UK Libraries Pride Night Celebrates LGBTQ* History Month

UK Libraries will celebrate LGBTQ* History Month with a Pride Night event that honors the past and builds communities for the future. 

UK students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend our free, drop-in event to learn about LGBTQ* resources, discover archival collections, listen to oral histories from the OutSouth Oral History Project, and learn about scholarship opportunities available at UK.

The event will be held on Wednesday, October 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Young Library Auditorium and Alumni Gallery at William T. Young Library. Free food and drinks will be provided.  

The Alumni Gallery will feature informational and interactive tables and highlight several exhibits with images and materials from UK Libraries and other area collections. The Young Library Auditorium will play videos from the OutSouth Oral History Project.

Alumni Gallery Tables

• Students can learn how to join the editing team for the Central Kentucky LGBTQIA+ Resource Guide. The guide collects information spanning health and medical resources, counseling and support services, books, podcasts, and community organizations supporting the Kentucky LGBTQ* community. 
• Discover resources supporting the interdisciplinary field of Lesbian Studies with our Lesbian Studies Library Guide. The guide connects users to books, films, online resources, oral histories, archival materials and special collections, recent research, and other materials relevant to the field. 
• The King Library Press will have hand-operated letterpress equipment onsite. Attendees can learn printmaking and paper crafts techniques and create Pride Flag prints. 
• Learn about and apply for the David Mudry Memorial Scholarship, a one-time $1,000 scholarship to help offset the cost of books and course materials for students with unmet financial need. 

Alumni Gallery Exhibits

• Images from Josh Porter’s “Here, Black, Femme, & Queer: Images, Stories, and History of Black LGBTQ+ Kentuckians.” The exhibit shines a light on the lives and legacies of Black, femme, and queer people from Kentucky.
• Highlights from Jack Swab’s “Guides for Queer Folks,” including travel guides, maps, postcards, and advertising materials from the 1930s to the present that document queer spaces and the formation of queer communities.
• Archival meeting minutes from the Gay and Lesbian Services Organization (GLSO). The GLSO worked to increase LGTBQ* visibility, empower community members, and educate the public. In 1996, they opened the Lexington Pride Center. The materials on display are part of the Pride Community Services Organization Publications Collection.
• Images from Reinette Jones’ exhibit, “A Pictorial History: African American Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Persons in Kentucky.” The exhibit contains images from the Special Collections Research Center’s photo collections and brings visibility to a history that is underrepresented across most archives.
• A slideshow on “Academic Libraries and LGBTQ Information Needs” addressing the challenges of curating quality primary source materials and teaching them in engaging ways.  

Young Library Auditorium

• Attendees can view interviews from the OutSouth LGBTQ+ Oral History Project. A collaboration between the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History and the UK Office of LGBTQ* Resources, the project serves as a unique repository for preserving the stories of LGBTQ* Southerners and individuals who have made significant contributions to LGBTQ* life in the US South.