Equality Ohio’s Executive Director Reflects on Year One as the State’s First Black Male Leading a Statewide LGBTQ+ Organization. ‘Anytime we have stood up against tyranny throughout our history our collective power has been undeniable.’ thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/22/e...

Johnny LaZebnik's "Slut Tour of Ohio" has taken Ohioans by storm online, and The Buckeye Flame's @drwflp.bsky.social caught up with him IRL at Twist Social Club to hear more about his whirlwind journey through Ohio's queer scene. Stay tuned—the full feature/interview is coming soon. 🔥👀

Applications for Columbus City Council’s LGBTQ+ Affairs Commission are now open. City Council unanimously approved the ordinance back in July. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/16/c...

I cannot praise them enough. The product is AMAZING and the museum collection with history lessons really does continue Fran Taylor’s Legacy.

This is an AMAZING feature by my colleague @hcomeriato.bsky.social packed full of history and queer joy!

Reviving Gay Fad Studios: How an LGBTQ+ couple created a midcentury glass destination in central Ohio. ‘This is so much more than a business for us. It’s about being bold and dreaming big.’ ✏️ @hcomeriato.bsky.social penning an INCREDIBLE read.

The 136th General Assembly is back in session. What LGBTQ+ bills are still on the table and where do they stand? Bookmark our 2025-26 Ohio LGBTQ+ Legislation Guide for all of the latest developments. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/18/2...

LAST CALL! Please please consider joining us for a lovely evening to benefit The Buckeye Flame on Saturday! Get your tickets right this second! www.eventbrite.com/e/flames-mag...

This News is So Gay (9/17/25): Navigating Rapid Response to LGBTQ+ News (While Staying Sane) Featuring: @jacobreyesdfw.bsky.social (@glaad.bsky.social), @danapiccoli.com (@newsisout.bsky.social) & Spencer Macnaughton (@unclosetedmedia.bsky.social). We needed this episode this particular week.

If you haven’t checked out @kenschneck.bsky.social @thebuckeyeflame.com podcast, This News is So Gay, I highly recommend adding it to your roster thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/17/t...

@kenschneck.bsky.social stopped by the Gaily Show yesterday and we discussed a lot AND he also previewed some important new reporting on conversion therapy bans that the @thebuckeyeflame.com is working on. Watch here or listen everywhere you get your podcasts! www.youtube.com/live/mWYiNhE...

Two Ohio LGBTQ+ elected officials targeted online after Charlie Kirk’s death. The two office-holders experienced online harassment and a death threat leading to an FBI arrest. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/17/t...

Kaleidoscope Youth Center announces closing of housing program. “Our youth are scared, and so are we. It is not okay that they are facing the threat of returning to homelessness.” thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/16/k...

Ohio county’s LGBTQ+ organization cuts support groups, events due to lack of funds. LGBTQ+ Allies of Lake County coffers are running dry after Trump’s election. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/16/l... ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social.

COURT: You can now say “GAY” on your Ohio license plate. An Ohioan sued after he applied for a license plate reading “GAY” through the Ohio BMV and the plate was immediately rejected as “Inappropriate/Invalid.” thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/15/c... #JustSayGay #Ohio #LGBTQ

Last Tuesday already feels like a long while back, but there really was big news earlier this week... thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/09/c...

Take a deep breath — marriage equality is probably here to stay. Legal experts say the Supreme Court is unlikely to overturn its landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision anytime soon. An important piece from our friends at @19thnews.org.

ONLY 8 DAYS AWAY - Did you get your tickets yet?! www.eventbrite.com/e/flames-mag...

Super happy to be on another episode of this fantastic podcast!!

NEW EPISODE! - This News is So Gay (9/10/25): Examining Regional Queer Journalism and Celebrating Black Gay Pride Featuring: @bjodway.com (@reportforamerica.bsky.social), @missyspears.bsky.social (@queerkentucky.bsky.social) and @mashaundsimon.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/10/t...

#Resistance is local. Never say, "Oh well that's just one county, what good does that do." * It sets a precedent * It's a model others can look at and then follow * It sure as hell means the world to the children living in that county

THIS!!! More of this, please! #queersky 🌈

Cuyahoga County unanimously passes Ohio’s first county-wide ban targeting conversion therapy on minors. Penalties include fines and losing license to practice. ✏️ @hcomeriato.bsky.social & @bjodway.com (via @reportforamerica.bsky.social) thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/09/c...

‘We really needed this in Waverly’: Ohio teen starts LGBTQ+ organization in a tiny rural village. 19-year-old Reece Johnson started Haven 740 last June to create a “safe, welcoming space” in Waverly. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/09/h...

Queen Out or Get Out: An Interview with DJ Boywife, the newest it-girl of the Ohio River Valley. “I need to see people dancing and having a good time, or I feel like I’m not doing my job.” ✏️ @spencerjenkins.bsky.social / @queerkentucky.bsky.social

Nice in spite of the times...

