What Queer Kentucky does

Queer Kentucky is a nonprofit, reader-supported newsroom founded in 2018 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. It is the only dedicated LGBTQ+ newsroom in the state, providing independent journalism on legislation affecting LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, health and harm-reduction reporting, and statewide coverage of queer culture, art, and community across urban and rural regions including Appalachia.

The organization operates a multi-product portfolio centered on its core newsroom website (a standard WordPress platform with e-commerce integration), a quarterly print and digital magazine series with themed issues, the annual Queer Kentucky Health Survey research initiative (4,100+ respondents across 47 states and 76 counties), and the Bedfellows monthly giving donor program. Print magazines are distributed through both the direct-to-consumer storefront and the IngramSpark wholesale platform.

Queer Kentucky's revenue model is diversified across small-dollar recurring donations (Bedfellows), one-time donations, magazine sales ($20-$23 per print issue, with many digital issues free), and branded merchandise. The organization employs 16 staff and freelance contributors and has been recognized twice by GLAAD and honored with the NLGJA Jeanne Córdova Award. In 2025, despite absorbing a 42% funding cut, the newsroom achieved record output of 248 stories and reached 8 million readers, with triple-digit geographic expansion across Lexington, Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky, and Appalachia.

Name

Queer Kentucky

Legal name

Queer Kentucky

Website

https://queerkentucky.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Queer Kentucky is a nonprofit, reader-supported newsroom and Kentucky's only dedicated LGBTQ+ publication, producing independent journalism, a themed magazine series, and an annual statewide health survey for LGBTQ+ Kentuckians.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent LGBTQ+ Journalism and Community Media

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• LGBTQ journalism
• Independent newsroom
• Community reporting
• Health survey research
• Print magazine publishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Monthly Giving (Bedfellows): Community-supported funding through monthly donations and one-time contributions. The Bedfellows program provides recurring support to sustain operations.
2. Print and Digital Magazine Sales: Sale of print and digital magazine issues through their website and IngramSpark distribution. Issues include themes around queer identity, culture, bourbon industry, and community stories.
3. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including print issues and specialty products through the QKY Gear storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Queer Kentucky is Kentucky's only dedicated LGBTQ+ newsroom, publishing original journalism on legislation, culture, and health affecting LGBTQ+ Kentuckians. It sells a recurring themed print and digital magazine (Queer Kentucky Magazine) and branded merchandise through its QKY Gear storefront, while funding operations primarily through community donations and its Bedfellows monthly giving program.

Product overview

Queer Kentucky operates as Kentucky's only dedicated LGBTQ newsroom, offering a multi-product portfolio centered on independent journalism, community research, and print/email publications. The core newsroom provides real-time coverage of legislation and community stories, complemented by the annual Queer Kentucky Health Survey (research arm collecting data from 4,100+ respondents), and the Queer Kentucky Magazine (a print and digital publication series with themed issues featuring LGBTQ+ creatives, artists, and community stories). The Bedfellows monthly giving program supports funding when traditional sources disappear. The organization took a 42% funding cut in 2025 but still achieved record output of 248 stories and 8 million readers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Queer Kentucky Newsroom Kentucky's only dedicated LGBTQ+ newsroom providing real-time reporting on legislation targeting LGBTQ+ Kentuckians, health and harm-reduction journalism, and statewide coverage of queer joy, art, culture, and community, distributed through the website and email newsletter.
• Queer Kentucky Magazine Recurring print and digital magazine featuring original stories, photography, and exclusive interviews with LGBTQ+ creatives; published regularly with themed issues including queer mental health, Pride/drag, home and family, masculinity, the bourbon industry, fairness milestone celebrations, and performance. Distributed via the website and through IngramSpark wholesale.
• Queer Kentucky Health Survey Annual statewide research initiative surveying LGBTQ+ Kentuckians about lived experiences, health outcomes, and community needs; has collected data from more than 4,100 respondents across 47 states and 76 Kentucky counties.
• QKY Gear Merchandise Storefront Branded merchandise storefront selling specialty products and apparel supporting the newsroom's brand.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National LGBTQ Task ForcecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerQueer Kentucky is featured as a friend of the National LGBTQ Task Force and promotes their Creating Change conference, which is coming to Louisville in 2027. This partnership supports community building and conference promotion.
• Faulkner MorganminorOthersFaulkner Morgan is listed as a partner/organization that Queer Kentucky supports and collaborates with in the LGBTQ+ community space in Kentucky.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Autostraddle: Independent digital publication serving queer women and nonbinary readers with news, culture, and community content. Closely comparable in mission, independent/nonprofit-style operations, and reliance on reader-supported funding versus mainstream media.

Regional players

• Windy City Times: Chicago-based LGBTQ+ newspaper covering local news, politics, and culture. Directly comparable to Queer Kentucky as an independent regional LGBTQ+ news publication with print and digital products.
• Washington Blade: Long-running LGBTQ+ newspaper serving the Washington, D.C. metro area with print and digital editions. Strongly comparable as a regional LGBTQ+ news outlet with print legacy, though focused on D.C. rather than Kentucky.
• Philadelphia Gay News: One of the oldest LGBTQ+ regional newspapers in the U.S., serving greater Philadelphia. Directly comparable as a state/regional LGBTQ+ news publication with a print and digital presence.
• Dallas Voice: Texas-based LGBTQ+ newspaper serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area with news, opinion, and arts coverage. Comparable regional LGBTQ+ news outlet serving a politically complex state environment similar to Kentucky.
• Bay Area Reporter: Long-running LGBTQ+ newspaper serving the San Francisco Bay Area. Comparable as a regional LGBTQ+ news outlet covering local politics, culture, and community issues with print and digital distribution.

Broad incumbents

• Out Magazine: National LGBTQ+ lifestyle and news magazine. Comparable in that both blend editorial journalism with a print/digital magazine product aimed at LGBTQ+ readers; differs in Out's national advertiser-driven model versus Queer Kentucky's nonprofit, donation-led approach.
• PinkNews: Large UK-headquartered LGBTQ+ digital news outlet covering politics, culture, and identity globally. Comparable editorial focus on LGBTQ+ news and community, though at international scale and digital-only.
• The Advocate: One of the longest-running national LGBTQ+ news publications in the U.S. Both Queer Kentucky and The Advocate serve LGBTQ+ audiences with news, politics, and culture coverage, though The Advocate operates at a national scale versus Queer Kentucky's state-level focus.
• Them: LGBTQ+ digital publication under Condé Nast covering culture, news, and identity. Comparable audience and editorial scope (queer culture, politics, health), but Them operates at significantly larger scale and with national infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/queerkentucky
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queer-kentucky

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Queer Kentucky