Advocacy groups across the political spectrum in Kentucky are encouraging people to get out and vote in the upcoming election – including LGBTQ+ voters.
With Election Day less than a week away, organizations like the Fairness Campaign and Queer Kentucky are urging voting-age LGBTQ+ Kentuckians to make their voice heard. They say that with the looming threat of the Republican-backed Project 2025 – a Heritage Foundation initiative that would strip away rights and protections for marginalized groups – and the large number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills put forth by the GOP supermajority in the Bluegrass State’s General Assembly this year, it’s more important than ever that queer voices be heard.
Missy Spears is the executive director of Queer Kentucky. She said it’s especially important for queer Kentuckians to pay attention to local elections and candidates because they can have more direct consequences on the livelihood of the state’s LGBTQ+ community.
“Queer voters can have a huge impact on the races, especially the local races,” Spears said. “I strongly believe that the local races impact our day-to-day lives much more than federal.”
The Republican-dominated Kentucky legislature proposed 14 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in 2024, all of which were defeated during the legislative session. However, the state legislature passed SB-150 – which effectively banned healthcare providers from providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth – last year by overriding Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s veto. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) considers it to be one of the most extreme anti-trans bills passed by the General Assembly.
The Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, the Fairness Campaign, Queer Kentucky and other organizations have all cited the growing political influence of queer voters in the Bluegrass State.
State statistics indicate there are roughly 3.5 million registered voters in the state of Kentucky. Fairness Campaign executive director Chris Hartman estimates that around 125,000 of those voters, or around 3.5%, identify as LGBTQ+.
Hartman also said that he believes – given the “extreme ways” that politics can impact and influence the state’s LGBTQ+ community – it is critical that queer voters and the queer community at large remain politically active and conscious.
“We know the impacts that elections have on our lived experience,” Hartman said. “Each year, each election cycle, we’re seeing more and more queer Kentucky voters go to the polls.”
Spears hopes to harness the growing influence of LGBTQ+ voters in Kentucky to make a difference in local and state races, but she also encourages voters to do their own research on local candidates and their policies.
Queer Kentucky has published a free, downloadable election guide on their website, which looks at the state’s electoral politics through an LGBTQ+ lens. Their website states that the guide is “designed to inform folks about what’s on their ballot, why it matters, and what those big issues are that we keep hearing about.”