Sissy that Strut: Q&A with Leah Halston

February 28, 2022 Culture

Where were you born and where do you consider home these days? I was born in a small little town in Louisiana called Lafayette and I’ve been in Louisville for nine years now, so this is home. When and where did you first discover drag and how long have you been performing? When I was […]

History: Celebrating Eastern Kentucky’s gay rights pioneer Lige Clarke

February 26, 2022 History

This February marks the 80th birthday of an icon in Kentucky LGBTQ history: Lige Clarke! Lige Clarke was born Elijah Haydn “Lige” Clarke on February 22nd, 1942, right outside the town of Hindman, in Knott County, Eastern Kentucky. He graduated from Eastern Kentucky University, then later served in the U.S. army, and began his activism […]

Recovery center in Lexington to present ‘Drag Me to the Cafe’

February 23, 2022 Culture

On Friday, February 25, 2022 Recovery Cafe Lexington, Inc. will host “Drag Me to the Cafe; an evening of drag extravaganza!” Seven o’clock until 10PM at 1109 Versailles Road, Suite 200, Lexington, KY. Recovery Cafe’ Lexington Presents a fabulous evening of Drag Extravaganza! Join us for this sober social event as we celebrate Black and […]

How being a transgender alcoholic makes me believe in a world without prisons or police

Culture

This weekend, I had to ask a favor. A big one. I needed someone with a truck to help me move four one hundred and twenty pound restaurant booths and an undetermined number of wooden chairs and tables down from the second floor of a restaurant under construction and across town. And I needed to […]

Magical bi romance ahead: book review of ‘Payback’s A Witch’ by queer author Lana Harper

February 21, 2022 Culture

Review by Alixandria Thomason, author of Reading (the) Rainbow Goblet of Fire meets Gilmore Girls meets John Tucker Must Die, but make it sapphic. This may be my favorite book of all time right now. It’s cute, it’s sweet, there is conflict but not enough to raise your blood pressure (though other parts of this […]

A Drag Queen’s Quick Guide to Not Being a Dummy at the Drag Show

Culture, Drag

How to slay at a drag show: cheer, tip, and don’t steal the spotlight!

We Got The Beat! Rock it out with Pandora’s production of HEAD OVER HEELS featuring the music of the Go-Go’s

February 15, 2022 Culture

Pandora Productions, Louisville’s only theatre company dedicated and most trusted to tell the stories of the LGBTQ+ community, proudly continues their 2021-2022 Season with HEAD OVER HEELS, conceived by and original book by Jeff Whitty, adapted by James Magruder, music + lyrics by the Go-Go’s. A plot containing usurped kingship, unlikely lovers, and gender-fluid disguises […]

Kentucky’s NGBA Team You Didn’t Know Existed

February 10, 2022 Culture

submitted by Sammy Taborspecial to Queer Kentucky You probably didn’t know the National Gay Basketball Association even existed. Well… it does. We’re here, we’re queer, and we run like deer! Founded in 2003, the NGBA has grown to over one thousand members and upwards of one hundred teams. It’s mission is to provide the LGBTQ […]

HIV cases rise in Kentucky, COVID boredom and drugs to blame

February 9, 2022 Culture

The pandemic has gone on so long that just about the full spectrum of possible feelings towards it have been experienced by now. Paralyzing anxiety has led to vocal unrest and calls for change, which have in turn led to sheer apathy. Rinse and repeat and/or feel it all at once. One could argue that […]

The Bussy Beat, Valentine’s Day Edition: ValiDate me <3

February 8, 2022 Culture

Confession: I’ve woken up out of a cold dead sleep to suck dick within ten minutes notice. And despite my dedication to sucking the pink off many a white dick (perhaps *too* many – Are my ancestors upset? Did I really enter both the lunar new year and Black history month talking about white men?) […]

Theater Review: Bellarmine University’s rendition of ‘Angry Fa*s’

January 31, 2022 Culture

“It’s only terrorism if it doesn’t work. When it works, we call it a revolution.” An out lesbian state senator is up for re-election. Her female opponent is a moderate conservative who’s aligned herself with right-wing extremists. They’re locked in a tight race in which each side dog-whistles to its base and any event can […]

Strange Hearted Blues: Reservation Love Songs

January 28, 2022 Culture

Series introduction “Kak nón:we ken tsi niionhwéntses aó:nakte ne nahòten io’táksen? Íhsehre ken ahsa’wéntho akwé:kon nahò:ten tesa’nikónhrhare’? Nahò:ten nòn:wa ka’nikonhrí:io entkáhawe?” — nè:’e thotí:iens wakiesenhón:we tahontá:ti. “Where then is the place for balance for the evil things in this world? Do you wish to do away with everything that bothers you? What then will bring […]

Backstage with national entertainer, Louisville’s sweetheart, Mykul Jay Valentine

January 24, 2022 Culture

Mykul Jay Valentine is a born performer. From gymnastics at age five, to cheerleading at fourteen, he has spent his whole life in preparation to be a multinational title holder. Raised in the small town of Shepherdsville, KY, Mykul spent his childhood surrounded by nature and the thrill of competition. He attended high school in […]

Forecastle 2022 creates a queer, diverse experience to love on Louisville’s Waterfront

January 19, 2022 Culture

feature photo by Eli Johnson At my first Forecastle Festival, I cried so hard that a stranger near me asked if I was okay. I was standing six feet from the edge of the stage as Brandi Carlile began to sing her 5th song of her set, “The Eye,” and I lost my whole small […]

HOME Appalachia to kick off with first virtual entrepreneur meetup

Business, Rural/Appalachia

The LGBTQ+ business community continues to grow in Eastern Kentucky and HOME Appalachia has made it their mission to foster that growth. The LGBTQ+ centered organization will host its first virtual meetup at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 30. “This is an opportunity for LGBT entrepreneurs and innovators to come together and get to know […]

Northern Kentucky artist leaves mark with murals all over the Bluegrass

Culture

Kentucky is full of amazing artists. We have so many amazing LGBTQ+ artists all over the Bluegrass. One in particular has made headlines in other publications and has gone viral on TikTok for his detailed murals painted across the state, including his the Devil Wears Prada themed “Cerulean” mural. We had a Q & A […]

Discovering courage, hope in queer nerd culture

Culture

image source: ash-murdocks-art.tumblr.com I can still remember with frightening accuracy staying up well into the hours of the morning as a closeted teenager to watch Inara bring a woman to her bed aboard the spaceship Serenity, or Tara sing to her fellow witch the not-at-all subtle lyrics of being “lost in ecstasy, spread beneath my […]

Thinking Queerly: Queer workers, unite!

Culture

LGBTQ folks face alarmingly high rates of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. These experiences are often traumatic; they trigger our acute stress response and desensitize us to subtler injustices. Consider exploitation: the type of injustice that all workers under capitalism experience regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, or gender. Exploitation is the reason many LGBTQ […]

Drag Daddy Productions: Louisville-based theater company spotlights diversity, inclusion

January 17, 2022 Culture

By Alixandria Thomason While “Drag Daddy Productions” might be a racy name for a theater company, the way it came about is beyond wholesome. The company was started by Tony Lewis, whose goal was to produce shows that highlight the resilience of the human spirit with a focus on diversity. According to Tony, “Over my […]

Queer Kentucky hires Bellarmine University student as spring intern

January 14, 2022 Culture

During the four years of Queer Kentucky, we have never had a successful intern. Just being honest here. Several have come out way from solid references, but they somehow seemed to stop showing up. The glorification of working for a Queer media company is not real, I can tell you that much, but we do […]

Nowhere Bar death incident leads to bill filing in General Assembly on two-year anniversary

January 5, 2022 Culture

In early January 2020, Christopher McKinney died after an altercation with a bouncer at Nowhere Bar Louisville. Since then, McKinney’s widower, Nick Clark has sought justice. The most recent of these attempts has been the creation of a new bill to establish minimum training requirements for security at bars and other retail establishments licensed to […]

An ALMOST five star read: The Ethical Slut, Third Edition

January 4, 2022 Culture

Rating: 4.9/5 stars The Ethical Slut, Third Edition by Dossie Easton and Janet Hardy, is a nuts and bolts guide to ethical non-monogamy. It walks readers through everything from what ethical non-monogamy is, to how to safely navigate “the practice of sluthood,” to consent and communication. I loved the original Ethical Slut, but the latest […]

Strange Hearted Blues: Intersexing Intersectionality

December 28, 2021 Culture

The simple truth that gender and sex are not intrinsically linked has gained substantial footing in the last two decades, in queer and non-queer spaces alike. In an era where trans and gender abundant people fight for the right to urinate in the same public spaces that host gender reveal parties, the conception of gender […]

Comedy Show Review: Butch 101, with Fortune Feimster

December 23, 2021 Culture

What power do we truly have over our own persona? In her latest stand up show, 2 Sweet 2 Salty, Fortune Feimster takes this question and puts it through a philosophical gay wringer powered by Fireball shots and Instagram trolls. The show is a follow up to her first one hour stand up special, Sweet […]

Bowling Green drag scene steps up for storm victims

December 21, 2021 Culture

Historically, drag queens stepped up when shit got tough. Queens, along with our trans community members, were just not the demographic to f**k with. Whether we’re talking about Bob the Drag Queen getting arrested during a marriage equality rally, Pepper LaBeija sashaying the runways of balls, or pushing the boundaries of social and gender norms […]

TERFS and turf wars: how transphobes and transfolk became strange bedfellows

December 20, 2021 Culture

Pre-transition, I didn’t know any actual trans people. So in the months prior to coming out, I spent hours each day combing the digital archives of FTM Subreddit, Trans YouTube, and other obscure discussion forums existing on the margins of the internet. An obsessive planner with a propensity for tunnel vision, I was simply trying […]

Book Review: ‘Small Town Gay: Growing Up Different in the South’

December 16, 2021 Culture

By Joshua Brown Logan Lee’s travel-journal-turned-memoir recounts the author’s formative years as a queer Kentuckian. Lee’s authorial voice reads smooth and warm, like an afternoon visit from a good friend. This personal tone serves his twofold goal for the book: offering a “guidebook” for young people on similar journeys of discovery, and to “serve as […]

Louisville receives perfect score from Human Rights Campaign for seventh consecutive year

December 15, 2021 Culture

Story first featured on LouisvilleKY.gov For the seventh year in a row, Louisville has earned a perfect 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s Municipal Equality Index for the city’s support of the LGBTQ+ community and its work to make Louisville welcoming and inclusive. Louisville was the first city in the state to receive a perfect […]

A pagan and a Jew walk into a bookstore: reclaiming spirituality as an adult queer

December 14, 2021 Culture

By Alixandria Thomason My partner and I spend a lot of time smiling at each other over rows of bookshelves. The small section of pagan books that faces the back of the store somehow contains more titles than his Judaism section. These are, of course, separated by an absolute sea of Christian books, Bibles, and […]

Mutual aid, community resources for Kentuckians affected by storms

December 11, 2021 Culture

The following list of recourses was organized by Kentucky Civic Engagement Table and Hood to the Holler. These resources may be updated as this crisis unfolds. Click here for MOST UPDATED list. Check on your neighbors if it’s safe, stay off the roadways if at all possible Mutual aid form for Bowling Green https://linktr.ee/riseandshinebgky Sign up […]

I am not your doll: weighing the pros and cons of casual sex

December 8, 2021 Culture

I’ve had a lot of sex, with a lot of different people. I thought it was a quick way to get attention or validation, or some kind of cheat code for making people love me. I felt validated through sex, a confirmation that even with the body I felt was so twisted and disgusting, I […]

HRC: Remembering Cris Blehar, Trans Woman Who Was “An Amazing Mother And A Wonderful Person”

December 2, 2021 Culture

by Violet Lhant • December 1, 2021 This story appeared on HRC’s website. Cris Blehar, a 65-year-old white transgender woman and U.S. Air Force veteran, was tragically killed at her home in the Flaherty area of Meade County, Kentucky, on May 19, 2021. According to local news, a suspect has been charged with her murder […]

Comedian Matteo Lane will leave crowds howling during tour stop in Lexington

November 30, 2021 Culture

Queer lingo of the day: I use the word“werq” a lot. My best friends are drag queens and we all started hanging out about 10 years ago, and ever since then that word has creeped into my every day vocabulary. And it can be used as a lot of different meanings. Verb, noun, adjective etc. […]

Western Kentucky University makes strides in queer inclusivity

Culture

Western Kentucky University is striving to make its campus a welcoming place for all queer students, faculty, and alumni. In addition to raising their score on the Campus Pride Index – a national standard for LGBTQ+-inclusivity – the university is actively building its on-campus support for the queer community. Their effort is paying off: students […]

Dragula star prepares to ‘hypnotize’ Hard Candy audience

November 29, 2021 Culture

by Josh Brown (he/they) Sigourney Beaver will be stopping in the Bluegrass state next week, December 2nd, at Play Louisville for a Hard Candy event. Beaver, who often describes herself as a “female impersonator impersonator,” is one of the first cisgender woman to compete on Boulet Brothers’ alternative competition show, Dragula. Grab tickets here! Sigourney […]

Pride Community Services Organization changes its name to Lexington Pride Center

November 23, 2021 Culture

Press Release from Lexington Pride Center Pride Community Services Organization, the nonprofit that runs Lexington’s LGBTQIA+ Community Center and the annual Lexington Pride Festival has announced the organization’s name has been changed to the Lexington Pride Center. The name was changed to more accurately reflect the organization’s role in the community and to simplify communication […]

Trans Day of Remembrance: Fight like hell for the living

November 22, 2021 Culture

The following speech was written for the 2021 Trans Day of Remembrance event put on by QueerKentucky in partnership with The Blend and Trouble Bar. Featured Art: Kah Yangni Trans People Are DivineSource: https://www.saveartspace.org/tpas My queerness and my transness are important parts of my identity, because the obstacles I have faced and overcome in order […]

Losing the game: homophobia in youth sports

November 19, 2021 Culture

By Maekin McClark Historically the topic of trans youth playing sports is something that I have been acutely interested in. Presently I can’t bring myself to read the current events. I just don’t have the spoons to deal with the facts. Each piece of legislation causes me to relive the trauma of being a queer […]

LGBTQ+ Community Center and resource center for homeless LGBTQ+ youth to open in 2022

November 11, 2021 Business, Rural/Appalachia

LGBTQ+ Center, Old Louisville Two Louisville nonprofits announced today that they will open new facilities to serve the LGBTQ+ community in the coming months. The Louisville Pride Foundation will open an LGBTQ+ Community Center at 1244 South Third Street in the Old Louisville Neighborhood. Sweet Evening Breeze serves LGBTQ+ youth (Ages 18-24 years old) experiencing […]

