LGBTQ+ programs at Kentucky’s public colleges and universities appear to be largely spared as schools implement the state’s new sweeping anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law. 

University officials testified Tuesday in front of a slate of lawmakers in Frankfort, sharing how they’re implementing House Bill 4 and what changes they’ve made thus far. 

A Queer Kentucky review of the materials submitted by each school, along with their public testimony, found few mentions of LGBTQ+ issues, gender identity or sexual orientation. 

HB 4 calls for several changes, from shuttering DEI offices to changing scholarship criteria, focused on prohibiting “a public postsecondary education institution from providing differential treatment or benefits on the basis of an individual’s religion, race, sex, color, or national origin.” 

Unlike at least one similar bill filed during the 2025 legislative session that did not pass, HB 4 does not specifically mention anything targeting LGBTQ+ initiatives on campus. But LGBTQ+ students and staff have still seen a few changes. 

Earlier this year, both the University of Louisville and the University of Kentucky canceled their Lavender Graduation ceremonies — events separate from the full, formal commencement ceremony designed to celebrate the achievements of LGBTQ+ students. 

“It’s devastating,” Byron Terry, director of U of L’s LGBT Center, said at the time. “It’s going to be even more difficult to create space for students who may have never been heard before or seen before.” 

Universities blamed the passage of HB 4, as well as federal education changes under the new Trump administration. 

“The cancelation of the celebration was more about what we believe the federal government is directing and prohibiting in terms of identity-based events,” UK spokesperson Jay Blanton told Queer Kentucky Thursday. 

Blanton said he was unaware of any other changes impacting the LGBTQ+ community outside of what officials told lawmakers about and what they’ve already told the UK campus community about. 

At U of L, the LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Association was one of several employee groups that got disbanded due to HB 4. 

Both LGBT Centers tied to the school — one for its main Belknap campus, and another for its health sciences campus — continue to exist, but the Belknap center is now under the umbrella of the rebranded Center for Belonging, Access and Engagement. 

“Broadly, we’ve had to ensure that all programming is open to all students, not just members of one protected class,” U of L spokesperson John Karman said when asked about HB 4 and LGBTQ+ efforts. “Similarly, some job descriptions may have had to be altered so that the employees are providing services that are open to all.”

Almost all universities told lawmakers they believe they’re in full compliance with HB 4. The few that didn’t said they are well on their way to being fully compliant. 

But, some added, their schools are so large, that they expect questions about potential issues with HB 4 to continue to arise, and those will be dealt with as needed. 

Outside of LGBTQ-specific issues, what changed on campus due to HB 4 depends on which school. Some of Kentucky’s smaller public universities reported minimal changes because they already didn’t have a DEI office or officer, and weren’t spending much on diversity-related initiatives. 

Others, including UK and Northern Kentucky University, said they already disbanded their diversity, equity and inclusion office before HB 4 was even filed. Kentucky’s lone public HBCU, Kentucky State, said they had done away with having a chief diversity officer years before Frankfort started debating how to restrict DEI efforts.

It is unclear if lawmakers will revisit this subject ahead of Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session, which begins in early January.