HIV/AIDS Reporting — Funded Assignment

Black and Brown Queer Kentuckians: HIV, Stigma, and Survival

Negotiable by scope
Experienced journalists
BIPOC voices required
Rolling deadline

Queer Kentucky is looking for HIV stories that go deeper. We have funded assignments available for experienced journalists and storytellers ready to cover the real, complicated, human impact of HIV in Kentucky through a Black queer lens.

This is not a call for awareness content. We want journalism: reported, grounded, accountable, and told from inside the communities most affected. Working with people who are part of the impacted populations we cover is a priority for this project.

This is a requirement, not a preference: Queer people of color must be at the center of this reporting. We are looking for experienced journalists and writers who understand that covering HIV means covering race, poverty, criminalization, healthcare access, harm reduction, and what it means to be queer in a mostly rural, mostly white state.

What We Want to Cover

Strong pitches will address one or more of the following:

The experiences of Black and Brown queer Kentuckians living with HIV, including how racism, stigma, and medical mistrust shape access to testing, treatment, and long-term care
Harm reduction as a survival strategy, including the organizations, peer networks, and people doing this work outside of traditional healthcare systems and often in the face of criminalization
How harm reduction services, and the people who rely on them, are affected by stigma, policy, and underfunding across Kentucky
How criminalization of HIV status and drug use intersects with the lives of Black and Brown people navigating both harm reduction and healthcare
State and local policy decisions that directly shape HIV outcomes for vulnerable populations, told with data, expert analysis, and lived experience together
Rural access gaps for PrEP and other prevention tools: providers, transportation, awareness, and the stigma that compounds all of it
Stories that remove stigma from HIV and harm reduction through honest, humanizing reporting

We especially want stories that center rural queer communities. We are open to unexpected reported angles. If you have an approach that doesn’t fit neatly into the above but speaks to the same communities and stakes, pitch it.

A Note on Our Research

Queer Kentucky co-publishes the only longitudinal health survey of LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, with data from over 4,100 respondents across 76 Kentucky counties and 31 Appalachian counties. Our data dashboard is live on our website.

We are very interested in pitches that incorporate this data. Funded writers will have access to our research team to support their reporting. We are not looking for academic writing.

Format and Compensation

Depth Deeply reported pieces. Think data, documents, multiple sources, time invested. These are not quick-turn assignments.	Rate Negotiable. Rates depend on scope, reporting depth, and experience. We will discuss compensation as part of the pitch conversation.
Publication Digital. Published online and shared on all platforms, including the chance for republishing with other outlets.	Deadline Rolling.

On AI: We do not accept pitches, outlines, drafts, or stories where AI was used at any stage, including research, writing, outlining, or fact-checking. The idea, reporting, structure, and argument must be entirely your own.

Ready to Pitch?

Read the guidelines above, then submit through our pitch form. Be specific about your angle, your proposed sources, and why you are the right person for this story.
Questions? Email [email protected].

Submit Your Pitch →