Our Queer Folk Images Archive is a developing collection of materials created by or associated with queer individuals, artists, events, and community organizations across historically under-represented regions of the Eastern Appalachia area; with a focus on the Kentucky, West Virginia, and Ohio tri-state.
Founded originally as Our Community Filing Cabinet, the project began in January of 2025 by Hollyn-Reid (he/him), a transgender man and grassroots citizen archivist out of eastern Kentucky. It started as part of a nationwide citizen retaliation against the erasure of queer and transgender identities in government documentation--finding, and preserving, the original wording of various documents regarding healthcare, law, and similar official records. It extended to documenting local queer activism, organization, and literature. Then, was further developed into an archival collection after he identified a lack of available historical record and preservation practices regarding rural queer life in the region.
Its redevelopment as Our Queer Folk Images Archive in April of 2026, now lead by the Rowan County Public Library alongside Hollyn-Reid, aims to create a living collection preserving the experiences of queer folk in the region--their arts, livelihoods, and histories. The collection prospective, built on the active donation of multimedia materials by members of the Eastern Appalachian queer communities. As well as live photographic documentation of local events organized by, and for, the queer folk of the region.
Copyright disclaimer: Copyright © 2026 by ATLAS and Hollyn-Reid Parsons. All rights reserved. For permissions, contact Hollyn-Reid Parsons by email at OurCommunityFilingCabinet@protonmail.com.
Founded originally as Our Community Filing Cabinet, the project began in January of 2025 by Hollyn-Reid (he/him), a transgender man and grassroots citizen archivist out of eastern Kentucky. It started as part of a nationwide citizen retaliation against the erasure of queer and transgender identities in government documentation--finding, and preserving, the original wording of various documents regarding healthcare, law, and similar official records. It extended to documenting local queer activism, organization, and literature. Then, was further developed into an archival collection after he identified a lack of available historical record and preservation practices regarding rural queer life in the region.
Its redevelopment as Our Queer Folk Images Archive in April of 2026, now lead by the Rowan County Public Library alongside Hollyn-Reid, aims to create a living collection preserving the experiences of queer folk in the region--their arts, livelihoods, and histories. The collection prospective, built on the active donation of multimedia materials by members of the Eastern Appalachian queer communities. As well as live photographic documentation of local events organized by, and for, the queer folk of the region.
Copyright disclaimer: Copyright © 2026 by ATLAS and Hollyn-Reid Parsons. All rights reserved. For permissions, contact Hollyn-Reid Parsons by email at OurCommunityFilingCabinet@protonmail.com.
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