Kentucky’s 2025 legislative session is officially done.

Lawmakers left Frankfort more than a week ago, and Gov. Andy Beshear just signed off on the last bill on his desk.

So, what exactly happened this session? And where do things go from here? I’ve been covering the legislative session for Queer Kentucky for the last three months, and here are my top takeaways for y’all.

The GOP is still very much in charge

Kentucky’s legislature is 80% Republican, and they won’t let you forget it.

Now, this isn’t particularly groundbreaking — the GOP has had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers for a few years now — but it seemed slightly more dominant this year.

Debate rules got changed, ultimately preventing House Democrats from filibustering their way from stopping two anti-LGBTQ+ bills from passing. We saw fewer aisle-crossers, with Republicans seemingly presenting a more unified front when faced with high-profile controversial bills than in the past.

Beshear vetoed around 30 of the roughly 160 bills and resolutions they sent to him. All but a handful of specific line-item vetoes got overridden, with very little fight. Unlike in past sessions, where some bills or veto overrides seemed like they could fail due to infighting or divisions, it felt like everything was simply a done deal.

Turned down the temp, still got burned

Frankfort was … a little quieter than expected this year.

There are several reasons for that: A renewed focus on smaller bills and technical changes during short sessions, fewer majorly controversial bills — especially surprise ones — and infighting around them, multiple major weather events that prevented folks from getting to the Capitol.

But the LGBTQ+ community still got burned.

Beshear’s ban on conversion therapy is already gone, and he won’t be allowed to enact another one for the rest of his time as governor.

Kentuckians won’t be able to use Medicaid to cover gender-affirming health care, beginning in late June. Lawmakers passed a last-second bill clarifying that when they talk about “gender-affirming care,” they are specifically targeting treatments used for gender dysphoria.

And transgender inmates in Kentucky won’t be able to access gender-affirming health care, either.

Meanwhile, several pro-LGBTQ+ bills, including ones to enact a statewide fairness ordinance and codify Beshear’s ban on conversion therapy, went nowhere.

Eyes on Beshear

One thing that stuck out to me: A slight shift in Beshear’s approach to anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as he eyes a potential run for president in 2028.

Beshear has been lauded as being a pro-LGBTQ+ governor, being the first sitting Kentucky governor to attend the annual Fairness Rally at the state Capitol and routinely vetoing anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the past, even when he knows he’ll be overruled.

We saw a break from that this year, when he let two of the three anti-LGBTQ+ bills — specifically ones aimed at the transgender community — on his desk become law without him.

He proudly vetoed House Bill 495 — the one undoing his ban on conversion therapy and restricting Medicaid access for transgender Kentuckians — to a standing ovation at the Fairness Dinner in March.

But his veto message focused solely on conversion therapy, without mention of the untold number of transgender Kentuckians who will lose valuable health care under the bill.

And when it came to protecting the same health care access for transgender inmates, he let Senate Bill 2 become law without his signature.

“The Governor does not believe that the state should pay for gender reassignment surgeries for convicted felons, as this would mean those in prison would receive better access to medical care than a law-abiding citizen,” a press release from Beshear’s office said at the time. “However, courts have ruled that federal law may require some nonsurgical care.”

Kentucky currently only has a few dozen transgender inmates receiving treatment, and surgeries already weren’t happening. But given the current political climate and direct target on the trans community’s backs, there is a fear simply being trans will become a crime — therefore potentially making Beshear implicit in what could be a mass forced detransitioning.

He also let House Bill 501, which clarified the legislature is targeting hormone treatments for gender dysphoria, become law without his signature, even though he could’ve vetoed it and the legislature wouldn’t have been able to override him.

Next GOP target: Capitol bathrooms

It is never too early to look ahead to the 2026 legislative session, y’all. Two things to go ahead and put on your to-watch list: Budgets and bathrooms.

Lawmakers deal with the state budget every other year, so that’s to be expected, so let’s focus on bathrooms for now.

ICYMI: The 2025 session ended with a major saga involving a GOP state representative cornering a transgender woman coming out of the bathroom at the state Capitol, and right-leaning social media had a field day with it.

There doesn’t currently seem to be any policies over who can use which restroom on Capitol grounds. Trans activists have been able to use whichever facilities they’re most comfortable with without issue, I’ve been told.

But the aforementioned GOP state rep — Rep. Bill Wesley — has vowed to introduce legislation next year to require folks at the Capitol to use the bathroom tied to their assigned sex at birth. It isn’t clear how it would be enforced or if it would have much traction.

It is also important to note that next year is an election year, with all of the House seats and half of the Senate up for grabs. So folks will be looking for ways to get votes, and given how much conservative Twitter ate up this whole debacle, don’t expect this issue to go away over summer.

What’s next?

The interim legislative session — where lawmakers casually meet in Frankfort to chat about issues that could come up in the 2026 session — should begin in June and run until early December.

This is a good time to start watching the legislature because it is low-pressure, you’ll get a good sense of the actual issues at hand instead of just rushed rhetoric, and people rarely fight. It is also a good time to start talking to your lawmakers (if you’d like) and/or get involved with advocacy groups that align with issues you care about.

Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session starts Jan. 6, 2026.