He will never write a song about you: New uses for hickeys, the perils of hooking up with guitarists

November 8, 2021 Culture

So, there was going to be a Part 3 to my existential crisis, which had definitely run its course, and it was a really healthy piece about self reflection and growth; but you know what? Nobody cares about that. And if you do, you deserve all the kindness and to find someone’s wallet, which you […]

So you think you’re Two-Spirit? (You’re wrong)

November 5, 2021 History

Header Image Source: Matador Network Although I truly wish it came as a surprise, the trend of Non-Natives referring to themselves as Two-Spirit remains a festering sore on the underbelly of the queer community. We live in an era where it’s uncouth to police another queer person’s identity, to tell them that the way they […]

Unpacking the other fake binary: Success and Failure

October 28, 2021 Culture

Never in my thirty-four years have I dreamed of marriage, children, a house with a yard, an impressive job, or a fancy car. Once or twice in long-term committed relationships, I have entertained one or two of these, for my partner’s sake. “The reason is… you don’t want kids,” said an ex during The Breakup […]

HalloQueen fest to feature Dusty Ray Bottoms, raise funds for local LGBTQ+ nonprofits

October 14, 2021 Culture

In just a few days, October 23 and 24, Drag Queen Story Time will present the third annual HalloQueen Fest in Louisville. This event is one of kind in that it welcomes people of all ages, supports local businesses and non-profits, and is the only LGBTQIA+ Halloween festival in Kentucky! This year it is being […]

Bowling Green pride celebrates with entertainment and advocacy

October 12, 2021 Culture

Southern Kentucky better start getting ready now for Bowling Green’s Pride on October 23 at Circus Square Park! Celebrations will begin on Friday evening with the Official BG Pride Pre-Party at Donna’s Bar. This pre-party will feature prime entertainment by the Primadonnas and all the glamour that goes along with that group. On Saturday, October […]

Country queen snags All-Star crown, furthers conversation on the rural Queer voice

October 8, 2021 Rural/Appalachia

Country Queers are becoming more and more visible in the media but, the question is, who is truly listening? Georgian RuPaul’s Drag Race girl and trans icon Kylie Sonique Love recently entered the “All Star Hall of Fame” after competing against three fellow southern queens. During her time on the show, Love was not shy […]

Rituals of A Sex Worker

September 27, 2021 PRISM

[cw: sexually explicit language, images, and descriptions] 4:45 AM The numbers flash in big red marquee bulbs behind my eyelids. The scorching brightness of the movie projector in my mind’s eye flickers, jolting me into consciousness: […]

Dusty Ray Bottoms and Alexis Michelle bring two hour cabaret comedy to Louisville

September 15, 2021 Culture

It’s no secret that the Kentuckiana area is home to several Queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race. Many of these Queens perform for their home crowds between gigs across the United States. One such Queen and Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky advocate, Dusty Ray Bottoms, will perform alongside Alexis Michelle (RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9) for their […]

RuPaul’s Drag Race Jackie Cox brings bewitching solo tour ‘JackieVision’ to Kentucky

September 13, 2021 Culture

In the wake of a universally tumultuous couple of years, many of LGBTQ+ people turned to simple pleasures to cope: knitting, baking, or comforting media. In Jackie Cox’s case, her refuge was television. JackieVision is a love letter not just to TV but to the idea that we have these things in our lives that […]

The Earth Will Know Me Again

PRISM

Somewhere among the waters of childhood, maybe even sooner memories tucked into the folds of rolling hills sung by the birds in the trees, I can’t quite remember. Upon our very first entrance into this world, it is the touch of the one who gave birth to us that weaves together the emergent threads of […]

Kentuckiana Pride announces COVID guidelines for Oct. festival

September 9, 2021 Culture

Several fall LGBTQ+ organizations canceled their fall Pride festivals, but Kentuckiana Pride lives on as an in person event with strict COVID precautions. KPF announced today that all attendees entering the festival are required to present either proof of a full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test from a medical facility taken […]

The Bussy Beat: These boots weren’t made for accountability

September 5, 2021 Culture

Now that further aging myself is off the table, I’ll share a tip: Don’t begin your day with introspection. I find that the best in preventing a mass of crippling anxiety by noon, is to just completely ignore any active problem in your life, until it (often literally) hits you in the eye, much like […]

Another Pride fest down: Lexington Pride ‘moves festival to June 2022’

September 3, 2021 Culture

The Lexington Pride Festival, produced by Pride Community Services Organization, fell in line with other organizations and canceled their 2021 event due to the rising numbers of COVID-19. “It is with a sad heart that I am contacting you ‘this time.’ Despite the community outcry for Pride following more than a year of isolation, loneliness […]

Bowling Green drag scene will leave you gagged this fall

Culture

Bowling Green, Kentucky is of the largest cities in our state. This city houses the National Corvette Museum, Lost River Cave, Western Kentucky University, and an abundance of queer life fighting for a fairness ordinance. An ordinary night out on the town here could include listening to live music at some of the bars downtown […]

Kentucky leaders remain silent as the state joins anti-LGBTQ lawsuit

September 2, 2021 Culture

A tweet from Kentucky’s sweetheart, Silas House, appeared on my feed the other night stating what most of us LGBTQ+ people have been feeling and saying for quite some time: “Shame on Kentucky’s @DanielCameronAG and the other 19 attorney generals for signing onto this discriminatory BS. I am so fed up with bigotry,” the tweet […]

LGBTQ+ sports league thrives in Kentucky, growth surges through the South

September 1, 2021 Business

It is no secret that a lot of LGBTQ+ folks aren’t hyped to play sports in “traditional” straight spaces. It’s also no secret that a lot of us have trauma revolving around sports! For example, I talked on our most recent podcast about how my relationship with baseball caused much trauma in my life. How […]

Lexington Pride Festival Moves forward with in-person event: New Safety Protocols

August 31, 2021 Culture

The Lexington Pride Festival is moving forward with plans for an in-person event on Saturday September 25th 2021 from 11 am to 10 pm at the Robert F. Stephens Courthouse Plaza in Lexington. This 14th annual community event produced by Pride Community Services Organization (PCSO) offers music, vendors, activities, connection, and a general public celebration […]

Kentucky-born Trans fitness trainer brings affirmation, butt-busting workouts to clientele

August 26, 2021 Culture

My first encounter with Parker was definitively intimate. They were responding to a call I had put out for trans protestors who had spent time in the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. I explained to them that I was a trans man who had been arrested at a direct action a few weeks prior, and […]

2021 Louisville Pride Festival canceled due to climbing COVID-19 cases

August 24, 2021 Culture

The Louisville Pride Foundation announced today in a press release to Queer Kentucky that their annual Pride festival is canceled for the second year in a row due to the COVID-19 virus. With the Delta variant ravishing communities around the Untied States, and 115 Kentucky counties being in the ‘red zone,’ LPF said they cannot […]

OnlyFans to ban sexually explicit content this fall, impacting Queer livelihoods

August 19, 2021 Business, Health

During the 2020 pandemic fall months, Queer Kentucky reported on how OnlyFans and other forms of sex work were saving the wallets of Queer people all over. Business was booming for some because people were home more…and looking at porn more. Sex work is still criminalized and people in the profession couldn’t receive unemployment. Now, […]

Death of a Body – A Call to Dance

August 18, 2021 PRISM

{content warning: alcoholism, death, disassociation, self-pity, self-deprecation, and some things related; religion, obituaries, and generational trauma} When I stopped dancing, my body tensed for forfeit. It forgot where it was going. It edged me – herded energy to its unknown parts. Important cavities forced havoc; shimmered down in the absence of self-understanding. A kind of […]

Drag Queen Sydni Hampton to host ‘Reely Queer’ movie night at Play Louisville

August 11, 2021 Business

The Birdcage. An iconic Queer movie from the 90s. Probably one of the first LGBTQ+ related films I watched with my family and how I was introduced to feather boa draped drag queens and gender bending bears and otters. Little did I know the film foreshadowed my own life. Recently, I discussed the iconic Robin […]

“Haunters” Build Community Out Of Tragedy: Louisville vent July 30-Aug. 1

July 30, 2021 Culture

Louisville is host to the very first convention celebrating Pride within the haunter and horror fandoms. Haunts Against Hate: The Event will be taking over the Crown Plaza Hotel from Today through August 1st for a weekend of scares in a safe and inclusive environment. Founder Paul Lanner has high hopes for the event, in […]

Reclaiming My Divinity

July 25, 2021 PRISM

Cave City is a small town off of 1-65 south. Most people know it as the huge ass dinosaur exit. But it’s more than that. It is home to a rich history and culture of Black Americans⸺most of which have been here since emancipation. I even lived across the street from the first school for […]

PRISM Letter from the Editor

July 20, 2021 PRISM

When Queer Kentucky reached out to me to create this series, I admittedly felt hesitant about accepting the task. On the surface, the task was simple: find five writers across the state who identified as Black, Brown, Indigenous or person of color, and curate the platform for them to tell their stories. It sounded easy, […]

Strange Hearted Blues: These are not our sins to carry, an Indigenous outcry

July 16, 2021 Culture

[TW: boarding/residential schools; violence against Indigenous peoples/children] Note on terminology: “Indigenous” is used throughout this piece to encompass First Nations, Native American, Black Native, Métis and Inuit communities My grief is a mountain I must chisel into a molehill in order to write these words. There are others of my kin whose grief is even […]

Virgie native uplifts Kentucky and Tennessee LGBTQ+ voices through bar, advocacy

July 14, 2021 Business, Rural/Appalachia

Wendy McCown-Williams Even though Wendy McCown-Williams is a politically-appointed member of the Putnam County Election Commission and a business owner, she weighs her business decisions out against how it could be viewed. For McCown-Williams, operating Cookeville’s only gay bar, Club Temptation, means being constantly aware that she owns a gay bar in a town of […]

Artist and activist Josh Miller creates wearable art, installation fashion

July 13, 2021 Business

Queer Kentucky works to uplift the voices of LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, and part of that is shining a light on LGBTQ+ owned businesses and the amazing entrepreneurs behind them. Josh Miller is an artist+athlete creating Wearable Photos through his queer-owned small business Josh Miller Ventures. He is the co-founder and CEO of IDEAS xLab, and a […]

Stranger danger: Validation through risky behavior isn’t worth the consequences

July 5, 2021 Culture

I love sex positivity. I love talking about sex. Sex health, sex practices. One might say I have a psychological complex probably given to me in childhood — but i’m not here to draw those conclusions. I’m here to tell you about the time I got gonorrhea. This involved a lot of waiting, because you […]

Wrestling gender dysphoria, fitness as a recovering anorexic

Culture

The gym has always been my sanctuary. To this day, nothing alleviates stress, depression, or gender dysphoria (i.e., unease with one’s body or sex assigned at birth) than leaving the gym soaked in sweat with pumped muscles. Even pre-transition, gym clothes made me feel confident and affirmed in my gender, the way that my boy […]

Hunting for the Sacred: Navigating ‘hipster’ churches as a survivor, theologian

June 24, 2021 Culture

My parent, who was an ordained minister in the United Methodist church, was an advocate of praise and worship style contemporary church services, where jeans and guitars took the place of suits and organs. I know this sartorial maneuver, these significations of the casual, hip, and inclusive, were meant to make the space of the […]

Plant shop Mahonia creates safe shopping experience, works to create diversity and community

June 16, 2021 Business

Walking into Mahonia is like walking into the Architectural Digest version of the house you’ve always dreamed of showing off. It is beautiful and inviting. It is aesthetic yet homey. And, on top of everything, the team has managed to create a space that is inclusive both for customers and staff — a mission Bridget […]

Remembering PULSE: Kentucky philanthropist works to bring healing to Orlando and beyond

June 12, 2021 Business, History, Rural/Appalachia

Five years have passed since a gunman walked into a gay club in Orlando, FL and changed the lives of queer people and allies around the world forever. Pain, mourning and fear has filled the LGBTQ+ community since June 2016, but one Kentucky man is working to bring healing energy into the still raw wound. […]

Pandora Productions to stream Trans themed musical ‘Southern Comfort’ during Pride month

June 11, 2021 Culture

Featured photo by Jill Marie Schierbaum: (left to right) Derek Guy as Sam, Jessica Tanselle as Melanie, Kasen Meek as Jackson, Charlotte Hayden as Carly Louisville’s only theater company dedicated to telling LGBTQ+ stories is opening a musical that tells the true story of a group of transgender friends living life on their own terms […]

Event producer Daniel Cole is back in action, continues uplifting Queer entertainment industry

June 7, 2021 Business

feature photo by Tony Lowe It was 2014 in Louisville. That year, the Kentucky General Assembly saw a record number of co-sponsors on both the House and Senate versions of the Statewide Fairness legislation, even though no vote took place. Bourke v. Beshear won recognition of their marriage on February 12 and on February 14, […]

The Bussy Beat: Trans dysphoria isn’t your performative art project

June 3, 2021 Culture

Today, I’ll teach you a word universal to the trans experience to some degree; dysphoria! Miss Dysphoria usually comes packaged with her quirky cousin, dysmorphia. Do you feel uncomfortable in your body, so much that you want to change it? Are you burdened with the concept of even existing physically if you’re slightly out a […]

Kickstarter launched for Appalachian LGBTQ+ restaurant, entertainment venue

June 1, 2021 Business, Rural/Appalachia

(PIKEVILLE, KY) – LGBTQ+ Eastern Kentuckians have long lacked spaces designated specifically for them to gather in a safe and friendly environment; however, one individual, backed by a supportive community, is hoping to change that. London native Tasha Sams, and a team of others, are working to bring HOME Appalachia to life. HOME Appalachia is […]

Somewhere over the rainbow, Pride exists without Capitalism

May 30, 2021 Culture

Flag Art by: Yoko Molotov Tuesday is June 1st and the beginning of Pride. COVID is still lingering like bits of toilet paper on your butt and making Pride 2021 feel different than past years. But one thing that still feels familiar is the rainbow capitalism that typically saturates this month. Rainbow capitalism is sponsorships, […]

Rolling towards acceptance: A game store’s journey creating community in Eastern Kentucky

May 26, 2021 Business

When Alex Salisbury opened Kaiju Games in 2019, he was reigning Kentucky Bourbon Bears Cub and “Community Dad” just looking to create a space for friends to game. Opening a niche store in a small community is risky enough, but Salisbury seemingly had both the will and the way. And it has paid off. Rather […]

Religion: Emerging from COVID confinement, screaming unapologetically with the cicadas

May 25, 2021 Culture

by Heather Brydie Harris (they/them) This series is proudly sponsored by Highland Coffee, Louisville’s Finest Coffeehouse, locally owned and operated since 1999. They have lots of VEGAN eats and treats made in house. Draft nitro-cold coffee on tap! Highland Coffee proudly bakes it’s own desserts and breakfast pastries in house, including many vegan & gluten […]

Mile Wide Beer Co. to host Pride event for “Dorothy’s Riot” release

May 24, 2021 Culture

Pride Month Beer Was Brewed in Collaboration with Queer Kentucky Louisville, KY – On Friday June 4th, Mile Wide Beer Company (MWBC) will release Dorothy’s Riot, a beer brewed in collaboration with Queer Kentucky (QKY). Dorothy’s Riot is a 5% ABV Belgian-Style Witbier, brewed with Raspberry Purée. Mile Wide worked with QKY, Louisville Pride Foundation, […]

Thinking Queerly: Trans men can’t top (and other cis-conceptions)

May 7, 2021 Culture

After recovering from my last breakup, I decided to get on the apps (the dating and hookup apps, that is). Gay hookup apps allow you to state your sexual preferences: are you a top, bottom, versatile, and so forth. As I was creating my first profile, on Scruff, this option gave me pause. How do […]

Visibility: whose job is it?

