Our Collections

At the heart of our archive lies a treasure trove of over 15,000 items and 250 hours of recorded interviews, spanning two centuries of Kentucky's LGBTQ history. From individuals to events, and from institutions to activism, our collections reflect the rich diversity of Kentucky's LGBTQ community, serving as a vital resource for activists, scholars, artists, and museums alike.

The collections of the Faulkner Morgan Archive are unique in two ways.

  1. We only collect material with a direct relationship to Kentucky's LGBTQ community and LGBTQ Kentuckians.

  2. We have developed an oral-history-based methodology of collecting, wherein donors are recorded describing their collection and the stories their collection holds. In effect, artifacts become tied to the oral histories of their donors, creating a rich resource for activists, scholars, artists, and museums.

Our collections represent numerous individuals, events, and institutions from across Kentucky, and help emphasize Kentucky's  important role within the broader national narrative of LGBTQ history.

Featured Collections

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Featured Collections •

All Collections

Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Bill Loggins

Material was gifted by Dr. William Loggins and Mr. Anthony Burgett and documents the Lexington Men’s Chorus, a gay choir group based in Lexington that operated from 1991 to 2003.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Cherie “C.D.” Collins

Cherie Collins, originally from Mt. Sterling, now in Boston, talks about her life in Mt. Sterling, coming to terms with her lesbianism, alongside her experiences at Morehead State University and the University of Kentucky. Cherie was one of the original members of the Women’s Commune on West Second Street, Lexington, in the early 1970s.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Edwin Hackney

Edwin Hackney was a social worker and lifelong gay activist. In the early 1980s, he implemented the Gay Services Organization Gay Line which later became GLSO Pride Center. He was a founding member of AVOL Kentucky, which in the early days was a volunteer mobilization effort to do whatever it took to care for those suffering from HIV disease when resources were scarce. He gave mental health help to the volunteers who were aiding the sick. He also served as an officer for NALGAP (National Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Addiction Professionals and their allies).

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Henry Faulkner

Henry is represented throughout many collections in our archive.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Jill Raymond

Jill Raymond delivered this material during her visit to the Faulkner Morgan Archive on January 15, 2019. It includes material from her time imprisoned for refusing to cooperate into the investigation of Susan Saxe and Kathy Power.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

John Hockensmith

Hockensmith brokered the large sale of Faulkner paintings between Greene Settle’s estate and the Carrols of First Southern National Bank. Hockensmith talks about how he met Henry Faulkner, what work he did for Henry, how Henry taught him to “see” his art, exhibits and displays, and Henry’s house on Third Street.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Kevin Bell

Kevin Bell, raised in Lexington, began his career as a hustler at the age of 12, after having been molested by a restaurant owner who afterwards gave him cash and drugs. By 14 he was working the Wall in Lexington, and was kept by several wealthy men who took him around the country. Kevin talks about Johnny Angels, Bill Sheehan, Mike McCormick, the Wall, downtown Lexington. He just turned 57, is still a drug user, and has recently been diagnosed with liver cancer. He is a long-term AIDS survivor. He currently lives on East Main Street at the Barclay East Apartments. After filming he mentioned he has a 24 year old son in Richmond, Kentucky. He identifies as trysexual, although his primary attraction is to women. He told me “if I like you, I’ll have sex with you.” He is a sweet man, asking constantly if he was “okay” and with a real desire to please and help.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Laura Kaplan

The material included here were gifted by Laura Kaplan, and consist primarily of photo of queer life in Lexington, Kentucky in the 1990s and assorted copies of the Central Kentuckty Pink Pages.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Louis Bickett

Louis Bickett, is a well-known Lexington artist and gay man. In this interview he talks about his childhood in Winchester, moving to Lexington at the age of 32, and the gay scene here. He also talks about the way it has influenced his art, and the distance he often felt with the gay community of Lexington. He talks about AIDS and his career at the Lexington restaurant of note, A La Lucie’s.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Mark Hurte

Mark Hurte, originally from Lancaster, entered the Lexington scene on Halloween of 1980 when he went to watch the Rocky Horror Picture Show as a freshman at Eastern Kentucky University. He became known as the drag queen Skyscraper and was close to Bradley Picklesimer, Chris "Serpentina" Sloane, and Bob Morgan. This collections includes a number of photographs from the drag scene of the 1980s, the Sybarite Balls, and his various adventures in Lexington.

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Caroline Cassin Caroline Cassin

Markus Cross

This session with Markus chronicles his life with Crossings, the gay bar at 117 North Limestone, including its founding, early activities, and its notoriously cruisy basement. Markus also talks about the Colts leather group, the bar’s all-male persona, cowboy nights, etc.

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Interested in USING Our Collections?

Dive into Kentucky's rich LGBTQ history with access to over 15,000 items and 250 hours of oral history. Whether you're a researcher, artist, activist, or simply curious, our archives are open to all.