Photograph of Jenny Shelton and Cherie Collins in a photo booth, from Collins' scrapbook, likely 1970s. #LGBTQHistory

Later known as Jammi, her life of advocacy continued as she moved to different states. As her obituary shares, "She was an advocate of human and animal rights and a true lover of the arts." In 2008, Shelton passed away in St. Petersburg, Florida, survived by her wife and three children.

Shelton was a member of the Lexington Women's Collective on 2nd Street. She also created and led the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Kentucky, along with Roger Ware, around 1970. This is the student group that would later go on to sue the university for official recognition.

You can read the article online, or purchase your own physical copy, at www.queerkentucky.com! #LGBTQHistory

"For one night and one night only, Lexington hosted Queer entertainers of the 1970s and 1980s. Drawn by the city’s reputation as a gay haven, and connections of several bar owners, Lexington became a “one-night stand” as celebrities stopped to perform on their way to larger cities.⁠" ⁠

Panelists include Jonathan Coleman and John Brooks as well as current and upcoming exhibitors, Jackson Markovic and Ceirra Evans.

The panel will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at Institute 193, 215 N. Limestone, Lexington, KY with a reception will follow.

This panel will discuss the work of Patrick Angus (1953-1992) and John Burton Harter (1940-2002) alongside other queer Southern artists of their generation. The discussion will further include the perspectives of contemporary artists dealing with the nuances of depicting queer life in the South.

💚 From The Archive: An LGBTQ History of Kentucky
📆 Sunday, June 8
🕗 2pm - 3pm
📍 @ Farish Theater, Lexington Public Library

This exhibit and programming was made made possible by a generous 250Lex Cultural Grant! #LGBTQHistory

Get up close and personal with some of the incredible imagery and important stories from our community. These images are just a quick glimpse at some of what you'll get to see! We hope that you and all of your friends join us as we celebrate over 200 years of Kentucky's LGBTQ history!

Stories like these show us that queerness has always been a part of Kentucky's history, but sometimes you have to uncover what has often been hidden. Our Asst. Exec. Director got a chance to visit the graves last week in Bowling Green, KY. #LGBTQHistory

His endowment was still being used to fund the public schools as late as the 1920s. Also in the 1920s, Thomas Crittenden Cherry (Superintendent of Bowling Green Public Schools) published an article about the two men. In the article, he states that tradition holds the two men were "queer."

At their deaths, the two men were buried side by side. On Peter’s tombstone, in keeping with Robert’s wishes, it reads: "Peter Tardiveau: Comrade in arms and friend of Robert Craddock." Craddock’s fortune was left to the city of Bowling Green to fund schools for poor children.

As they had wished, upon their deaths, all the enslaved people were emancipated, and the plantation split up amongst them. One of their students, Willis Russell returned to Danville and established what is arguably the first school for Black children in KY.

By the early 1800s, both men are living on a plantation named the Hermitage, right outside of present day Bowling Green. The two men enslaved a large number of Black Kentuckians, but, unknown anywhere else in Kentucky, Tardiveau started a school at the Hermitage for the enslaved children.

"Queer, Here, & Everywhere: The Roots of Kentucky’s LGBTQ History" is the first comprehensive exhibition of Lexington’s LGBTQ history, showcasing the importance of the queer community in this city.

This exhibition was made possible by a generous 250Lex Cultural Grant!