March 31, 2021 Culture

For many trans folks, myself included, visibility is a hard-won privilege. For some it is a moral imperative. For others it’s a gesture of defiance. But whatever it means for each trans person on an individual level, visibility is crucial for our community. Without some of us stepping out and being loud and proud advocates, […]

Amplify Louisville and Queer Kentucky Entrepreneur Series: Seun Erinle

March 11, 2021 Culture

“I want to tell you a love story. A story about a woman, her imagination, and her perseverance. The woman in this story is me, Seun Erinle.” (via LinkedIn) Seun Erinle is an innovator in the tech education and design space. As Founder and Lead Instructor at A.I.R. Labs, she helps the youth in our community cultivate their understanding […]

QKY Feature: ‘When I first came out, this word (Queer) made me feel uncomfortable ‘

March 4, 2021 Culture

Zack Flanagan, is the owner of Board and You Bistro and Wine Bar. They are a proud sponsor of Queer Kentucky and as an LGBTQ+ owned business, they understand the importance and power of LGBTQ+ visibility. Every Saturday, the bistro throws their weekly drag brunch! Drag Brunch at the Bistro will be an experience like […]

A Carter County Queer Kentuckian stars on FOX hit TV show, ‘Hell’s Kitchen’

February 24, 2021 Culture

Brittani Ratcliff What does the word queer mean to you? Queer to me is an amazing ‘umbrella term’ for humans who defy the societal spectrum of orientations and identities. It’s great for inclusivity and I love it for that purpose! In the past, queer has been used as a slur. But in modern age, we’ve […]

Thinking Queerly, Valentine’s Edition: A love letter to my trans readers

February 11, 2021 Culture

My Loves. I hope I am not overstepping. I am just concerned that you might not be aware of how incredible you are. That once upon a time you truly loved yourself, but as you’ve walked through the world you’ve slowly succumbed to the belief that you are inadequate, or less-than, simply because you are […]

Queering the Spirit: Unpacking the Concept of Trust

February 2, 2021 Culture

Trust can mean anything from faith in a relationship to a monetary promise endowed to the generationally wealthy. It’s one of those words where we all kind of just assume we’re operating from the same definition, which, in my opinion, is not a generative example of trust as a practice. The nuances matter. People can […]

QKY Feature: ‘Queer means healing, Queer is community’

January 25, 2021 Culture

Fox Faget What does the word queer mean to you? Queer means to be free, to question norms, the predetermined structures put in place. Queer means making your own meaning, queer means healing. queer is community. How do you identify?I identify as trans non-binary. What are your pronouns? Why are they important? My pronouns are they […]

Breaking the silence, replacing the stigma: eating disorders in the queer community

January 18, 2021 Culture

My teens and early twenties were defined by obsessive calorie restriction, multiple hospitalizations, and dangerously low weights. Given its duration and severity, my battle with anorexia is an important part of my story, but one I started to open up about only recently. For me, anorexia has always been about control. When my body, my […]

QKY Feature: ‘The word queer to me is all inclusive’

January 5, 2021 Culture

Bianca Smith What does the word queer mean to you? The word queer to me is all inclusive. It took me a long time to feel as if it was my word too. I felt excluded from the word for many years. I felt as if it was meant for gay men in my younger […]

Queering the spirit: Is the rainbow enough? (Part 2)

December 7, 2020 Culture

Indigo Child Realizing there was more to my queerness, beyond sexuality, was a lot like learning there are more colors in the rainbow than the ones that are visible, and not every color in the rainbow exists. Our beloved rainbow is made of three primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and three secondary colors (green, […]

We’re here, we’re queer, and we’re still misogynist

December 3, 2020 Culture

Misogyny, or hatred of the feminine, is commonly associated with straight culture, specifically as an attitude upheld by straight cisgender men to the detriment of women. While it is absolutely true that misogyny is rampant in straight culture, it is also rampant amongst queers. We queers do ourselves a disservice by not talking about this. […]

QKY Feature: ‘Growing up in Kentucky felt lonely’

November 30, 2020 Culture

Valentina Ashurova What does the word queer mean to you? I’ve always viewed attraction and love as something that isn’t controlled by a checkbox, that people find one another and there is a chemistry or attraction that is independent of what is between someone’s legs. It is in that sense that I Identify as queer. […]

Queering the spirit: Is the rainbow enough? (Part 1)

October 19, 2020 Culture

In honor of National Coming Out Day (Oct. 11th), I’m inviting you into a two-part stream of consciousness. This piece aims to be trauma-informed and is broken up into segments. The second segment titled, “Learning how to bend light”, comes with a content warning for a coming out story, religious oppression, homophobic home environments, and […]

Queer Kentucky Feature: ‘I’m proud of the way the community has come together since we started to protest the murder of Breonna Taylor’

October 6, 2020 Culture

Ezra Yelverton What does the word queer mean to you?Being queer means sharing similar experiences with a person or group, but having a different story to tell. I think everyone that falls under this umbrella term has several things in common, but no one is ever the same. And that’s okay because, at some point, […]

Queer Kentucky Feature: ‘As a Black person my life has always been a protest’

October 1, 2020 Culture

Phelix Crittenden What does the word queer mean to you? Queer means to me, the ability to be whoever the fuck you want! Queer is limitless. Queer is captivating. Queer is bold & brave. Queer is fearless & unapologetic. Queer can be fabulous & dainty, or rough & rugged, or literally all of those things […]

Queer Kentucky Feature: ‘For me to be queer is to be black and to be black is to be queer’

September 29, 2020 Culture

Mariah Mays What does the word queer mean to you?In all technicality queer means strange or odd, but how does one person claim what’s strange or odd? Because you choose not to conform to societal expectations, or adapt to what’s accepted or passing? For me to be queer is to be black and to be […]

Two Black led organizations provide relief for Black Trans, non binary and GNC community through direct funding

September 24, 2020 Culture

by Brodie Gress Two local Louisvillle non-profits have teamed up to launch the Black Trans Relief Direct Person Fund, an initiative to directly donate money to Black trans, non-binary, and non-conforming people in need. Applicants in need can go to their website and fill out a form asking for their name, background, amount of cash […]

Queering the spirit: Find your way back

September 18, 2020 Culture

For full audio of this piece, click here. “If you’re a writer, you are forced to look behind the word into the meaning of the word. You are responsible for what that word means. You have to find a way to use that word to liberate the energy in that word so that it has […]

artThrust offers art, poetry workshops for LGBTQ+ youth and their parents

September 14, 2020 Culture

Louisville-based arts organization artThrust is offering virtual art and poetry workshops for parents and LGBTQ youth aged 13-18 beginning today, September 14, with participants welcome to join after the start date. Youth and their parents are not required to sign up together, and can participate individually. Presented as two concurrent programs, these eight-week workshops are […]

Queerly faithful and faithfully Queer: An intro to QKY’s religious, spiritual series

September 2, 2020 Culture

This series is proudly sponsored by Highland Coffee, Louisville’s Finest Coffeehouse, locally owned and operated since 1999. They have lots of VEGAN eats and treats made in house. Draft nitro-cold coffee on tap! Highland Coffee proudly bakes it’s own desserts and breakfast pastries in house, including many vegan & gluten free items, breakfast wraps, and […]

Black, Queer tea shop owner makes literary debut with poetry collection

August 18, 2020 Culture

When she first sat down to write, Sis Got Tea owner Arielle Clark‘s (she/her/hers) mind kept circling back to one central issue: the underrepresentation of voices like her’s on bookshelves across America. As a Black, queer, polyamorous woman from Kentucky, her story isn’t the sort typically chosen for book club meetings or “Ladies Wine and […]

Kentucky LGBTQ+ fund gives $89,880 to local Queer-driven initiatives, looks to include more BIPOC representation

August 17, 2020 Culture

Editor’s Note: Spencer Jenkins contributed to this story. Queer Kentucky spoke to Dr. Bernadette Barton (she/her), board secretary for JustFundKY and a Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at Morehead State. JustFundKY was founded in 2006 and funds educational projects that promote equality and visibility for the LGBTQ community in Kentucky. This last grant cycle, […]

Protesting in Louisville leads to arrest by police, transphobia by corrections

August 9, 2020 Culture

I was arrested for the first time a couple of weeks ago, while participating in a direct action here in Louisville. The demonstration was peaceful but powerful, and it was an honor to a part of its execution. This historical moment is a tipping point for racial justice, and I feel lucky to be alive […]

Queer Kentucky’s yoga class to resume virtually for 2020

July 28, 2020 Culture

by Laura Patterson/Spencer Jenkins Since the inception of Queer Kentucky in 2018, we have believed that creating sober spaces for LGBTQ+ people to gather is crucial in creating community. We have been thrilled to create a space for queer people to come together and experience the power of yoga. SIGN UP TODAY Due to COVID-19, […]

A brief history of Kentucky anti-LGBTQ police harassment

July 13, 2020 History

by Kathryn de la Rosa New York’s second annual Queer Liberation March, a protest march against NYC Pride organized by the Reclaim Pride Coalition, came to an early end last month when NYPD officers started making arrests and brutalizing protesters with pepper spray and blunt force. This year’s march specified liberation for trans and queer […]

White women talking like white gay men, talking like Black women: notes on white feminism, white queerness, and cultural appropriation

July 8, 2020 Culture

White gay men have been borrowing from Black woman culture for as long as Black drag queens have been running the ballroom / drag show scene. Black woman vernacular is now so ingrained in queer culture that white people, queer and straight alike, think that gay men and Black women sound the same – as […]

KHJN Trans Health Advocacy announces new surgical grant program

July 6, 2020 Culture

Queer Kentucky chatted via email with Oliver Hall, (They/Them), Trans Health Director for Kentucky Health Justice Network about the new KHJN Trans Health Surgical Grant Application. The Trans Health Advocacy Program, a part of Kentucky Health Justice Network, is accepting applications to support Trans Kentuckians seeking gender affirming surgeries. Each grantee will receive $1,000 towards their surgery. The first […]

My First Night Back at a Gay Bar

July 2, 2020 Culture

by Sarah Gardiner On July 1, bars in Kentucky reopened. I went out to Chill, and I don’t regret a second. I wasn’t going to go out. I’m still terrified of Covid-19, and after 3 months of falling into my full Grey Gardens best life, bars and restaurants scare the fuck out of me. But […]

Thinking Queerly: 4 excuses for white silence

June 13, 2020 Culture

When we begin doing anti-racist work, as white people, it can feel uncomfortable. We will experience guilt, shame, and host of other white fears and feelings. Our brains will come up with all kinds of excuses as to why we aren’t the right person for the job: the right person to protest, the right person […]

Hannah Drake and Actors Theatre premier ‘Fix It Black Girl’

June 12, 2020 Culture

by Allie Fireel In the midst of the historic upheaval and protesting that has followed the killing of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Louisville based poet Hannah Drake has been speaking and protesting all over town. Then just last week Actors Theatre of Louisville announced Fix it Black Girl, a new theatrical work created by […]

Louisville Pride raises over $50,000 for Bail Project and creates Social Justice Fund

June 9, 2020 Culture

LGBTQ organization is supporting racial justice through Digital Pride In less than one week, through an amazing outpouring of support for Black lives from the Pride community, the Louisville Pride Foundation raised $50,000 for The Bail Project. “This funding will support our revolving bail fund and also our expanded community support for individuals released during […]

We Owe It to Marsha: Avoiding Rainbow Capitalism During Pride Month

June 8, 2020 Culture

by Lucia Burton June! Pride month! While June is a time for us to celebrate our identities and experiences, I cannot give this list of organizations to donate to without acknowledging the state that our country is in, and the racial significance that comes with Pride. The entire reason that June is Pride month is […]

THINKING QUEERLY: 10 Things you can do for Pride Month during COVID

June 4, 2020 Culture

This year Pride Month coincides with a global pandemic which, much like police brutality, is disproportionately killing the black people in our communities. Here are ten things that you can do this Pride Month to continue the fight for justice for black queers, black trans people, and black people at large. Protest alongside the black […]

Confronting privilege, racism as a white LGBTQ+ person

June 2, 2020 Culture

This week in Louisville, Lexington, and in cities all across the state and country, protesters are organizing to demand justice for Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the innumerable victims of black genocide at the hands of law enforcement. Participating in these protests, most of which have been met with unnecessary force by the police, has […]

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Lincoln County man running against Mitch McConnell

May 27, 2020 Culture

by Mike Broihier I spent several years as the editor of a rural weekly newspaper trying to decipher the intent of letters I received, so I’ll cut right to the chase. My name is Mike Broihier, I am a Democratic candidate for US Senate, and I would like your support. As I’ve campaigned across Kentucky […]

Queer Kentucky receives grant from Tegan and Sara Foundation for trans-inclusive workshops

May 21, 2020 Culture

Queer Kentucky is excited to announce that we have received a grant from the Tegan and Sara Foundation to help our Trans-Inclusive Workplace Workshops continue through the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tegan and Sara Foundation has always focused on grassroots action, and their first priority is meeting the immediate needs of the community (while they fight […]

So you’re thinking about sleeping with a trans man

May 20, 2020 Culture, Health, Sex

Before hopping into bed with a trans man, communication and consent are key—every trans body and preference is unique.