WOW. You all really devoured this story this week. Love to see how one Ohioan's path to action has inspired so many! thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/02/h...

FRIENDS! The Buckeye Flame is hosting our only in-person fundraiser of 2025 and we would LOVE to have you join us. Featuring the height of Veranda L'Ni and the sleight-of-hand of magician Nick Eaton. Please PLEASE join us! www.eventbrite.com/e/flames-mag...

Out Here Dayton Film Fest celebrates 20 years of queer movie magic. We spoke with the Festival Director about the history of Out Here, what moviegoers can expect in 2025 and why queer cinema is so very important. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/05/o...

COURT: Ohio school’s trans-inclusive bathroom policy would have been lawful if bathroom ban had not passed. While the case is now moot, the ACLU of Ohio was ‘thrilled’ with the judges’ opinions. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/04/j...

@acluohio.bsky.social calls out Dublin school district for restricting student’s pro-trans ‘teach-in’. Dublin City Schools allegedly restricted a high school student’s freedom of expression because of her pro-trans views. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social

NEW EPISODE! This News is So Gay: We chat with Tracy Baim, LGBTQ+ journalism legend, about making queer newsrooms work, the future of queer journalism and how to not take things so damn personally. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/03/t...

Memphis, TN Thu Aug 28 - Around 100 students and faculty at U of M gathered for a protest organized by Tigers Against Pollution and United Campus Workers against the new Anti-DEI policy OH State Rep Christine Cockley came out as queer in @thebuckeyeflame.com Sources below! 2/

(UPDATED with quotes from @lgbtqvictoryfund.bsky.social.) EXCLUSIVE: “I need to be brave and show up as I am.” Ohio Rep. Christine Cockley publicly comes out as queer thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/02/c...

Exactly what I needed to start this epic workweek 💚 @kenschneck.bsky.social 💚 💚 @thebuckeyeflame.com 💚 #queersky 🌈 #alwaystogether #dosomething

A homophobic billboard in Ohio pissed her off. So this straight ally leapt into action to install a message of love. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/09/02/h...

Missed last week's episode of This News is So Gay? Check it out today! thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/27/t...

How changes to Medicaid will impact Ohioans living with HIV/AIDS thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/28/m...

Higher ed association will no longer host conferences in Ohio due to state’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. International Studies Association leadership sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine explaining that the state’s laws make Ohio too dangerous for their members. ✏️ @bjodway.com via @reportforamerica.bsky.social

The Pride Caucus commends Rep. Cockley for representing our community!

WHOA! Check out this AMAZING and UNEXPECTED article on This News is So Gay from @glaad.bsky.social. They really captured everything we're trying to do with this show! glaad.org/queer-voices...

All this week, we've been introducing the 5 new members of our Board. Last up: TAREN LUTCHEY! Taren is a longtime advocate & community organizer. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the Toledo Black Queer Collective and is a dedicated member of the Toledo Pride Committee. WELCOME!

“As a Jewish woman with a disability (ADHD), [Cockley] is used to being outnumbered. “And as someone who identifies as queer – a fact she shared for the first time with the media in this interview – she knows how much fortitude it takes to be your authentic self in the fight” @thebuckeyeflame.com

EXCLUSIVE: “I need to be brave and show up as I am.” Ohio Rep. Christine Cockley publicly comes out as queer. The Columbus-area rep now stands as the only out LGBTQ+ Ohio State Representative. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/29/c...

Kaleidoscope Youth Center announces leadership transition. Executive Director Erin Upchurch to step down after eight years of transformational leadership. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/28/k...

Welcome new Board member: COURTNEY JOHHNSON-BENSON! Courtney is a sexuality educator, certified sexuality counselor, and relational wellness advocate. Their scholarship and advocacy interrogate the erasure of Black sexualities in media, healthcare, and education. WELCOME, Courtney!

‘It feels like a betrayal.’ Ohio college students experiencing effects of new higher education law. Diversity and LGBTQ+ centers across Ohio’s public universities have closed because of the new higher education law. thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/27/o...

All this week, we're introducing the 5 new members of our Board. Next up is: BRENNA GRITEMAN! Brenna Griteman is the Communications Specialist for United Way of Hancock County. Prior to this role, she spent nearly 20 years working in the newspaper industry. WELCOME, Brenna!

NEW EPISODE! - This News is So Gay (8/27/25): Diagnosing Trans Media Coverage & the Latest LGBTQ+ Bans. Featuring: @candicenorwood.bsky.social (@19thnews.org), @darianoutloud.bsky.social (@glaad.bsky.social), Jason Villemez (@phillygaynews.bsky.social). thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/27/t...

The Organs You Have: What Gay Men and Trans Women Need To Know About Prostate Health. If prostate cancer screening is a simple blood test and prostate cancer is easily treatable in early stages, why don’t more gay men and trans women get screened? thebuckeyeflame.com/2025/08/26/p...