- Homosexuality
- ⚢✔ Legal
- Gay Marriage
- ⚭✔ Legal
- Censorship
- ✖ State-enforced
- Changing Gender
- ✖ Legal, but requires surgery
- Gender-Affirming Care
- ✖ Restricted
- Non-Binary Gender Recognition
- ✖ Not legally recognized
- Hate Crime Protections
- ✖ Sexual orientation only
- Discrimination
- ✖ Illegal in some contexts
- Employment Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Housing Discrimination
- ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity
- Adoption
- ✔ Legal
- Intersex Infant Surgery
- ✖ Not banned
- Military
- ✖ Lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned
- Donating Blood
- ✔ Legal
- Conversion Therapy
- ✖ Not banned
- Age of Consent
- ✔ Equal
Public Opinion
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Homosexual activity in Kentucky is legal.
Right to change legal gender in Kentucky is legal, but requires surgery.
In 2024, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released guidance for changing gender markers on state IDs which states that you may provide proof of a gender change by providing either a court order, amended birth certificate, or a letter from a surgeon.
Gender-affirming care in Kentucky is restricted.
SB 150 passed in 2023 bans minors under 18 from accessing gender-affirming care and targets doctors who attempt to provide GAC to minors under 18.
HB 495 bans KY Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care to any transgender individuals however, it is unclear if this is actually being enforced after Governor Andy Beshear stated that he cannot implement the policies stated in HB 495 due to no specific fiscal appropriations provided.
Legal recognition of non-binary gender in Kentucky is not legally recognized.
Hate crime protections in Kentucky is sexual orientation only.
LGBT discrimination in Kentucky is illegal in some contexts.
The Kentucky Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and financial transactions on the basis of sex. (KCHR interprets sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity)
Cities and counties have also passed non-discrimination ordinances which explicitly protects individuals from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Before 1999, No city or county passed any non-discrimination ordinances outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations. That changed on January 26th, 1999 when Louisville became the first city in Kentucky to pass the LGBTQ Fairness Ordinance.
LGBT employment discrimination in Kentucky is sexual orientation and gender identity.
LGBT housing discrimination in Kentucky is sexual orientation and gender identity.
The Kentucky Civil Rights Act prohibits housing discrimination on the basis of sex. (KCHR interprets sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity)
Cities and counties have also passed non-discrimination ordinances which explicitly protects individuals from housing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Same-sex adoption in Kentucky is legal.
Single adoption, joint adoption for married couples and second parent adoption for married couples are all allowed for LGBT people.
In Kentucky, businesses can discriminate against LGBT people on the basis of religion. While it is unclear if this also applies to adoption agencies, such a case has been brought up in court and ended up with the judge resigning.
Second-parent adoption had been permitted, but is not now considered unlawful following the appellate court ruling in S.J.L.S. v. T.L.S., 265 S.W.3.d 804 (Ky. App. 2008).
Intersex infant surgery in Kentucky is not banned.
Serving openly in military in Kentucky is lesbians, gays, bisexuals permitted, transgender people banned.
On February 10th, 2025, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth filed in court a memo relating to President Trump’s executive order from the previous month.
From then until March 18th, 2025, The U.S. military prohibited transgender individuals from enlisting and ceased providing or supporting gender transition procedures for service members.
Blood donations by MSMs in Kentucky is legal.
Conversion therapy in Kentucky is not banned.
All restrictions on conversion therapy including executive orders and ordinances have been banned until January 1, 2028.