Respect Your Elders: SAGE of the Bluegrass and Queer Senior Advocacy

May 19, 2020 Culture

by Lucia Burton What is the point of representation if some are left out of the narrative? What about those who came before us? This question is exactly what drives SAGE, an organization satisfying the need for services and community for LGBTQ+ older adults. With 30 smaller affiliates across the country, Kentucky is proudly home […]

PPP loan, community donations offer lifeline to Kentucky based LGBTQ+ youth organization

May 18, 2020 Culture

by Allie Fireel Before COVID-19 hit Possibility City, The Louisville Youth Group was undergoing a transformation that would help the 30 year old group expand their staff, budget and most importantly their mission; giving LGBTQ+ youths and young adults a safe, encouraging atmosphere to understand and explore their queer identity. The group’s transformation ground to […]

Thinking Queerly: the value of queer friendship

May 11, 2020 Culture

An introvert by nature, I spend a lot of time by myself, but I have always cultivated close friendships with like-minded queers who understand that word—queer—to be more of a verb than a noun: to queer, as in, to challenge or critique the norms, roles, and labels that are assumed to be fixed and stable. […]

The Paducah LGBT Welcome Center rebrands as ‘Heartland Equality’

May 8, 2020 Culture

As of May 8th 2020 The Paducah LGBT Welcome Center has rebranded to be Heartland Equality. This is done to better reach our clients in our entire service area, and to position ourselves to be able to handle the inflex of services, and programs that we currently offer, and new programs rolling out. Heartland equality […]

Bluegrass drag queens, event coordinators get extra creative during COVID-19

May 6, 2020 Culture

by Allie Fireel In the 2010’s the drag scene in Louisville Kentucky flowered and grew. From large venues like Play, to pop up drag and burlesque shows at The Limbo, all way to queens appearing in broad daylight -Gasp!!- at one of the multiple Drag Brunches available in Louisville. Queens even read stories to kids […]

Feature: Queering the music industry in Kentucky

May 5, 2020 Culture

Collins Black What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? The word queer to me honestly comes with a negative connotation.. I grew up in a small country town an experienced this word in a derogatory manner repeatedly. I never refer to myself as queer bc of this and that the […]

Louisville Pride Foundation and COVID-19: Building Community in the Midst of Crisis

April 27, 2020 Culture

by Lucia Burton To be queer means to be together. To hold each other’s struggles. To celebrate and reflect on the lived experience. How can an organization such as the Louisville Pride Foundation — one where community building is at its epicenter — create a collective when today’s physical interaction is exactly what is causing […]

5 ways cisgender queers can show up for trans people

April 22, 2020 Culture

Trans people and gay people share a number of the same experiences and struggles. Most of us “come out” at one point or another, and many of us experience backlash from family, friends, and from society at large for simply being who we are. But each letter in the LGBTQ+ community has its own set […]

During social distancing, Actors Theatre is streaming a play about distance between a father and his gay son

April 20, 2020 Culture

by Allie Fireel When theatres shut down to combat the spread of Covid-19, Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival of New American Plays was cut short, just two weeks into its six week run. Two of the five plays originally set to premiere are available for streaming, Are You There? by Vivian Barnes, Jonathan Norton, […]

Spalding University student joins Queer Kentucky as spring intern

April 15, 2020 Culture

Cassie Bilyeu What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything?I’m a mostly probably binary trans woman. “Identify as…” is sometimes a troublesome term. There’s the feeling that one doesn’t identify as anything, rather, you simply are a thing. But it’s just semantics. What does the word Queer mean to you?It’s […]

Understanding the complexity of our names, dead names with respect

April 13, 2020 Culture

by Allie Fireel On January first of this year, Parker James went down to the probate office and changed his name. Though he’d first told his partner that he was trans nearly five years ago, it wasn’t until the last year or so that Parker got serious about transitioning, and a big piece of that […]

BREAKING: Kentuckiana Pride Foundation postpones annual June event

April 10, 2020 Culture

The Kentuckiana Pride Foundation has postponed the annual Kentuckiana Pride Festival and Parade that was scheduled to take place on Friday June 19 and Saturday June 20 at Waterfront Park. New dates for the 20th anniversary of the annual festival and parade will be announced mid May. After much consideration and closely monitoring the COVID-19 […]

Don’t put your money where your mouth is: reflections on capitalism during the pandemic

April 9, 2020 Culture

Whether you’ve been laid off from your job, are working from home, or going in to work with a new set of protective gear and anxieties, your day-to-day routine has likely been impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. And because as humans our external activity, our actions and routines, directly impact our internal activity—our thoughts […]

OPINION: Using the outdated term ‘breeder’ isn’t cool, it makes you a jerk

April 7, 2020 Culture

by Vinny O’Hara Hey straight people (and some queer folx), stop using the term “Breeder” because you think it makes you look like an ally or “woke.” Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. A couple of weeks ago, a well intentioned but misguided straight person pointed out a group of fellow heterosexuals to me and scoffed about […]

Stay sober and at home during COVID-19 pandemic : Virtual and spiritual toolkits help

April 1, 2020 Culture

by Joseph Hubrich Editors note: Here at Queer Kentucky, we acknowledge that many LGBTQ+ folx struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. Being cooped up in quarantine can make this struggle a little bit more real for a lot of us. If you are struggling, please reach out. There are tons of organizations here to help […]

Kentucky native works for inclusivity through Southern Indiana pride festival

March 30, 2020 Culture

Evan Stoner What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything?This is a question that requires at a lot of openness and vulnerability. In my 22 years on this planet, I have noticed that society loves placing labels on human beings and groups of people. I suppose it is somewhat easier […]

Navigating trauma, summoning courage during the pandemic

March 27, 2020 Culture

A few days ago, I had a panic attack. It had been building for a couple of weeks, ever since the Coronavirus started spreading in the U.S., leaving everyone—including me, my staff, and most of my friends—wondering whether we’d still have jobs tomorrow. And then there were the other unknowns: Will I get sick? If […]

Covington Becomes first Kentucky city to ban conversion therapy

March 24, 2020 Culture

The large Northern Kentucky city of Covington, population 40,455, became the first in the state to ban the harmful practice of anti-LGBTQ “Conversion Therapy” on youth under the age of 18 with a unanimous vote of 5-0 tonight. The Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky spoke in favor of the ordinance at the meeting, which was […]

UPDATE: The Food and Drug Administration revised its blood donor guidelines amidst COVID-19 pandemic

Culture

by Allie Fireel UPDATE: The Food and Drug Administration revised its blood donor guidelines on Thursday, significantly easing the restrictions on men who have sex with men. The new guidelines reduce the donation deferral period for sexually active gay and bisexual men from 12 months to three, meaning these otherwise healthy men will now have […]

FEATURE: Sex therapist says ‘don’t hold feelings in or bottled up’

March 23, 2020 Culture

Dennis Cornell What does the word queer mean to you? I grew up in a time when “queer” and “fag” was used in a derogatory way. But I like how the LGBTQ+ community has taken hurtful words of the past and turned them into positive connotations for the community such as the pink triangle from […]

OPINION: COVID-19 Quarantine isn’t so simple living with an abuser

March 18, 2020 Culture

by Georgia Connally Editor’s note: This is an account of an actual experience. Names have been changed for confidentiality. Domestic violence also transcends gender and all people are vulnerable to it. A few years ago, I met a woman (we will call her Karen) who was trapped in an unhealthy marriage with her partner—we will […]

Queer Kentucky: Weekly COVID-19 Resource Guide

March 17, 2020 Culture

by Sarah Gardiner With much of the country now shutting down due to Coronavirus, Queer Kentucky is dedicated to making sure the community has the most up to date information on resources and news. We will be releasing a weekly update with the latest outlooks and assistance options. If you have any resources you would […]

Fairness Campaign on COVID-19, Kentucky’s LGBTQ Community

Culture

Courtesy of the Fairness Campaign At the Fairness Campaign, we recognize how difficult this time is for our whole community, but especially for marginalized groups, who have disproportionately higher vulnerable populations. We will share on this page some community services/resources and volunteer needs as we are made aware of them. Please share additional resources with […]

Inclusive kink: my introduction to Louisville’s queer leather community

March 15, 2020 Culture

A couple of weeks ago I attended my first leather event: the 2020 Kentucky Leather Pride Competition. I went in a virgin (figuratively speaking), and left with a newfound appreciation and respect for the leather community. By the time I arrived, the bar was filled all the way up with queers in leather harnesses, pup […]

Navigating queerness from California to Kentucky

March 10, 2020 Culture

Conrad De Chabert What Does the word queer mean to you? The word queer… man that was a real struggle hearing it growing up. It was tied to some very deep rooted self hate issues for me. Where I grew up, it was a majority white town and homosexuality wasn’t in the forefront of anyone’s […]

THINKING QUEERLY: When transitioning doesn’t cure internalized transphobia

March 6, 2020 Culture

The other day, someone misgendered me. Not to my face, but to my boyfriend. He said: “I hear you’re dating Adrian. Isn’t she trans?—or he—or whatever.” My face was on fire as my boyfriend, a cis gay man, nervously relayed the story to me over the phone. Midway through, my thoughts started to spiral. How […]

Merging the Rainbow Fashion Show puts youth front and center with a focus on pride and self-acceptance

March 5, 2020 History

Louisville, KY – On Saturday, March 28, 2020, join the young people of Louisville Youth Group (LYG) and artists from IDEAS xLab’s Our Emotional Wellbeing for Merging the Rainbow, a Fashion Show at Unity of Louisville at 2pm. The Fashion Show was created through a collaboration between the artists and young people starting in 2019, designed to embody self-acceptance, confidence, pride, originality, and […]

Diversity and Inclusion: First LGBTE business certified in Lexington

March 3, 2020 Culture

Feature photo: Louisville Pride Team poses with Todrick Hall in shirts procured by Custom LogoWare Business owners across Kentucky are excited to become certified as LGBTQ+ businesses by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). The first business certified in Lexington was recognized in January 2020. Jesse Caylor, owner of Custom LogoWare, said […]

The word ‘Queer’ is a catch-all

March 2, 2020 Culture

Jace Stovall What does the word queer mean to you? The word queer, to me, means I guess anything that isn’t heteronormative. It relates to gender, sexuality, identity, presentation, really everything. How do you identify? I identify as non-binary (using they/them pronouns) and as asexual and pan-romantic. Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything […]

Kentucky poet Hannah Drake says no to silence

February 25, 2020 Culture

What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything? I had to really give this some thought because I never really identified myself as anything. At least not openly. I was always just Hannah. I have dated men and women although when I look back over my life, I believe had […]

F*ck the identity police, own your fluidity

February 19, 2020 Culture

“All identities are valid.” Queers love to say this, only to raise an eyebrow at the lesbian who mentions her ex-boyfriend, or the trans person who changes their pronouns more than once. All too often, when queers say “all identities are valid” it’s with the unspoken caveat: “as long as you’re absolutely certain, and your […]

OPINION: Transphobic BBQ joint, sex store owner shouldn’t profit from Queer customers

February 10, 2020 Culture

by Ada Jones The first time I went into a sex shop, I was mesmerized. At 18-years-old, I was a college freshman and a baby queer, desperate for an unknown community and slowly coming into the realization that I was not as heterosexual as I had once claimed. The bulk of my sexual history at […]

Gilda Wabbit talks drag, privilege and life as a Queer Kentuckian

February 7, 2020 Culture

What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything?A genderfluid, polyamorous, pansexual, pagan drag queen! I identify as such partly because it’s cheeky to have such an amazing alliteration when describing yourself but, more seriously, because I have encompassed multiple truths at once throughout my entire life. I am a man […]

Black, Queer advocate to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

February 3, 2020 Culture

Jaison Gardner continues to push our community to face the divides that exist, from race to socio-economic, and to spur public dialogue to support moving the LGBTQ+ community forward – both through social media, in person, and through the Strange Fruit podcast. He is part of the leadership for Sweet Evening Breeze, which is currently being […]

THINKING QUEERLY: Coming out to myself through sobriety

February 2, 2020 Culture

Transgender. Recovering alcoholic. Both labels carry stigmas. Coming out as each would change the way people viewed me. Both developments were positive, even cause to celebrate, in their own ways. There were also key differences, like the fact that I understand alcoholism as a disease, which transness definitely isn’t. But reflecting on the similarities between these parts […]

Pikeville man, Big Sandy Safe Zone advocate to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

January 28, 2020 Rural/Appalachia

Kyle May Kyle lived in a small eastern KY town that does not have a big acceptance to the LGTB community. Struggling himself with feeling comfortable in the community Kyle took it upon himself to create the Big Sandy Safe Zone. It started out as him as some member and now is compete with a full board and […]

Paducah LGBT Welcome Center Director of Operations to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

January 27, 2020 Culture

He helped organize the first pride event in Paducah, Ky. He also started a local 501(c)(3) organization welcome center in the area with educational programs and support groups for trans people. He fought in Paducah for the passage of the fairness ordinance. He has literally showed me what could be done to help the people […]

Two House Bills have been introduced targeting trans youth

January 24, 2020 Culture

Two bills have been filed that will harm transgender Kentuckians, particularly transgender kids, said officials with Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky HB321, introduced by Rep. Savannah Maddox, would prohibit parents from making medical decisions about their kids and use government force regarding the medical care of their children by banning parents from raising their children based […]

Lesbian Pride Games leader to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

Culture

Desi has worked her ass off by creating Queer Black pride celebrations like The Pride Games. Over the years she has created a community of prideful black folx that get together and celebrate who they are. Desi loves everyone and works to have everyone included — always. She deserves recognition for her hard work in […]

Western Kentucky Pride Festival moves to Carson Park

January 23, 2020 Culture

by Dustin Havens Western Kentucky Pride Festival is back in full force planning. The festival is set to take place at Carson Park in Paducah from May 29th – 31st. Opening Ceremonies will take place at 12pm on Friday the 29th and closing Ceremonies Sunday the 31st at 2pm. This years event was moved from […]

Trans activist to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

January 21, 2020 Culture

As an open transman, Kasen spends his time assisting numerous organizations in the Kentuckiana community in becoming more inclusive. Currently, Kasen sits on the Leadership Committee for Louisville Trans Men, running many of their social media groups, volunteering to help with the Transgender Wellness Summit, recreating the LTM website, organizing their participation in the Louisville […]

Queer aerial circus gym owner to be honored at Queer Kentucky Awards in June

January 20, 2020 Culture

Anne Miller is the owner of Suspend, an aerial and circus gym in Louisville, KY. She has created the definition of a safe space; every single person that walks into the room at Suspend feel valued, welcomed, and accepted for who they are. As an instructor, Anne takes great care to make sure that students’ bodies are being […]

Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown Comes to UofL

January 16, 2020 Culture

by Ben Gierhart The University of Louisville is certainly one of the best schools in the state, but it may surprise many to know that according to Campus Pride – a national nonprofit organization that rates colleges and universities according to their support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues – it is the best […]

Black lesbian, entrepreneur talks queerness and representation

Culture

RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart, founder of All is Fair in Love and Fashion, is being featured on TLC’s say yes to the dress this Saturday. “After I got engaged in July of 2018, one of my bridesmaids suggested I apply to ‘Say Yes To The Dress,’” Johnson told The Courier Journal. “I almost didn’t bother because I thought they’d never […]

Gayborhood Events cofounder says call your reps., stay educated

January 14, 2020 Culture

Katlyn McGraw is cofounder of Gayborhood Events, an organization that focuses on creating events for Louisville’s Queer community with a focus on providing inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ women, nonbinary and trans folx. What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything?I currently identify as lesbian. The reason I say currently, is […]

Birthday celebration with rainbows gets student expelled from a Louisville private Christian school

Culture

A 15-year-old freshman was expelled from a private Louisville Christian school for a “lifestyle violation.” Whitefield Academy Student Kayla Kenney, celebrating her 15th birthday with family while wearing a rainbow top and a birthday cake. Her mother Kimberly Alford later shared photos of the celebration on social media. The post was shared with staff at […]

THINKING QUEERLY: Is it hard to date a trans person?

