Queer Kentucky

Queer Kentucky is a diverse, LGBTQ+ founded and staffed non-profit founded in Louisville and working to bolster queer health and culture through storytelling, education, and action. Most recently Queer Kentucky launched a partnership with the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky to improve LGBTQ+ mental health in the Commonwealth by breaking down the stigma attached to mental health care and removing barriers to health care access important to the LGBTQ+ community.

At the core of our work is the belief that visibility saves lives. Our most prized platform is our print magazine that we launched in 2022, featuring the unique stories and perspectives of Queers all across our Commonwealth. The Queer Kentucky print publication is distributed across Kentucky and to 20+ states, and features dozens of LGBTQ+ / BIPOC writers, bringing much needed visibility to the stories and needs of Queers across Kentucky. We also manage an online storytelling platform that draws an average of 15,000 readers per month. These platforms are the most visible form of our commitment to the art of storytelling as a means of creating social change, where various columns, features, interviews, and opinions are unfiltered and unabashedly queer. Each piece fosters connection among the queer community and awareness-building among allies, inspiring activism.  

On top of our editorial coverage, we also offer Queer-Inclusive Workplace Workshops featuring tools for employers and coworkers to support their LGBTQ+ colleagues in the workforce. The Inclusive Workplace workshop leaders self-identify as trans / nonbinary and have experienced firsthand the systemic oppression these workshops attempt to empathetically deconstruct. This layer of experience deepens the relevancy of each training and reflects our commitment to facilitating tangible change through storytelling.  Workshops have been facilitated throughout Kentucky and even nationally, and we are in the process of created a digital training that will expand our impact on companies everywhere. 

By listening to the lived experiences of those willing to share, Queer Kentucky was able to move from simply sharing the experiences to actively taking part in making queer experiences in the world easier. We continue to foster community through online and in-person activism, amplifying LGBTQ+ voices throughout our region.