Queer Kentucky

Last night we hosted our first Queer Conversation on Substance Use in NKY/Cincinnati, and were blown away by the participation from our community. Excited to see what resources are created, amplified, and improved from this first meeting.

Thanks, Louisville Business First!

We’re excited to announce the first-ever Bourbon & Belonging: Kentucky’s Queer Bourbon Week, coming October 2-6, 2024, hosted by Queer Kentucky! 🥃🌈 During this week-long celebration, participants can attend tours, tastings, and gatherings designed to showcase Kentucky’s signature bourbon industry and southern hospitality to LGBTQ+ visitors from around the world, all while fostering safety, belonging and togetherness. Experiences will be held across Kentucky in these official sponsor cities:   @visitbardstown @bullitttourism @visitfrankfortky @gotolouisville @visitlex @meetnky @paducahcreativecity @alwaysoriginalwinchesterky Bourbon & Belonging will help raise vital funds for Queer Kentucky and other Kentucky LGBTQ+ community service organizations. To be the first to know about ticket releases, upcoming events, how to make your travel plans and more, visit bourbonandbelonging.com. | #BourbonAndBelonging

Of the slate of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this session, it looks like the healthcare discrimination, religious freedom expansion, anti-drag, and anti-DEI bills are all dead. There is always the chance that bills that did not pass will be infused into bills that have passed, like HB 470 was infused into SB 150 last year. We’ll continue to report on any development of all anti-LGBTQ+ bills to ensure that any quiet infusions are covered. Of the bills named anti-LGBTQ+ this legislative session, the anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) bills were the source of some of the widest statewide controversy. However, it looks like both bills dubbed as anti-DEI, House Bill 9 and Senate Bill 6, are DEAD. March 28th was the last day for lawmakers to pass veto-proof bills. Even if the bill is revived after lawmakers return from the veto period, lawmakers would not have time to override Governor Andy Beshear’s likely veto. On March 29th, seven independent, student-run newsrooms at seven of Kentucky’s public universities collaborated on an editorial stand in support of DEI initiatives on campus. To the best of our knowledge, this is unprecedented to have student media coordinating at this level. These student newsrooms are providing commentary that encapsulates perspectives from rural, urban, eastern, and western Kentucky. The editorial reads, “We call on the Kentucky General Assembly to do better. We call on the General Assembly to realize that DEI initiatives and the discussion and acceptance of diversity are in the best interest of every single student, faculty and staff member at each public university campus in the commonwealth.” The editorial continues, “Despite what certain lawmakers in Kentucky and around the nation might think, diversity is not going away. The world is moving forward, and Kentucky cannot be left behind.” Price Wilborn, Commentary Editor for the College Heights Herald and coordinator of the editorial, shares, “I had the opportunity to make a statement, and I knew I had to take it.” This story is part of a series from Queer Kentucky focused on following the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly from a queer lens. Follow Queer Kentucky on your favorite social media platform to stay up-to-date with our GA24 coverage.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER: QUEER KENTUCKY ISSUE 05 *Presale orders get a free Queer Kentucky Sticker Pack *⁠ ⁠ Queer Kentucky’s newest issue dives into gender and what it’s like for the queer community to “Reimagine Masculinity.” Featuring original stories and art from LGBTQ+ creatives, this issue is also our first to offer two collectible covers: Noah J. Ricketts of Fellow Travelers and Broadway fame and Zain Curtis of SENSITIVE CONTENT Magazine.⁠ ⁠ Ships mid-late April.⁠ ⁠ Cost includes Shipping https://lnkd.in/getvda95

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER: QUEER KENTUCKY ISSUE 05 *Presale orders get a free Queer Kentucky Sticker Pack *⁠ ⁠ Queer Kentucky’s newest issue dives into gender and what it’s like for the queer community to “Reimagine Masculinity.” Featuring original stories and art from LGBTQ+ creatives, this issue is also our first to offer two collectible covers: Noah J. Ricketts of Fellow Travelers and Broadway fame and Zain Curtis of SENSITIVE CONTENT Magazine.⁠ ⁠ Ships mid-late April.⁠ ⁠ Cost includes Shipping

My name is Jim and I am an addict. I’ve been in recovery continuously since September 11, 1986. I got clean at the age of 19 and I’m 56 now. I don’t know if I ever had any real choice about whether or not I was going to become an addict, there’s still some debate on whether or not it’s got anything to do with genetics, in which case then I probably didn’t, but I know for certain that I never had any choice about being gay. Editors note: Queer Kentucky was built on a foundation of community. And as an organization that lives and breathes community, we are acutely aware of when our members are hurting. LGBTQ+ people are succumbing to substance use disorder at an alarming rate and Queer Kentucky is determined to loudly discuss this topic through a series of stories of hope and recovery. We hope to instill hope into those who think they cannot come back from the dis-ease of addiction. You can recover…we can recover. https://lnkd.in/gK8F6hY4

PRISM is a storytelling series amplifying the experiences, creativity, and imagination of Black, Brown, and Indigenous storytellers based in Kentucky. by Persephanie Chiddick The country of my origin celebrated her 42nd year of independence from Great Britain the same month that I turned 32, November 2023. I stood over my latest attempt at our national dish, Pepperpot, pondering what it meant to be born 10 years after my people gained their freedom. READ MORE: https://lnkd.in/dabYwnZ3

A national kerfuffle over whether or not a bill is a threat, the moves to ban drag, and national think tanks influencing Kentucky state policy… oh my! Updates on HB 747, HB 5, SB 6, and SB 147