January 12, 2020 Culture

This is a question that the cisgender (or non-trans) people I have dated are often asked by other cis people. It is an example of a well-intended microaggression, a question or comment that is not malicious, but that nonetheless reveals the speaker’s bias toward (in this case) trans people. Please note! You can be supportive […]

Fort Thomas is 17th KY City to Pass LGBTQ Fairness Ordinance

January 7, 2020 Culture

(Fort Thomas, KY) With a unanimous vote of 5-0 by the city council tonight, the Campbell County town of Fort Thomas, population 16,263, became the seventeenth city in the Commonwealth and fifth in Northern Kentucky to approve a Fairness Ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. “This is a proud moment for […]

Thinking Queerly: The question that made me transition, giving myself permission to be me

January 6, 2020 Culture

One of the first people I came out to as transgender was my ex. We had been together for about two years, and we lived together. I knew the conversation would set off a chain reaction of consequences that neither of us were prepared to deal with. I was stone-cold sober when I’d made the […]

Kentucky LGBTQ+ community member killed during security guard altercation at Nowhere Bar Louisville

Culture

A man died after an altercation with security outside Nowhere Bar Louisville early Sunday morning. Nowhere has been a staple bar for the LGBTQ+ community in Louisville for years. Social media posts have confirmed the victim was Christopher McKinney. WDRB reported that Metrosafe supervisors confirm there was a call for a “man down” at 1133 […]

Black, Queer entrepreneur works to lift peers through empowered ‘BO$$’ events

January 2, 2020 Culture

Queer Kentucky Interview with Prince Crittenden What is BO$$? BO$$ is a creative cooperative designed to level the playing field by empowering minorities with business related resources, create a network of likeminded peers and encourage diversity within our local creative and entrepreneurial communities. What inspired you to create this event? Well I’ve always been pretty […]

The Queer Kentucky world of dating apps: Womxn’s edition

December 31, 2019 Culture

Carrie Radshaw – a Kentucky lesbian on a journey through dating in the Bluegrass. Less Manolo Blahnik, more Birkenstock. Dating as a queer lady can be really difficult. Without a womxn-focused place left in Louisville, apps have become the means of connection. So, let’s rank the apps how queer womxn meet. Lex The Lex app […]

Republicans attacking trans, non-binary youth in Kentucky bathroom bill is wrong

December 26, 2019 Culture

Imagine if, every time you had to use the bathroom, you were required to hold it until the available public restroom was completely empty. Now imagine being stuck in a busy restaurant, needing to pee. There is a long line out the restroom door that doesn’t seem to be dwindling. There are no other public […]

Queer soccer fandom embracing Louisville’s NWSL in all its magical gay glory

December 23, 2019 Culture

by Sarah Gardiner After an incredible year for Women’s Soccer, the news just keeps getting better with the announcement of an upcoming National Women’s Soccer League expansion to Louisville in 2021. Women’s Soccer is a really queer sport. Like, really queer. Within the US National Team alone, there are four openly out players, including World […]

Lack of the black and brown LGBTQ+ representation is an issue in Kentucky, everywhere

December 12, 2019 Culture

Nick Yeast, Harrodsburg What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Queer is such a liberating meaning. It means we as queer people don’t fall into societal norms that require us to fit in a box. The freedom to be your true authentic self is a gift that needs to be […]

Navigating queer shame, standing on your truth through the holidays

December 11, 2019 Culture

Non-queer people have a hard time empathizing with queer estrangement: the deeply traumatic experience of being rejected by loved ones, not because you’ve wronged anyone, but simply because of who you are, or who you love. They haven’t been kicked out of their house after coming out as gay, or invited home for the holidays […]

Two-spirited visibility matters within queer community, beyond

December 10, 2019 Culture

Diikahnéhi Akwirá’es Delaronde, Lexington Within Native American communities, our relations to one another have always been the foundational force in how we find meaning in our identities. Our beloved relations extend through and past us, connecting a singular individual to both the living and the dead, to the ancient past, the sprawling present and the […]

New Paducah LGBT Welcome Center Fights Oppression in Western Kentucky

December 9, 2019 Culture

By Ben Gierhart It’s almost 2020, so it may seem to be a foregone conclusion that most if not all communities are accepting of LGBTQ+ people by now. The truth is that unfortunately many rural communities in the country are still not as progressive as one might want. Kentucky has a reputation for being a […]

Gayborhood Events to host ‘L Word Generation Q’ watch party

December 5, 2019 Culture

by Sarah Gardiner On December 8th, the L Word is back with a whole new series and a fresh look at what queerness looks like 10 years on from the last season. Like so many queer shows and media from the early 2000’s, the first L Word series had its issues. Rewatching it today can […]

Traditions that taste bad, being queer at the holiday table

November 28, 2019 Culture

by Vinny O’Hara The holidays can really suck for some of us. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why I felt so different from my family. I had so much in common with these people—and I actually like them!—but I couldn’t shake my awkwardness and unease at holiday gatherings. I was labeled as […]

‘This life isn’t meant for us to sit in the closet’

November 25, 2019 Culture

Jordan, Leitchfield What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? The word queer to me has always had such a gender bending vibe to it. Even though my pronouns are he/him/his and I’m gay I wouldn’t be offended if someone called me a queer… it’s not as threatening as it has […]

The cost of justice, the wages of privilege

November 24, 2019 Culture

The following is a speech that I delivered on November 20th, 2019 at Douglass Blvd Christian Church in Louisville, KY for Transgender Day of Remembrance. I was so honored when Dawn Wilson invited me to speak tonight alongside such eloquent voices and powerful forces of change in our community. But then I started thinking about […]

‘As long as you stay true and honest with yourself things will find their way’

November 21, 2019 Culture

Jake Bray Queer to me simply means living in your own boundaries despite ones laid before you. Could be interpreted as “not normal” but what is normal? For labeling sake. I identify as a gay male. I comfortably identify as that because I am confident in my sexuality. The rest of what makes me, me […]

Soul Supper: an LGBTQIA Thanksgiving

November 17, 2019 Culture

by Perry Dixon All LGBTQIA siblings, families, and those seeking to be allies are invited to Soul Supper, a free Thanksgiving Meal on November 21st. We will gather and eat together from 7:00-8:30pm in the Fellowship Hall of Highland Baptist Church (1101 Cherokee Rd) with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free menu items included. This is […]

Kentucky’s 15th Fairness Ordinance approved unanimously

November 13, 2019 Culture

BELLEVUE — With a unanimous vote of 6-0 tonight, the Northern Kentucky town of Bellevue, population 5,772, became the fifteenth city in the commonwealth with a Fairness Ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Bellevue continues the record-breaking streak of cities passing Fairness Ordinances this year by becoming the fifth to extend […]

Daviess county commissioners say they’ll vote against fairness ordinance

November 12, 2019 Culture

by Thomas Wray, Illinois Eagle OWENSBORO — Officials in Daviess County, Ky. told a local newspaper that there weren’t the votes to pass a fairness ordinance. A fairness ordinance would add LGBTQ to the local non-discrimination laws. Fourteen cities in Kentucky have passed fairness ordinances in the past few years. One of the most recent […]

Thinking Queerly: What counts as trauma?

November 10, 2019 Culture

I started transitioning while working at an Irish pub in Lexington, KY. This is how I usually begin my transition story. I suppose because it was there, at the pub, that I experienced trauma: the double-edged sword that at once disfigured my psyche, and sharpened my sense of justice into a tool for social change. […]

Kentucky’s Tiki Queen says ‘diverse friends’ are key

November 7, 2019 Culture

Kody, Bullitt County What does the word queer mean to you? To me, the word queer is an umbreall term used to describe anyone that exists outside of societal terms. Growing up in a much more rural town, queer is still often used as a slander. I think it is beautiful how the term queer […]

Well-meaning allies, well-intended microaggressions

October 30, 2019 Culture

Sometimes allies—those who actively support, uplift, and show up for the members of an oppressed group—make mistakes. And sometimes we say things that we intend to be complimentary or affirming, but which are actually microaggressions: instances of subtle, indirect, or unintentional discrimination. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. “Wow—you seem so stable. […]

‘I decided to take the narrative back and do it on my terms’

Culture

Nicholas Hill What does the word queer mean to you? It’s just a label of me honestly.. a proud label of course. I’m also Hispanic, Irish and Native American and I’m proud at that also so I pretty much just categorise it as such. How do you identify? Human. Explain how was it growing up/living […]

‘When I played T-ball, I twirled in the outfield’

October 28, 2019 Culture

Isiah Fish What does the word “queer” mean to you? It’s 2007. I get my first job popping corn & frying funnel cakes at a movie theater. With my first paycheck, I buy the “Queer as Folk” complete boxed set. Night by night, I devour it in the dark, sitting in a chair close to […]

Living in Queer Kentucky — not always easy

October 16, 2019 Culture

“I live in Shepherdsville, KY. It is difficult living in KY. It was difficult growing up in KY. Being queer and living in Bullitt County, you always have to be alert of your surroundings. You can’t presume you’re safe just because you live in Bullitt county. You’re only safe if you’re white, redneck, religious, and […]

Gender euphoria: The bright side of trans experience

October 14, 2019 Culture

Gender euphoria is just as essential to many trans narratives as dysphoria.

‘Learn to fall in love WITH yourself. Know that you were put here for a reason just like every one else’

October 12, 2019 Culture

SWAN DEL Rey, Henderson What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything? I identify as male because society says I am even though I feel like I am part women too. I am not a fan of labels — it puts restraints and limits on your growth. I hate feeling […]

Queer owned Creative Space in Portland begins funding campaign with Kickstarter

October 2, 2019 Culture

Hoba House is a soon to open creative space in Portland, Kentucky. As an LGBTQ+ owned space we will strive to create a place where everyone can feel safe and comfortable to be themselves. We will be offering many opportunities for queer artists and musicians to share their work in a welcoming, intimate environment. HOBA […]

Versailles is 14th KY City to Approve LGBTQ Fairness Ordinance

October 1, 2019 Gov & Politics, History

VERSAILLES — With a vote of 3-2 tonight, the Woodford County, Kentucky town of Versailles, population 8,568, became the fourteenth city in the commonwealth with a Fairness Ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. By becoming the fourth city to adopt the measure this year, Versailles makes 2019 a record-breaking year for […]

POSE, Queer Eye, and Tunnel Vision

September 27, 2019 Culture

Strike up a conversation with any gay person about the reboot of the TV series Queer Eye, and chances are they’ll have seen at least an episode or two. But strike up a conversation with a cis gay man or woman about the new TV series POSE, and there’s a good chance they won’t have heard of […]

Queer: I love the word now and use it all the time

September 25, 2019 Culture

What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? It’s a huge question, but one I think is worth discussing. It’s a word that has been used to hurt me, smear me, physically assault me; I have had a painful past with the word. When I first was growing into myself, my […]

There is no one way to be queer: Kentucky Lesbian couple tells all

September 23, 2019 Culture

McKenzie and Colby What does the word queer mean to you? M: I always thought of it as existing outside the heteronormative universe—with rules about the things you’re “supposed” to do. It’s marching to your own drum and being different while not having to worry about what society says you have to do at a […]

Climate change is important topic for this Queer Kentuckian

September 19, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

Casey What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything?I am a non-binary lesbian because I personally do not subscribe to a male or female identity but sexually identify as lesbian. What does the word Queer mean to you?It means taking a weapon (a harmful word) from my oppressor and making […]

Study up and Vote y’all: Queer Kentucky Nov. Election Picks

September 18, 2019 Gov & Politics, Rural/Appalachia

by Ben Giehart As I’m sure most Kentuckians are well aware, Kentucky is a red state. There are exceptions of course. As a whole, big cities like Louisville and Lexington are decently progressive – as one might expect. There are pockets of other cities and towns littered throughout the state that harbor modern civil rights […]

Knox County trans woman stays true to self despite opposition

September 17, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

Lu Fields, Barbourville What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything? I am a Proud Transgendered Woman from the small city called Barbourville in the County of Knox. What does the word Queer mean to you? Queer has many meanings to me as a Trans Woman who proudly fights for […]

Black, Queer tea shop owner launches Kickstarter to fund new business in Kentucky

September 16, 2019 Culture

Queer Kentucky sat down with Arielle Clark, founder and owner, Sis Got Tea, LLC to talk about her business. Give a brief update on the black, sober, queer space business you’re starting. I’ve had this business idea in my head for about ten years now. I always had big, grandiose ideas (I’m a Leo; it’s […]

Mayor Pete Buttigieg sashays into PLAY Louisville event next week

September 12, 2019 Culture

The first openly gay presidential candidate from South Bend, Indiana, will attend a “grassroots event” hosted by Play Louisville. The event is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17.

‘I want other brown trans girls to look at me and be proud’

September 9, 2019 Culture

Kay Moss When I hear Queer I think gay man or butch queen. A lady like myself doesn’t use that word to describe herself. I can settle for words like TS or Trans woman but not Queer or tranny. I am from Louisville, Kentucky I was born at Norton Hospital. Growing up in Kentucky was […]

Three Louisville-based artists selected for IDEAS xLab’s Our Emotional Wellbeing initiative

August 29, 2019 Culture

Our Emotional Wellbeing is a two-year initiative organized by IDEAS xLab, an artist-led nonprofit based in Louisville, KY. This initiative is designed to measurably impact hope and belonging of young people 12 – 20 years old through an arts-based co-creation process. In partnership with Louisville Youth Group (LGBTQ+ young people under 21), and two after-school programs at Meyzeek Middle […]

‘I remember growing up in Hardin County and only being attracted to white boys who didn’t know I existed’

August 27, 2019 Culture

Jordan Williams, Hardin County Queer to me means to exist in an unconventional way. It’s the giant umbrella of ppl that understand that we need a come ground to communicate about similar experiences but we don’t need to agree with one another to respect how some1 else lives/expresses themselves. It’s like a community barbecue you […]

Putting it in perspective: Is it wrong to fetishize trans people?

