FROM METRO STREETS TO APPALACHIAN TRAILS

Diamond heart

July 23, 2018/0 Comments/in News/by Queer Kentucky

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 that for yourself.

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LINK IN BIO photos by Jon Cherry Along Main Street

LINK IN BIO 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 to Eastern Kentucky more than 15 years ago. ⁠
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The move home for Smith (she/they) wasn’t part of their plan: Smith was at seminary school in San Francisco back in 2008 when she got a call from her grandfather. ⁠
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Louisville Locations⁠
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LINK IN BIO When Kyle Scott heard former President

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LINK IN BIO story by @belletownsendky With the heated political climate for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, there have been many responses from communities across the state– from anger, to hope, to exhaustion.⁠
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In 2023, in response to the first legislative session with a slate of anti-LGBTQ+ bills, young Kentuckians rallied in the hundreds at the state capital to fight SB 150. In 2024, after the second legislative session with more anti-LGBTQ+ bills, many students were left feeling immobilized, defeated, and afraid. ⁠
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So let’s start with Whitesburg. Located in Letcher County and right on the Kentucky/Virginia border, Whitesburg is the home of 2,321 working-class and working-poor Kentuckians. It’s the place where Michele spent a large part of her childhood running around outdoors, fishing, and learning what community is all about. And if you look at Michele’s life now, it’s still filled with a lot of running around outdoors, fishing, and showing others what community is about.⁠
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Now living in Cincinnati, Michele returns to Whitesburg regularly to take her young kids fishing in the same waters that she grew up in. After the 2022 flooding that decimated parts of Whitesburg, it’s a place that she’s returned to time and time again with food, supplies, and an army of community behind her. ⁠
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