Queer Kentucky

10/16/2026

Another great one from our unofficial sister org The Buckeye Flame. 🔥

A burst pipe won’t stop the music at the vinyl hub of these Cincinnati cat dads.

Alien Records has become an LGBTQ+ community space. Now, the community is stepping up to keep things spinning.

🔗 Click the LINK IN FIRST COMMENT for the full story.

10/16/2026

According to Q***r Kentucky’s 2025 survey, 29.2% of LGBTQ+ people in western Kentucky have been physically assaulted. This is nearly double the statewide rate of 15.2% and alludes to a critical crisis for LGBTQ+ folks living in western Kentucky. Back in September, Sarah Wheatley broke down more about how Western Kentucky subjects LGBTQ+ folks to the most harm and offers the least protections. Full read: https://q***rkentucky.com/western-kentucky-lgbtq-violence/

10/16/2026

No daily pill. No bottle on your nightstand.

AVOL Kentucky will soon offer injectable PrEP, the newest and longest-lasting way to prevent HIV. When taken as prescribed, PrEP lowers the risk of getting HIV from s*x by about 99%, and the injectable version means fewer doses to remember and more privacy.

For almost 40 years, the Lexington nonprofit has gone from driving people to the health department and waiting two weeks for results to running its own clinic. It now provides PrEP services to more than 200 Kentuckians.

Walk-in appointments are available Monday through Friday, and most services are free. Read the full story at q***rkentucky.com/injectable-prep-kentucky-avol.

10/16/2026

Henderson, get your horror couture ready.

Henderson KY Pride’s Haunted Haus of Drag returns to the Preston Arts Center on Friday, October 23, with a “Haunted Runway” theme, special guest Aurora Gozmic from The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, Sinema LaRue, and host Leah Halston, “The Chocolate Thunder.”

What started as a college freshman’s class project in 2024 drew 400 people to a parking lot, and its first Halloween show sold out. We talked with founder Cooper Beck about why community is the one thing no legislature can take away.

-Costume contest with prizes
-$25 general admission ($15 for Pride Circle members)
-18+ event

Read the full story and get tickets at q***rkentucky.com/henderson-ky-pride-haunted-haus-of-drag.

Photos of Aurora Gozmic (left) from Drag Race Wiki and Sinema LaRue (right) from DragSpace

10/15/2026

Surprise: Pride doesn't stop when June ends. Kentucky's LGBTQ+ community shows up and shows out all year long, and we're here to make sure you know about it.

Coming up in October:
Danville Pride: Saturday, 10/17 from 12pm-6pm at Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, KY

10/15/2026

According to our 2025 Community Health Survey, 34.5% of respondents say recent policy debates have very negatively affected their mental health. We talked with trans and nonbinary Kentuckians about the weight of going out in public, losing trust in healthcare, and searching for therapists who actually understand them. We also talked with a doctor who has watched these changes unfold in her own practice.

But there’s hope here, too. Over and over, the answer was community.

“It’s not a burden to lean on people you love.”

Read the full story at q***rkentucky.com/trans-kentuckians-mental-health.

If you’re struggling, Trans Lifeline is at (877) 565-8860, and you can call or text 988 anytime. Photos of Open Doors Counseling Center by Corabelle Bundy Jolie, Hayes Ferris by Sarah Meyer, and Delognna Cole by Delgonna Cole

10/14/2026

We're still building Q***r Kentucky's statewide map of health and wellness resources, and we can't do it without you. You know the places that don't show up on Google: the harm reduction locker at your library, the substance use support group that meets on Tuesdays, the LGBTQ+-affirming provider in your corner of the Commonwealth, the clinic quietly offering free PrEP or testing.

If it's helping people in Kentucky, it belongs on the map. No resource is too small.

Take a few minutes to fill out the form: https://observant-raptorex-e3c.notion.site/3dccc4898861808a9976d821f42c1677

What you share could be exactly what someone in your community is searching for.

10/12/2026

From the archives: In honor of Indigenous People's Day, we're resharing this powerful essay by Diikahnéhi Akwirá'es Delaronde on Two-Spirit visibility, colonial erasure, and the resilience of Indigenous q***r identity. Originally published in 2019, these words still rings true. Full read: https://q***rkentucky.com/two-spirited-visibility-matters-within-q***r-community-beyond/

10/11/2026

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Every time one of us has chosen to live openly, we've added a page to our shared history. From the activists who first marked this day in 1988 to the folks coming out to their families today, each story helps the next person feel a little less alone.

And whether you're out, still figuring it out, or not in a place where it's safe to come out yet, your story matters and your place in this community is real. You get to decide when, how, and if you share it.

This LGBTQ+ History Month, we're gathering the stories that haven't been told where we live. What LGBTQ+ history do you wish more people knew about your hometown? Fill out the form: https://observant-raptorex-e3c.notion.site/3e9cc489886180b7b192e74aac58e984?pvs=105

You can share as much or as little as you'd like, and responses can stay anonymous.

Our history is still being written, and you're part of it.