August 23, 2019 Culture

The short (and obvious) answer to this question is “yes.” Fetishizing trans people, or any group of people for that matter, is problematic because, much like discrimination, the fetishization of a group of people always involves stereotpyes and generalizations of that group. For example: the stereotype that Asian men are more submissive, or that black […]

Thinking Queerly: Is it wrong to fetishize trans people?

Culture

Using critical reflection and lived experience to crack open concepts of gender, sexuality, identity, community, and more. Is it wrong to fetishize trans people? The short (and obvious) answer to this question is “yes.” Fetishizing trans people, or any group of people for that matter, is problematic because, much like discrimination, the fetishization of a […]

‘The word Queer means strength’

August 19, 2019 Culture

Briana Patterson, Ft. Knox/Radcliff So here’s my story, the very short version: I’m originally from Kentucky. I grew in an emotionally abusive household where I traumatized by my alcoholic father. I moved to San Francisco when I was 18 to go to school for Graphic Design. I fell in love with SF and the culture. […]

The origin of the word ‘Gay’ in its Homosexual context

August 15, 2019 History

by N. David Williams Williams-Nichols Collection Department of Archives & Special Collections University of Louisville Use of the word “gay” in a homosexual context may date to as long ago as Paris in the late 16th century, when homosexuals were reportedly called ‘gai,” but there are a couple of other intriguing and perhaps more provable […]

Thinking Queerly: Why I Choose To Be Visible

August 14, 2019 Culture

For me, choosing to be visible means speaking freely about my identity and about my experiences if or when I feel inclined to do so. Sometimes this looks like marching in a Pride parade or wearing a rainbow t-shirt to work. Sometimes it looks like writing a blog post like this one. Other times it […]

‘I am a woman that loves women’

August 12, 2019 Culture

Lakisha, Louisville What do you identify as? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything? I am a woman that loves women. My love for Women goes beyond the labels placed on me based on who I choose to be intimate with. My soul belongs to the Woman I choose not to say that I […]

Queer Kentucky TBT

August 1, 2019 History

“In general, bars appear to be seasonal phenomena among the gay population. Grand openings occur only to be followed by not-so-grand closings. In Louisville, two bars have managed to survive the inconsistent nature of the clientele they serve, thereby maintaining long and continuous runs.”

The Queer Kentuckian behind our Twitter account: Christian from Ashland

July 31, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

The word queer to me can mean a lot of things. As a queer person you sometimes think about when people refer to things as queer. Does someone who identifies as a male wearing a crop top make them more queer or one who likes football is less queer? I think it just boils down […]

#TBT: A Quick Study of the Beaux Arts Cocktail Lounge – Louisville’s first gay bar

July 25, 2019 Culture

by David Williams Photos Courtesy of The Courier Journal archives and University of Louisville Photographic Archives Article Originally Published January 2, 2016 At this late date it’s nearly impossible to write a fulfilling history of the Beaux Arts Cocktail Lounge. A great many former patrons are undoubtedly deceased. If still alive, they’re in their late […]

West Louisville woman aims to inspire Queer, black business owners

July 24, 2019 Culture

Chan Ponder I identify as a Lesbian an my pronouns are she, her and hers. I grew up in West Louisville on 40th and Market Street. Growing up for me was pretty dope and from growing up in the west end, urban community, I’ve definitely seen a lot. My mom was a single parent and […]

Melanin Pride, Pride-Games set for September in Louisville

July 23, 2019 Culture

Interview with Event Founder, Desiree Carr What is the event date? This year the Pride Games are September 13 – 15. September 13th – 2816 Crums Lane September 14 – George Rogers Clark Park, 1024 Thruston Ave September 15 – 723 south brook Street What are the pride games? They are fun safe space where people […]

Unapologetically Queer, 100 percent real: The only way of life

July 22, 2019 Culture

To me, the word queer means to be different, unique, and special; to be unlike the others. I personally identify as a gay man, as this is the title I’ve grown to be most comfortable with and proud of. However, at the end of the day, I feel like we are all a little queer […]

Overcoming Addiction: Finding Recovery through powerful self-expression

July 19, 2019 Culture

Barrett Gargala “You don’t look gay.” I’ve heard it 1,000 times. Who are you to label me? I get to choose how I see myself and today I choose joy. Being queer to me has nothing to do with who I love but how I feel. I want other people to realize the power in […]

BREAKING: POSE Star Dominique Jackson to speak at UofL Pride Week

July 16, 2019 Culture

According to a Facebook post from the LGBT Center at University of Louisville, Dominique Jackson, Star of POSE & Author of The Transsexual from Tobago (Revised), will be the keynote speaker for the University of Louisville’s Pride Week. This event is in partnership with the LGBT Center and Student Activities Board at UofL. The event […]

Entrepreneur seeks to establish Black, Queer sober spaces

Culture

by Arielle Clark, MBA (she/her/hers) The Louisville LGBTQ+ scene is inundated with white, gay people and is steeped in alcohol culture. There, I said it. And did I stutter? Insert shrug emoji here. Louisville is my home. I was born in a Louisville hospital, raised in a Louisville home, and attended Louisville schools (and have […]

Blue Balls: Tales of Romance of a Black Non-Binary femme

July 10, 2019 Culture

by Deantre Martin Tinder is so Shady So, let me tell you why tinder is shady af! On the dating app users are allowed to choose from a plethora of gender identities and even can customize their own identities (I think), but the real tea is that even after all that tinder still asks whether […]

Black, Trans and Packing: Staying safe in white America

July 8, 2019 Culture

by Xian R. Brooks In February of 2017, after seven years of self-reflection, internal debate, and fear, I became a gun owner. I was not raised with guns. In fact, I was raised to fear them. Fear them because they could kill you. Fear people with them, especially police, because they could kill you. We […]

A Thicker Skin, by Adrian Silbernagel

July 2, 2019 Culture

Originally published in Bodega Magazine I came out as trans while working at an Irish pub in Lexington, Kentucky. The pub, Laney’s, was something of a legend in the minds of the locals. By the time I got there, however, its golden years were long over, and its legacy lived on only in the slurred […]

Night life entrepreneur, Louisville’s ‘Cherry’ Bomb blazes a Queer trail

July 1, 2019 Culture

What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Queer to me is the defiance of gender and sexuality. It’s anarchic. It’s as equally controlled or chaotic as you want to be. Some people use the term queer as an umbrella term for all people in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and some people […]

Kentucky based band, GRLwood releases new music, “I Hate My Mom”

June 28, 2019 Culture

On Friday, June 28, GRLwood released “I Hate My Mom,” an angsty song about hating life as a teenager. Bandmates Karen Ledford and Rej Forester are natives of the Bluegrass and Queer Kentucky caught up with them today. Q: Where are y’all you from? A: Rae is from Louisville, and Karen is from Hardin County. […]

Happy Pride y’all — Jarred Johnson

June 27, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

by Jarred Johnson Before this week, it had been years since I heard the word “faggot” used as a slur. There on a crowded subway car in New York on my commute home, a man bumped into another. “Back off me, faggot,” he said. Knocked back, bones rattled, fear webbed out in my gut. Muscle […]

Smedley Yeiser to host Pride Riot in Western Kentucky, honor OUT Paducah

Culture

PADUCAH – Many small rural communities are creating safe spaces and pride events for their communities. Western Kentucky activists with OUT Paducah are leading this movement and were asked to be the guest of honor for a large Pride event. On June 29, Smedley Yeiser is hosting Pride Riot, a one night only pop-up venue to […]

Western Kentucky town approves LGBTQ+ Fairness Ordinance…Again!

June 25, 2019 History

HENDERSON — With a vote of three to two tonight, the Western Kentucky town of Henderson, population 28,657, became the eleventh city in the state to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. , A press release from the Fairness Campaign said that tonight’s Fairness Ordinance vote comes 20 years after […]

NYC Trap music artist reflects on Queer Kentucky roots

June 24, 2019 Culture

What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? The word queer means to me any form. To be honest I just found out about what the word queer meant when I moved to NYC, to me I associate the word queer with anything that has to do with being gay and […]

Big Sandy LGBT+ Safe Zone to host Pride Picnic in Floyd County

June 19, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

PRESTONSBURG — The Big Sandy LGBT+ Safe Zone, Inc. is hosting a Pride Picnic on Monday, June 24th. The event will be held at the Dewey Dam Spillway at Shelter #4. Kyle May, president and founder of BSSZ, said the picnic came about because a community member suggested having a Pride Picnic so that […]

UPDATED: Conservatives want officials in this Central Ky. town to ‘punish library’ after hosting LGBTQ+ Pride panel

June 18, 2019 Culture

UPDATE: According to The Taylor County Library Facebook account, they will be having a special session meeting to discuss the controversy in response to the library’s recent LGBTQ Pride Panel. The event will take place in the community room at 1 p.m. The public will be allowed to put their input in during the hour […]

Kentuckiana Pride 2019 photos

June 17, 2019 Culture

Queer Kentucky would like to thank Josh Miller of IDEAS xLab for photographing Kentuckiana Pride this year. This was the largest Kentuckiana Pride event ever and we hope all of the prides around the state continue growing. About Josh Miller: Originally from Chattanooga, TN, Josh is the co-founder + CEO of IDEAS xLab – an […]

Bowling Green native joins Queer Kentucky as editorial intern

Culture

Jasmin Kowalski I grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky on a 34-acre farm in a creaky cabin down a long circular driveway. Growing up, I was either outside causing trouble in the neighborhood or inside glued to my T.V. playing my favorite role-playing video game. (It’s Final Fantasy IX by the way and no, VII […]

Campbellsville man advocates LGBTQ+ pride in rural Kentucky

June 13, 2019 Culture

Dalton, one day you will grow up to do great things – Dawn W. My mom, a parent that deserves recognition, planted this phrase in my head when I was young. I suppose a mother can see beyond their child’s foggy, truth seeking eyes if only they take the time. In this case, my mother […]

How you can help support Louisville’s homeless youth LGBTQ+ population? Hint: Drink up

June 12, 2019 Culture

By Brent Schanding During the month of June, Proof on Main at 21c Museum Hotel Louisville will donate all proceeds from the sale of its Sweet Evening Breeze mocktail to the Sweet Evening Breeze LGBTQ+ shelter, which is expected to open as early as this winter. Proof will also host a drag brunch at 11 a.m. on […]

PnP culture is killing us: Queer man leaves the parTy, embraces pride

June 11, 2019 Culture

Story by Jimmy Cheatham, Lexington Art by Joshua Riley Queer. To me, that word means living outside of the heteronormative/cisnormative world that we see everywhere we look. I’ve been queer long before I identified as a cis gay man. Growing up in rural Kentuckiana I always knew there was something queer about me and that […]

Activist and entrepreneur works to transform lives, shift culture

June 9, 2019 Culture

Josh Miller What does the word queer mean to you? I love the phrase “a glorious amalgamation.” Partially, because it just feels extra – in the best kind of way. And, because I think it encapsulates what it means to be queer. It’s a mashup of cultural underpinnings, of expressions from across the spectrum, […]

Oh shit… I’m Bi and Fat!

June 6, 2019 Culture

Jasmin Kowalski Photo credit: South Korean Feminist Journal Bisexuality is not a term that is easily defined- it differs from one person to another. The basics are that bisexual humans are attracted to more than one gender, which hello- that’s me! This is not just about me being bi, this is about being bi and […]

Ban Conversion Therapy Project to become sponsored by KY Youth Law Project

June 3, 2019 Culture

The Kentucky Youth Law Project, Inc. has agreed to become the fiscal sponsor of Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky as of June 1, 2019. A fiscal sponsorship is a formal arrangement in which a 501(c)(3) public charity, like KYLP, sponsors a project that may lack exempt status. This arrangement will allow BCTK to take advantage of KYLP’s tax […]

Papa John’s employee furthers company’s diversity and inclusion

Culture

Meghan Stevens What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? I don’t think we can really break down the meaning of what it means to be Queer without recognizing the historical hurt and inherent insult that comes along with it. In the past, it has been weaponized as a pejorative that’s […]

“Trans invisibility within the queer community is real”

May 31, 2019 Culture

Xian Brooks My identities definitely influence how I carry myself in the day to day. I’m Black first. Not that I put that identity over my other identities, but that it is my most salient identity. Everyone, and trust me, I do mean every, including other queer folks (that don’t know I’m trans) interact with […]

Facing the Queer truth, embracing self

May 29, 2019 Culture

Sarah, Elkhorn City I grew up in Elkhorn City, Kentucky. My childhood was spent playing in the mountains, riding ATVs and horses, and collecting Hot Wheels. I was always a tomboy and hated wearing the frilly dresses my grandmother made me wear to church every Sunday. That just wasn’t who I was, and I just […]

LGBTQ+ Homeless Youth Shelter amping up during Pride month

May 28, 2019 Culture

Sweet Evening Breeze Inc., is committed to Louisville’s youth experiencing homelessness by going beyond the expectations of shelter, hope, and healing. It was James Herndon “Sweets,” a Kentucky historical figure whose hospitality and compassion for others inspired our purpose and vision to offer LGBTQ+ affirming emergency shelter, food and supportive services for youth who may […]

A look at Queer white supremacy

May 24, 2019 Culture

by Deantre Martin White supremacy and racial oppression are the cornerstones that have built Western civilization. No matter what, as long as you are black these things will perform against you. This article is an excerpt of a thesis paper I wrote in defense of how white supremacy performs in the LGBTQ+ community. Throughout the […]

Gay trans man finds activism through art

May 22, 2019 Culture

Alex Selby, Danville How do you identify? I am a gay trans man. What does the word queer mean to you? I have a weird relationship with the word queer. I grew up only hearing the word used in a derogatory manner, because of that the term still invokes a slight sense of anxiety. Personal […]

Southern gendered language: it’s a thing y’all

May 20, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

By Sarah Gardiner “Thank ya, honey” “Anything else I can get for ya, doll?” Regional language has always been a main string of Southern culture’s DNA. Every place has their colloquialisms and particular ways of speaking, but there’s something about the south that invites a friendliness in conversation unmatched anywhere else. “There are no strangers […]

Bourbon County Brent

May 19, 2019 Culture

Brent Schanding, Bourbon County What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? For me, “queer” is anything different, alternative, out of the norm. It’s a counterculture — a way of life that’s on the fringe of what’s socially acceptable. As a person who’s always felt on the periphery, queer is an […]

‘In all my Queer glory’

May 16, 2019 Culture

Spencer, Louisville I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. My grandmother delivered me in our home on Frankfort Avenue, in my mother’s bed. Growing up I spent my time split between my dad’s shotgun in the Highlands, my mother’s apartment and my grandmother’s farm in rural Southern Indiana. The farm is called Rainbow Circle Farm and […]

Northern KY Art center kickstarts inclusive, safe space

May 15, 2019 Culture

The Lodge is an artist’s dream studio, with over 9000 sq/ft of space for many different disciplines. We offer screen printing, photography, painting, audio recording and rehearsal space. Over the last eight years we have been working to make this dream of creating a community arts center a reality, and with your help we can […]

Pride in the Bluegrass!

