by Sarah Gardiner Walk into any vegan restaurant and you’re likely to see the two more popular staples of any “alternative”-eatery: faux-meat and queer customers. Such is the case at the Louisville Vegan Jerky Company and former Morels’ new pop-up shops quickly spreading throughout the city. Vegan and Vegetarianism have always had deep ties to …
Chocolate, liquor, auctions and more!
Kentuckiana AIDS Alliance’s annual Chocolate Fest fundraiser is Aug 3 at the Mellwood Art Center. The event is from 7 p.m. — 11 p.m.
The KAA unites local non-profit agencies to provide a unique system of support for those affected by HIV/AIDS. They serve 19 counties in and around Metro Louisville. In 2018, Queer Kentucky partnered with KAA by providing them condoms to distribute at their testing and marketing events.
Their mission is to advocate for those with HIV/AIDS and unite and empower the local HIV/AIDS service organizations that serve them. KAA honors those who have gone before through education, celebration and remembrance. And through their signature events, the Louisville AIDS Walk and Chocolate Fest, they rally support and raise funds for those affected by HIV/AIDS across Metro Louisville and Southern Indiana.
KAA reserves the right to use any photograph/video taken at any Chocolate Fest without the expressed written permission of those included within the photograph/video.
Grab your tickets here!
GENERAL ADMISSION – $45.00 ($55 at the door)
Includes:
-Decadent chocolate
-Lite bites
-Unlimited spirits
-Dazzling entertainment
-Free admission to PLAY Louisville (8/3 only, must show wristband)
…and MORE!
VIP – $100.00 ($125 at the door)
Includes all G.A. benefits PLUS:
-Access to VIP lounge
-Designated waitstaff in VIP lounge
-Signature VIP cocktail
-Swag bag
…and MORE!
Purchase tickets ahead of time and save (ticket portal closes at 4 p.m. the day of)! Tickets are non-refundable.
By Sarah Gardiner, Nanny Goat Books
Photo by: Camilla Jasis-Wallace
The first time I walked into Purrswaytions was on New Years Eve 2015.
I was supposed to be on my way to New York, but the flight was canceled and I was desperate for any sort of lesbian energy. Pulling out my phone, I googled the nearest queer bar, saw the word “dive” in the description, and knew I’d found my home for the night.
Stepping over the threshold was like stepping into a different Louisville than the one where I grew up. This Louisville was loud and glittery and very, very full of lesbians. Femmes and dykes, studs and chapsticks, queer women of every kind milled around the bar. Even more people gathered around pool tables in a room off to the side, and I could hear the unmistakable thump of a dance floor in the back.
Lesbian Heaven existed, and it was located in Germantown.
Since that night, Purrswaytions has become something of a home base for me and my queer life in Louisville. Some of my best friends have been made over beers at the rainbow lit bar, and I’ve had the joy of getting to know the lovely owners, Matt and Tina, who care more about their community than any other bar owners I’ve ever met. Over the 7+ years they have owned Purr, they’ve truly created a family of regulars who support one another and take care of each other in times of need. If someone is sick or in need of a little help, they have time and time again hosted fundraisers and benefits to bring the community together and lend whatever support they could spare.
I’ve traveled a lot, lived in major cities with queer scenes bigger than my younger, Kentucky-bred lesbian self could dream of. But none of these bars and none of these places have ever felt as welcoming as walking through the doors of Purrswaytions and being greeted on a first-name basis.
There are awesome people everywhere, and Louisville is lucky enough to have an abundance of queer-owned and queer-friendly spaces, but to make a community into a family you need to have a home. Purrswaytions is an underrated home in the Louisville queer community. Give it a chance—hell, give it a few—you just never know who you’re going to meet at such a queer staple. And, in the mean time, you’ll have the chance to support your local lesbian bar and hang around some truly lovely people.
Tell us about your business. What do you do? Why/How did it Start? Any details about the business itself you’d like us to know.
One Love Hemp Dispensary is a woman owned and led business with it’s roots in Louisville’s local business community. Co-founder Nancy Roberts owned New Earth Organics and Hydroponics for thirty years, operating New Earth Hemp Solutions since 2015. She sold New Earth Organics in August of 2018, retaining New Earth Hemp and rebranding as One Love with the help of her long time friend and neighbor, Jana Groda.
Nancy and Jana’s vision has been to provide their patients and clients with a safe space to explore wellness with CBD, with an authentic dispensary experience. One Love’s strives to teach about the endocannabinoid system and how feeding that system can relieve a myriad of symptoms. They believe that every journey to physical and emotional wellness is taken one step at a time, and make every effort to embrace each individual where they are at in that journey while assisting them to reach their wellness goals. The team at One Love also believes that a key component of healing is fun, so they provide a variety of experiences to assist in that department as well, such as edibles class, their upcoming 420 celebration, and in house dab bar.
How does your business affect the lives of LGBTQ+ community members?
We have a diverse client base with many of our LGBTQ+ community shopping with us. CBD can help everyone have more balance and well-being in their lives. As you feed your endocannabinoid system, your body heals itself and adapts better to external and environmental stressors. The LGBTQ+ community in general has had more stress in the lives than many, dealing with acceptance and discrimination, often from those they have loved most. CBD can be very effective in assisting with symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also assist your immune system and often, the affects of stress do affect immune system response. We are here to help anyone learn how CBD can help them, and our products are third party verified to assure that they are mold, pesticide, and heavy metal free!
Are you LGBTQ+ owned or allies? If allies, why do you consider yourself allies?
We are LGBTQ+ allies. We love and support people where they are, and our team all have friends and family members who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Ky Proud Thursdays: 20% off all Kentucky Proud CBD oils every Thursday.
Terpene Tuesdays: 20% off all organic strain profile terpenes on Tuesdays
We will have a big Derby sale, and we also have the official 420 celebration on April 20th!! At the Planet Bar
