The Head Butch in Charge: Missy Spears

Queer Kentucky’s New Executive Director to Lead Organization’s Future

This story is part of ISSUE 05: Reimagining Masculinity. The magazine is available for purchase here.

Before I understood queerness, I understood masculinity. When I was a child I emulated masculine stereotypes at every turn, grabbing a hammer I could barely hold to help on a project my dad was working on; wearing my cousin David’s corduroy suit to kindergarten; using the bubbles from the bath to form a foam beard around my tiny jaw. Doing anything and everything to show off in front of a girl. I knew I was different than other girls, but it wasn’t until my mom asked me at age seven, after finding a piece of paper on which I had written “I love Alison,” over and over again in the perfect cursive I was practicing, if I was gay that I had a term to describe myself. Without being told what the word meant, I immediately knew I was gay. And I immediately knew to hide it.

Never in a million years would that scared, isolated, seven-year-old imagine that this would be their life. Married to an incredible woman. Openly queer. Accepted. Loved. And running a quickly growing storytelling-based nonprofit focused on the LGBTQ+ community. 

It feels weird introducing myself to you because I feel like I already know you. I’m a 44-year-old Queer that calls Kentucky home. Pink hair. Masculine clothes. Big dreams. Bigger mouth. Neurodivergent. Mentally ill. Former food stamp recipient. College dropout. And I’m the new Executive Director of Queer Kentucky.

I’m a huge proponent of community building by creating spaces that are inviting to the folks most often left on the sidelines. I believe that inclusivity is an intentional action, and that tools like authenticity, storytelling, grassroots marketing, and the word “fuck” are too often underutilized. And I believe that we don’t need approval to do things. Half of the projects on my resume are because I got mad and just did something. Too many stray cats getting hit by cars? Create a TNR program called “Cut Your Balls Off Covington.” White supremacists putting up recruiting stickers in your neighborhood? Organize your neighbors to identify and remove the propaganda. Gentrification increasing food insecurity around you? Co-found a free fridge program on private property.

I am so grateful to Queer Kentucky’s founder Spencer Jenkins for creating and growing such an incredible organization, and I am excited that he has moved into the Editor-in-Chief position, now able to use his journalism skills full time on our web-based and print editorial content. We have so much still left to show you this year, including two more magazines that we’ve been working on since January, and we are excited for where the organization is heading. From April to December of this year you can expect this from Queer Kentucky:

• An increased focus on the parts of Kentucky outside of Louisville and Lexington. While those cities will remain a big part of what we do, we can’t ignore the fact that the LGBTQ+ community exists in every corner of this beautiful state. Pikeville, Morehead. Bowling Green, Hazard, NKY, Paducah, and more. We’re coming for you.
• Continuing to prioritize queer health and wellness, with an emphasis on substance use, recovery, harm reduction, and access to care. Yet again, our community is dying, and it’s not being discussed. We want to uplift the folks on the ground, connect with those struggling to know that they aren’t alone, and also dive into why it’s so hard for the LGBTQ+ community to receive care at recovery centers without dealing with additional barriers.
• This past January, we launched our first civics-based program which saw us hire a political correspondent to cover the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly and all of the bills, people, and events that will most heavily impact the queer community. Not only do I plan on making this program recurring, but I plan on expanding upon it to introduce other civic resources to our audience. Local and state government impacts queer lives on the daily, and getting folks engaged is a personal passion of mine. Expect more.
• In October we are launching “Bourbon and Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week”, our weeklong celebration taking place in eight cities across Kentucky, with the goal of making Kentucky’s top product more inclusive and welcoming. 
• And finally, Issues 6 and 7 of our magazine are still to be released, our first issues designed and scheduled around specific events and themes. In August, Issue 6, our Bourbon and Belonging issue, will be released, bringing more depth and visibility to the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC bourbon community throughout Kentucky. In late October, Issue 7 will hit the shelves, showcasing “25 Years of Fairness.” Created in partnership with historians, archivists, community leaders, artists, and elected officials, this issue will track the twenty five year history of Fairness ordinances, the stories behind these advancements, and the work still left to do.

I realize that there is a lot of responsibility in this position and that as I report to my board, I also report to you. You are what makes this organization great. Your stories. Your passion. Your ability to pinpoint and call out bullshit. Your ability to love and offer forgiveness. I look forward to getting to know so many of you through my work at Queer Kentucky, but also through simply being one of you.

Let’s fucking go.