May 14, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

“From metro streets to Appalachian trails, these are our stories.” Queer Kentucky is beyond happy to announce THIS many Pride celebrations throughout our state in 2019! We love watching our community come together in different regions to lift their voices in LGBTQ+ pride. We will add more events as we learn about more events. June […]

Queer Kentucky founder, Spencer Jenkins talks future, funding Queer Entrepreneurs

May 8, 2019 Culture

Interview by Sam Osborne, Fringe Zine What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? The word Queer brings me peace. By definition it basically means weird or different and there’s always been a piece of me that never felt a part of the status quo. I’ve always felt a little on […]

Black, Queer and Powerful

April 25, 2019 History

Kaila Adia Story, PhD What does the word queer mean to you? To me, Queer means not letting society, institutions, friends or loved ones define who you are, or you hope to be. It means defining yourself, for yourself. It means living freely, unapologetically and boldly. It means feeling so emboldened within your queer self […]

Stop the Pan and Bi erasure

April 23, 2019 Culture

Kalee Johnson What does the word queer mean to you? Historically I’ve been called queer in ways that were detrimental and harmful to me, and I know that many, many others have shared that experience. There’s a lot of hate that lived behind the word queer, and that hatred fueled those who used it against […]

GLAST Louisville Organizer talks Bisexuality

April 17, 2019 Culture

Terra Russell, Louisville What does the word queer mean to you? Queer means anything other than what is usually accepted as the norm. How do you identify? I identify as a bisexual, cis woman. I also identify as biromantic and queer. Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything at all? I call myself bisexual […]

Racism within the Queer Community runs deep

April 15, 2019 Culture

Derek Guy, Kentucky by way of Atlanta, Georgia What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything at all? Queer means that I am as fluid as the colors surrounding us. I identify as a queer transman and my identity grows with me and […]

“Blake Writes”

April 12, 2019 Culture

Blake Reichenbach, Lincoln County, Ky. What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? & Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything at all? I see queerness as a claim of liberation. In fact, I generally refer to myself as “queer man” rather than a “gay man” even though gay is […]

‘The simplest thing is – You are not alone’

April 8, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

What does the word queer mean to you? To me queer has always equated with “outside of the other categories you’ve given me to choose from.” Which I like personally and I have always admired those who had adopted the label early. But then I catch the juxtaposition of choosing the “other” label (behold, it’s […]

Autism, Queerness: authentically human

April 4, 2019 Culture

by Tucker Keel As April begins this year, you may have noticed an increase in the visibility of issues and causes related to Autism—This is no coincidence, as April is Autism Acceptance Month! Previously, this has been called Autism Awareness month. The change may seem subtle, but it is an important distinction. In a world […]

Pushing children off the ledge, Conversion therapy

March 25, 2019 Gov & Politics, History

By Chuck Leach, former pastor and counselor Photo by Adam Creech We must stop folks from pushing children off the ledge. Conversion therapy (sometimes called “Reparative Therapy”) does exactly that; it pushes children off the ledge by unraveling the underpinnings of self-understanding, acceptance, and personhood. Conversion therapy was concocted by well-intended but misguided people to […]

‘It takes confidence to break the rules’

March 19, 2019 Culture

To mean queer means the freedom to be as “weird” as your heart desires. I think that’s why conservatives hate us so much, we get to live out their wildest dreams & darkest fantasies like it’s everyday life. I identify as PRINCE! I don’t feel the need nor the obligation to anyone (besides who I’m […]

Taking Back ‘Queer’

March 18, 2019 Culture

Lane Levitch What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Queer to me means an umbrella term for the LGBTQ+ community. I didn’t use it at all until I got to college, I always heard it as a derogatory word in media growing up. I’m glad that the LGBTQ+ community is […]

Living authentically with a Louisville sweetheart, Ashland native, JP Davis

March 14, 2019 Culture

JP Davis, Ashland, Kentucky What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? For me, the term Queer signifies Freedom. Freedom to be oneself without fear of bias, discrimination, persecution, or hate. For someone who proudly identifies as Queer is making a statement of strength, empowerment, and leadership. For me, I identify […]

FEVA and FilthyGorgeous present… Science Friction

March 11, 2019 Culture

FEVA and FilthyGorgeous present… Science Friction, an innovative fundraiser and high art exploration of science fiction through music, light design, projections, costumes, drag, body painting and aerial arts, benefitting FEVA (fairvendors.org). Featuring… a stellar dj team including the best House and EDM djs in the mainstream and underground Louisville scenes; Rhythm Science Sound, Trevor Lamont, […]

Kentucky’s Gender inclusive apparel brand gives back

March 8, 2019 Rural/Appalachia

What is BLoFISH? We are a clothing company based in Louisville, KY. Known for our amazingly soft fabrics, All 4 All message, being gender neutral, and our 10% giveback program. We were founded in 2014 and opened our first store in Louisville in 2016. We are still small, but have a solid online presence and […]

Saddlebred Horse Show Champion, Carson Kressley on his love of Kentucky

March 6, 2019 Culture

photo by Rainer Hosch I was drawn to Kentucky because it is the epicenter for the Saddlebred horse show world. The dream was to always go to Kentucky and compete. Kentucky has the best horses, best horse shows and the world championships in August at the Kentucky State Fair. It’s always been a magical Place. […]

From Brazil to the Bluegrass

March 4, 2019 Culture

Matheus Rezende-McCubbins What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Queer to me means to embrace all parts of who you are, and being proud to be a part of a community that fights everyday for nothing but acceptance and recognition of our rights. To be queer is also a part […]

Louisville Ballet Dancer showcases diversity through the arts

February 23, 2019 Culture

Sanjay Saverimuttu, Louisville Photo by Sam English (Headshot for Choreographers Showcase 2019) What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Why? The word “queer” to me means expressing your gender or your sexuality in a manner that risks being disadvantaged by society. This world hasn’t been designed for our success, and yet […]

Adult Film Star Jack Hunter on his Queer Kentucky roots

February 19, 2019 Culture

To me, the word “queer” means weird, different, and misunderstood. I myself can identify with this idea because I often feel weird, different, or misunderstood. As a man who works in an industry that is dominated by the masculine archetype, but doesn’t always think and feel in this way, it can sometimes be difficult to […]

Lexington Coffee Shop owner challenges community to explore their truth

February 13, 2019 Culture

Sarah Brown Lussi Brown Coffee Bar, owner Lexington, KY What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Why? Or if you don’t identify as anything (say, with any particular label), why don’t you? The word “queer” is one of the most powerful words we claim. There are so many types of […]

Queer Yogi empowers others through inclusivity, love

February 5, 2019 Culture

Elliot, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky What does the word Queer mean to you? I think to me, queer means unique, not limited to the rules of mainstream society. it’s the freedom to be different from what’s expected. What do you identify as, or do you identify at all? I’m a fat, white, atheist, pansexual, agender spoonie. (The […]

Queer Tarot Card Reader starts Get Read Wednesday

January 31, 2019 Culture

Explain what Get Read Wednesday is? Get Read Wednesday Tarot is an online tarot reading that happens on Wednesday of each week. Get Read Wednesday was initially a way to evolve my understanding of tarot, and to receive feedback on my interpretations. But Get Read Wednesday has a life of its own now and has […]

Flowers In His Hair

January 25, 2019 Culture

Wesley Vaughn, Clay, Kentucky Being gay has given me a more liberated attitude. I don’t concern myself with behaving in a way that is traditionally masculine, nor traditionally feminine. I feel that I can behave and express myself the way I want without any concern of violating some sort of rule about how I have […]

Queer, challenging and free

January 22, 2019 Culture

What does the word queer mean to you? How do you identify? Queer means I am brave enough to try, it means freedom, it means the ability to imagine a world without racism, without sexism, without transphobia, and homophobia and brave enough to practice unlearning to see it come to past. It means that I […]

A trans man’s voice on queerness, privilege and intersectionality

January 18, 2019 Culture

Adrian Sibernagel The label with which I most identify is “queer.” I also identify as trans (because I transitioned), bisexual (because I am attracted to more than one gender), and male (because that’s how I see and experience my own gender). But what draws me to the label “queer” is that it implies a fluidity, […]

Kentucky Artist, Joshua Jenkins

January 14, 2019 Culture

My parents have been separated my entire life. I was primarily raised with my mother (along with 5 other siblings) in Poughkeepsie, NY. I spent the Summers with my father in the Elizabethtown, KY area and eventually lived with him permanently during my High School years. I have been a Louisville resident since 2011 and […]

‘Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky’ executive director to receive Advocate of the Year Award in June

December 19, 2018 Culture

Since 2016, Tanner has worked incredibly hard to pass legislation to ban conversion therapy in Kentucky. Though in grad school AND working, he tirelessly devotes any extra time on BCTK. This year he went above and beyond, with the help of the board and volunteers, BCTK got record breaking co-sponsors and had a bill in […]

LYG Executive Director on Queer life and mental health

December 14, 2018 Culture

What does the word Queer mean to you? How do you identify? I choose to identify as Queer because I find it to be the least restrictive label. For me, no matter who you are or what you do, we are called to be creative. One of my least favorite words is normal. I want […]

Feminist Friday: The Appalshop Part 1

December 7, 2018 History, Rural/Appalachia

by Jordan Roach Tucked back in Whitesburg, Ky., there is a large unassuming, wood clad, building holding a treasure trove of resources, history and culture. The Appalshop, while it’s been a constant staple of Eastern Kentucky’s culture for nearly 50 years, there is a big chance many people haven’t heard about it. If you are […]

Gay Gratitude, reflection on addiction and coming out

December 3, 2018 Culture

I would’ve loved the word “Queer” over the other words used to describe me when I was growing up. It was not an acceptable thing in the 90’s to be gay in Louisville, Ky. I was sick, depressed, and full of fear my whole life. I knew I was attracted to men as far as […]

#unstoppable

December 1, 2018 Culture

Queer Kentucky sent two youth mentors from the Louisville, Kentucky community to the Baptiste Foundation’s #unstoppable program. This is a training for anyone who works with youth – school teachers, school counselors, aides, coaches, community center employees, police officers, etc. Our participants learned through personal experience, a set of tools to teach basic yoga poses, breathing, […]

Gender, color, sexuality

November 26, 2018 Culture

Jerika Jones, Kentucky What does the word Queer mean to you? I think Queer means living a life that is otherwise considered different from mainstream and also heteronormative lifestyle. I choose words carefully because gay lifestyles are becoming more “mainstream,” but often tend to fall into heteronormative ideas and I’m reluctant to call all gay […]

A Western Kentucky Queer

November 15, 2018 Culture

Austin Norrid, Hopkinsville The word queer to me is about chosen family. For many queer folks, relationships with our given families can be strained at times, but we have the opportunity to create families of our own within the queer community. What the word queer offers that LGBTQ* doesn’t, is one word for our entire […]

Wordsmith rediscovers home in Queer Kentucky

November 13, 2018 Culture

Sarah Gardiner – Gay/Lesbian, She/Her/Hers Owner of Nanny Goat Books, writer, editor, and small-press publisher Queer is a word I’ve only recently adopted. When I came out at 19, Gay was the umbrella term used for anyone in my LGBTQ+ circle. I was living in DC at the time, and though the community was incredibly […]

Friday Flowers

November 11, 2018 Culture

Kenyatta, 24, Louisville What does the word queer mean to you? The work Queer to me means someone who’s not afraid to be themselves and live free without a care in the world. How do you identify? I identify myself as a non-binary pansexual. I’ve came to a point in my life where where you […]

Pronouns Matter, using them with respect saves lives

November 7, 2018 Culture

Pronouns matter. Apart from name, they are the main way we address other humans in conversation, thought, and identity. So understanding them and getting them right is vital. Let’s start by defining the concept. Pronouns are the words we use when referring to another person. The three sets you will hear most often are: The […]

From Lewis County to Louisville

October 28, 2018 Culture

Kaleb McCane, Lewis County I’m from Vanceburg, KY. I love it in Lewis County, but moving to Louisville was a great decision for me because getting out of the small town environment allowed me to grow as my own person and learn who I truly am. It also taught me how to think independently in […]

Manhattan visits Kentucky, reflects on southern roots

October 24, 2018 Culture

Queer? To be completely honest, the meaning of the word Queer has been a bit of a conundrum. The definition, personally, changes daily. When I was initially introduced to the concept of what I think Queer is today, which I think is something quite radical, I didn’t think I was radical enough. What I’ve come […]

Free mom hugs in Pikeville

October 22, 2018 Rural/Appalachia

Marty Wayman, Frankfort I have a son with autism, a gay son, a “son of my heart,” who came out as trans at the beginning of the year. He’s 16, and one of the reasons Free Mom Hugs has been an organization which I choose to support with all of my energy. Free Mom Hugs, […]

Preventing HIV with VOA FIT is easy: Safe sex, PrEP

October 5, 2018 Culture

By Pablo Archila HIV is 100% preventable. We aren’t just limited to condoms and hand jobs anymore, there’s medicine that can prevent HIV infection called PrEP. PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, is a once daily pill taken to prevent HIV infection. Think of it as the birth control for HIV. Meaning, it only works if you […]

Making an LGBT+ Hub in Appalachia

October 4, 2018 Rural/Appalachia

by Jordan Roach-Calderone Kyle May has always wanted to help people at some capacity, in college he studied counseling. Now he’s currently working in mental health at the Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, as their Healing Program Clinical director, focusing on getting grant assistance to help people in this region who have survived trauma. That’s […]

Mitchell Martin on The Laramie Project and Queerness

October 3, 2018 Culture

My first experience with the word queer was that it meant weird. I remember driving home and my mom asked my friend how his day at school was. He sighed and said, “queer”, and then he explained to me that queer meant odd, or weird. Years later, I found out it was a gay slur, […]

QKY Writer Jordan takes on Appalachia

October 2, 2018 Rural/Appalachia

Queerness to me is the ability to talk about a marginalized identity across several cultural lines, it leaves room for identities outside of colonial standards and binaries, even for those of us who don’t have the words in our ancestral languages to talk about them. My identity continues to evolve as I come to understand […]

