LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Pride isn't a new concept, but our understanding of the queer and trans community grows every day. The LGBTQIA+ community in Louisville spans generations - from Boomers to Gen Z - and they've played an important role in the city's past, present, and future.
We put together a panel including some members of this community to hear their thoughts on what Louisville does well, and how it can become a more equitable and inclusive place.
Here's who we spoke to:
- Abel Otto (he/him) - Louisville
- Erica Ware (she/her) - St. Matthews
- Sydni Hamptom (they/them) - Louisville
- Uhstel H. Valentine (they/them) - West Louisville
- Greg Bourke (he/him) - St. Matthews
Safe Queer Spaces
"I moved here from Cleveland and, see, in Cleveland, we had an LGBT center...I went there a lot for my safe space, but here in Louisville, I can't find that at all." - Erica
"A lot of our adult spaces that are queer, as far as I'm aware, they're all boozy." - Sydni
"It takes a lot of effort to find some of the queer spaces because it is so underground still for us here. We have one or two small areas where a lot of us congregate but it does not count as a queer space, we just make it into one." - Uhstel
"I think there is an opportunity for people to get involved with the fairness campaign as a volunteer… It's a good way to connect to people so it's something else you can do. It's productive, you feel like you're getting something done." - Greg
Some of the faces of Louisville's LBGTQ+ community
Corporations and Pride
"I think it's great when corporations come in and they put their money behind things they believe in. Pride is something that most corporations, big corporations especially, and those in our community have really gotten behind." - Greg
"I also think there are some who are jumping on the bandwagon because it is the popular thing to do and it is the thing that is accepted right now. So, they join in - that way they don't look like the bad guy." - Uhstel
"And then turn around and have discriminatory hiring practices where they might not hire someone who has their pronouns in their resume or not hire someone who is trans or too gay or too Black." - Sydni
Racism
"You're looking around and all you see is white, and white, and white, and you're like where do I sit, where do I stand?" - Uhstel
"When I moved here and I moved into St. Mathews, I see a lot of white people. And in the back of my mind, I'm like, 'I don't belong here.' And I'm gay. Ya know? So, it's tough to navigate but like I said I've done a lot of healing work and try to make myself understand that I am not the problem. I truly believe that when someone looks at someone else and they see anger, they are seeing themselves." - Erica
"Growing up as a flamboyant Black boy, I was always looked at as soft or less than my brothers, my uncles, my cousins - because I wasn't as strong. I wasn't as tough. Then, growing up and looking at the world around me, I saw that, well, Black people are aggressive, Black people are the problem, Black people are doing the crimes. They bring it on themselves, they're disobedient and I'm like wait, I'm too weak to be a part of my family but I'm too aggressive to be a part of society?" - Uhstel
Being Out in School
"It's weird...because, like, I'm really open about myself so I don't really care what people say but it is just kind of weird what people ask." - Abel
"I feel like just educating children when they're young and having sources for them to go to would help a lot... If they had someone to teach them about stuff. Because I feel like that's just an issue is they don't get taught about it and they don't understand." - Abel
Contact reporter Tom Lally at tlally@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter (@tomlallyky) and Facebook.
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