Queer Kentucky Prepares Comprehensive Coverage of Kentucky’s 2026 Legislative Session
We’ve raised the money. Now it is time to head to Frankfort.
ICYMI: Thanks to dozens of generous donors during The Community Foundation’s annual Give for Good Louisville campaign, Queer Kentucky raised nearly $17,000 to provide dedicated civics, politics and policy coverage from now through the first half of 2026.
Through your donations, Queer Kentucky will provide live coverage from Frankfort as lawmakers decide who gets state funding — and who does not — in the next two-year budget. We will explain the legislation that impacts the LGBTQ+ community directly and the legislative mechanisms that often help sneak major policy changes through into law quickly and with little public knowledge or input. Also, we will continuously update a bill tracker monitoring all of the bills y’all care about most during the four-month-long legislative session.
Kentucky’s 2026 legislative session kicks off Jan. 6 and runs almost daily until mid-April— and Kentucky’s only LGBTQ-focused newsroom will be there every step of the way.
For those of you who may not know me, hi, my name is Olivia Krauth. I started covering all things civics for Queer Kentucky in June 2024, and I’ll be taking the lead on our legislative session, policy and 2026 election coverage.
I’m a lifelong Kentuckian who left Northern Kentucky to go to college at the University of Louisville, where I obtained a degree in investigative journalism and a minor in Russian Studies. Since then, I’ve largely focused my career on education and politics reporting in Louisville and Kentucky at large.
I was recently awarded Louisville’s best local writer by LEO Weekly and my Substack on Kentucky policy and politics, The Gallery Pass, was awarded third best local blog. (And Queer Kentucky was awarded the third-best local publication in all of Louisville in the same contest!)
I’m honored to be able to write for this newsroom, but I’m not going to lie: I need your help.
What do y’all care most about when it comes to politics? How should I focus my reporting in Frankfort? How and where do you prefer to get your news? What questions do you have for your elected officials?
Please take a moment and fill out this survey with your thoughts about how Queer Kentucky should cover politics, policy, elections and civics in the upcoming year. Your thoughts, suggestions and feedback will be used to guide what we write and talk about, so please don’t hold back.
The form is anonymous, but you are free to share identifying details about yourself in it if you’d like. We are not collecting your data — just your hot takes about political journalism.
Thank you in advance for your input, and for those of you whose financial support is helping make all of this coverage possible, thank you so much. Miss Give For Good but still want to help support Queer Kentucky? Consider becoming one of our Bedfellows — our dedicated group of monthly donors, from $5 to $100, who have sustained Queer Kentucky’s work when grants are disappearing. Right now, thanks to a generous match, all new monthly donors will have their donations doubled for the first three months!
Speaking of legislative coverage: Bookmark your calendars for Queer Kentucky’s two legislative preview events! We’ll discuss the latest in anti-LGBTQ+ policy efforts, what to expect out of Kentucky’s legislative session and how to effectively advocate in Frankfort.
- Northern Kentucky’s event will be Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Roebling Books and Coffee — Newport. Panelists include Fairness Campaign Executive Director Chris Hartman, policy expert Cara Stewart and Queer Kentucky political reporter Olivia Krauth. Moderated by Queer Kentucky Executive Director Missy Spears.
- Louisville’s event will be Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Story. Panelists include Fairness Campaign Executive Director Chris Hartman, Sen. Karen Berg, Rep. Lisa Willner and ACLU of Kentucky Senior Policy Strategist Jackie McGranahan. Moderated by Queer Kentucky political reporter Olivia Krauth.