I Remember Doing the Time Warp

September 17, 2018 History

By Remy Sisk In the spring of 1973 at the Royal Court’s Theatre Upstairs, an eclectic bunch of actors and designers were preparing to open an extraordinarily unconventional musical called, “They Came from Denton High.” At the insistence of director Jim Sharman, creator Richard O’Brien’s mashup of glam rock, Steve Reeves muscleman flicks,1950s early rock […]

Gay, not lesbian

September 5, 2018 Culture

Lindsey Norris, Louisville, Kentucky What does the word queer mean to you? To me, it’s an umbrella for anyone who does not identify as heterosexual. How do you identify? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything at all? I identify as gay, just because that describes that I am interested in people of the […]

Queer Folks

August 31, 2018 Culture

Amelia Pantalos, Louisville, Kentucky What does the word queer mean to you? I like the word queer, it’s expansive to me. It describes the attitude of being indifferent to, dismissive of, or in direct opposition to mainstream expectations of beliefs and behaviors. And “queer” doesn’t have the word “sex” in it, which I like, because […]

Bevin attacks LGBT rights

August 25, 2018 Culture

By Wesley Whistle, QKY Contributor Governor Matt Bevin is at it again. After calling Kim Davis “an inspiration to American Children” and filing a brief arguing a company shouldn’t have to make Pride shirts, Bevin is attacking LGBT rights again. Now, Governor Bevin is arguing that companies are allowed to fire someone based on […]

Coming back to self

August 23, 2018 Culture

Jon Tenholder, Louisville Kentucky What does the word Queer mean to you? Queer for me is knowing, existing, embracing that I am part of a minority, outside of the heteronormative stories we have been told year after year about human life, survival, purpose. Being queer is my heart saying my journey is different, more […]

Queer means Power

August 20, 2018 Culture

Daniel Bond, Kentucky The word queer to me means a lot, but if I had to put it down to a word it’s “power.” Some of the best people I know and love are queer. I identify as pansexual and male. I don’t necessarily care for the gender of the person, just as long […]

“The Welcoming Rainbow Umbrella”

August 14, 2018 Culture

Andy Aliaga-Mendoza, Kentucky by way of MN What does the word queer mean to you? It’s the welcoming rainbow umbrella. How do you identify? Why? Or why don’t you identify as anything at all? I like to identify as both bisexual and queer and I use the two interchangeably. I tend to use bisexual […]

Beth Rich, Queer Kentucky Writer

August 11, 2018 Culture

I am thrilled to be a writer for Queer Kentucky, and excited to share my story here. This is the first time I’ve shared parts of this publicly, and I am excited to have the space and support to do so. Queer-ness to me is about how I see, experience and interact with the […]

My name is Brandon Shaw. Thank you for reading.

August 9, 2018 Culture

The word “queer” wasn’t something I heard a lot of growing up. I remember watching “Queer As Folk” at my uncle’s place while he “watched” me after school, and I watched “Undressed” really late on MTV, and those were the first times I had seen anything gay on TV. The men on those shows […]

Remy, Writer for Queer Kentucky

Culture

What does the word queer mean to you? What I love about the word “queer” is that it can mean anything you want it to; it can be as much or as little of a label as you need for your identity, and its fluidity and freedom I think are really beautiful. When I […]

Fairness Director on Queer Kentucky

August 8, 2018 Culture

Chris Hartman, Louisville, Kentucky Queer, while still steeped in a complicated history, and hurtful to many, has overall become what I feel is among the most inclusive terms—an umbrella that works to leave no one out. I definitely identify as a member of our inclusive queer community. Where are you originally from and explain […]

Queer casual

Culture

Jaremii, Louisville, Kentucky What does the word queer mean to you? I used to see the word queer as an insult, and in most cases it was used for that purpose. These days there’s a warmth, familiarity, and pride that I never expected with the word. How do you identify? I suppose I’m gay. […]

Q&A with Queer KY Seminarian

August 7, 2018 Culture

How do you identify? I identify as a gay man. What does the word queer mean to you? I think queer is a word that is used to describe a community that is hard to fit into one label. People are used to saying, “the gay community,” but “the gay community” is exclusive because gender […]

He’s beautiful

July 27, 2018 Culture

Tyler, Edmonton, Kentucky Queer kind of just means I can do whatever I want. If I want to be butch one day I can butch it up. If I want to be femme I can. It contains no boundaries. It’s a word that means freedom. You can do whatever you want I kind of […]

Queer family

July 23, 2018 Culture

Amanda, Madisonville, Ky To me the word queer means that there is fluidity to my life and to my sexual attractions. I identify as queer or pansexual because I am attracted to who I am attracted to and their gender identification is not a factor in that attraction. I am originally from a rural […]

Diamond heart

Culture

Liv Coffman, Kentucky I spent a lot of time resenting my sexuality and being unkind to my spirit. I learned, however that accepting this part of myself demands vulnerability within. It is so vital and beautiful to be able to love the way that you love people and to be able to identify […]

Forecastle’s Queer Party Cove

July 9, 2018 Culture

Gearing up for Forecastle Festival here at the Queer Kentucky office! We are grateful to have such an inclusive event filled with art, love, sustainability and music in our state. If you’re searching for the Queerest area of the festival, check out Party Cove, founded by Mo McKnight Howe, owner of Revelry Boutique Gallery. Howe said, “Party Cove […]

femme is so underrated

July 2, 2018 Culture

Deantre, 20, Cave City, Kentucky To me, Queer is a more intellectual term. It’s more to describe a broad range of sexualities. I identify as a femme non-binary person. I don’t really have a certain pull towards a gender of sorts. I consider myself more femme because I feel like I take after my […]

Normality vs reality: Thoughts on gender

June 30, 2018 Culture

Michael Crawford, 21, Fern Creek, Kentucky I couldn’t define Queer for anyone but myself. I think queer in its singular form is a blanket term, that it is a word that falls outside of normalized identity. Queer is any contrast to how we’ve enculturated people to define, as a society, what is normal. I hate […]

Grateful, Gay, Glorious

June 26, 2018 Culture

Breson Morelos, So. Indiana and Kentucky Queer, to me, is a term that used to give me so much fear. See, in my experience, it was a term that was used to demean or harm a person who is not attracted to only the opposite sex or perhaps feel romantically inclined into pursuing. Now, […]

Country pride

June 18, 2018 Culture

J.C. Phelps, Russell County, Kentucky I was raised in a small, rural lake community in Southern Kentucky. Growing up in Russell County, being gay, queer, a part of the LGBTQ community, is a foreign concept to many. Due to this reality, I, a gay man, incessantly try to live my life as freely, boldly, […]

Pride 95’

June 15, 2018 Culture

Bob German, Kentucky Pride – 1995! I’ve posted this picture before. It’s from the Pride march back in 1995. Yes 1995!! Shut up. I’m marching this evening as a guest of one of our largest corporations in town. A friend works their. I believe the company is a sponsor. Back in 1995 there was NO […]

Arsini Music

June 13, 2018 Culture

Arsini, 24, Kentucky I have a lot of songs about it which I would love to share with you later, but aren’t ready and won’t be for a while. Check out Arsini Music, here! I’d say queer means being anything other than cis and/or heterosexual. I identify as gender fluid, but the label isn’t that […]

Bless the gender journeys

June 10, 2018 Culture

Morgan Frierson, Kentucky Queer to me encompasses bits and pieces of all identities/genders/attractions. It is a term that illustrates purposeful ambiguity in the spectrum of love. This ambiguity brings confidence and comfort. It is freeing. When first coming out eleven years ago, I felt I had to identify as “one” sexuality, “one” gender, and […]

Pray for the Prodigal Daughter That returned home a Son.

May 31, 2018 Culture

Ken, 23, Barren County, Kentucky Pray for the Prodigal Daughter That returned home a Son. Praise for the Boy who journeyed into Manhood without the guidance of a Father. Blessed is he, with a new name. Pray for the loss of a Sister, Fleeting dreams of children that would not be born Praise for the birth […]

Simple enough, right?

May 25, 2018 Culture

Owen McClintic, 31, Kentucky by way of Indiana I don’t get “clocked” as queer too often and I used to struggle with that. Am I queer enough? Do I suppress my queerness because of internalized homophobia? I don’t like makeup, I don’t like leather, I don’t have a diva, Im not into pups, I […]

Oh, be joyful!

May 21, 2018 Culture

Joy Wilson, 39, Lexington, Kentucky Queer is a personally affirming identity that encompasses a larger umbrella of an LGBT scope. I identify as queer and use the pronouns she, her, they and them. I identify as dyke as well, so I can say the word casually. It’s a confident self-affirming female and I think it’s […]

Genderqueer

May 15, 2018 Culture

Jess, Crestwood, Kentucky To me, the word queer is like a safe space to define one’s gender and/or sexuality. It’s taken me a long time to figure out where I fit on the queer spectrum. I’m honestly still trying to figure it out, but at this time I identify as genderqueer (person who feels […]

Strength in family, strength in me

May 10, 2018 Culture

Timmy Singer, Oldham County, Kentucky, 24 “When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.” – Alexander Den Heijer Queer to me is inclusion & pride, but Google will tell you otherwise. Like most marginalized groups taking back a word with negative connotations gives us power and takes […]

Queer condoms commence!

May 8, 2018 Culture

After the 1,000 condoms are dispensed out into the Kentucky community, we will start planning our NEXT condom giveaway. Any business can partner with us on this program. We love community and we love partnership. We are advocates for health here at Queer Kentucky, and we realize that not everyone has access to safe […]

Artist John Brooks

May 3, 2018 Culture

John Brooks, Frankfort, Kentucky On the word “queer” I turned 40 in early March, so I grew up mostly in the 1980s. When I was a kid, I never heard the word queer unless it was a slur hurled by people usually my parents’ age or older. In my memory, queer was usually plural and […]

XXX Worker pushes boundaries

May 1, 2018 Culture

Simon Spark, Mt. Washington, Kentucky Growing up (mostly) in Bullitt County, I was thankfully introduced to transgressive artists like David Bowie, Lydia Lunch, Marilyn Manson, and Courtney Love at a young age. Even though most of them weren’t gay, they expressed and carried themselves in a way that inspired me. They confused my family […]

Artist workin’ the fur

April 29, 2018 Culture

David J. Welker, Louisville, Kentucky by way of New Orleans, Minnesota and Ohio I have this sad obsession with fur coats. But they’re so cheap at Goodwill sometimes. One of them was real, but it was four dollars. It’s the one thing I feel I can pull off that I don’t see a lot of […]

Titty Tiki Tuesdays

April 27, 2018 Culture

The Limbo is Louisville’s newest and only tiki lounge and the home of Titty Tiki Tuesdays. Ethel Loveless hosts and produces this show every Tuesday with different performers each week. Many forms of burlesque, boylesque, drag, and other varieties are included in the night’s festivities. You never know what you’re going to get! The […]

She thrives and survives

April 25, 2018 Culture

Syimone, DJ from Louisville, Kentucky Queer means independent to me. It means that you are standing up and claiming who you are and who you can be. I identify as trans, and as history has taught us, trans women were the movers and shakers of this movement. Trans women of color don’t get the respect […]

Joshua

April 22, 2018 Culture

Joshua, Meade County, Kentucky I’m here, I’m queer, and I’m just trying to find balance. I think it’s important to find balance with queer identity because it can’t be your soul self. It’s an aspect of who I am but it doesn’t need to rule my entire life.

Pretty in pink

April 16, 2018 Culture

Zach, 24, Kentucky Placing my sexuality and identity on a scale for me has gotten to be wrong. I’ve found that my best self is the one who dresses how I want to dress, saying what I want to say, and doing what I want to do. I spent way too long trying to […]

From Bardstown to the city

April 13, 2018 Culture

Kelsie, 25, Bardstown I didn’t know I was a lesbian when I was growing up in Bardstown. It was one of those battles I fought in my head; I had convinced myself I was straight. Being straight was the norm and none of my friends were gay; they were all stright. When I moved […]

Drop us a line

April 12, 2018 Culture

We are magical. Do you have something you’d like to say? Some art you would like to display? A poem if you may? We’ve run out of rhymes, okay? Submit anything you want. Snap a Polaroid or we will snap one for you! Email us at [email protected]

Acting as one community

April 10, 2018 Culture

“We have to become a united queer community. We are the most magical people there are and we have to remember to tap into that power once we find that magic within ourselves.” -Jaison Gardner, Activist, Entrepreneur, Kentucky

Poet spitting through silence

April 9, 2018 Culture

Tessa, 24, Kentucky This poem gave me a voice for my family to hear. The first time I spit that piece they had never heard it. Me being gay was a taboo issue. It was a way to force my family to listen. They couldn’t scream at me from the audience and my struggle was […]

Tossed back to Midwest

April 5, 2018 Culture

José, Louisville/Lexington, Kentucky I moved here a month before the 2016 presidential election…and moved back to Portland, Ore. for six months after the election before returning. I think everybody felt very devastated, my partner and I felt devastated and we didn’t have a community to fall back on because we didn’t know anyone in […]

Love the stache

April 3, 2018 Culture

Eric Logan Bates, Kentucky, by way of everywhere else “I’m glad to have met you. I like cuddling with you and shit.” “It’s gonna happen again boy. I like chillin with you. Because I love the picture tbh.” “I’m surprisingly a fan too. Normally it’s the opposite.” “It’s because I made you happy. Duh” […]

We knew we were fierce

March 31, 2018 Culture

Pablo, Lexington, Kentucky I feel like the word gay is kind of like a white man’s term. Because when I was growing up watching shows like Queer Eye and other media about gay men, it was never about men who looked like me or my friends. All my friends growing up were black or […]

Comfortable and ambiguous

March 30, 2018 Culture

Rebekah Frank, Louisville, Kentucky Queer? I love it. It’s a celebration. It’s open. It’s ambiguous. It’s comfortable. It represents infinite possibilities of what it means to be not straight and I love that. You could be anything you want. Originally, I came out as bisexual when I was 12…to my parents, not just my […]

A small note from us

March 28, 2018 Culture

Dear Readers, Here at Queer Kentucky, we aim to educate, entertain and instill pride and hope. We have created a platform for Queer people from all around our great bluegrass state to share experience, ideas, philosophies, emotions, and on and on and on. Our voices may sometimes be unfortunate, cheerful, inappropriate and sometimes down-right […]

Everybody loves queer people

Community, Culture

Ty Francis, Louisville, Kentucky I am a man of color and gay. I’m open with it. I like to wear nice clothes and be fashionable. I like to change up my appearance based on where I’m going and how I’m feeling and I love it. Fuck, everybody loves queer people right now. I feel like […]