The Buckeye Flame 2026 Impact Report

Without The Buckeye Flame, Ohio would join the 18 other states that don’t have an LGBTQ+ newsroom. We refuse to let that happen.

We could not be more, yes, fired up to bring you the 2026 impact report of The Buckeye Flame (below or here).

The Buckeye Flame launched in June of 2020 as a 501c3 nonprofit newsroom, filling the lack of a statewide LGBTQ+ newsroom in Ohio. Here in a state where LGBTQ+ Ohioans do not have any statewide protections in the areas of housing, employment and public accommodations – and where the Ohio Legislature is constantly working overtime to restrict the lived experience of LGBTQ+ Ohioans – the need for an LGBTQ+ newsroom could not be more critical.

We hope this report inspires you to support our work. Without The Buckeye Flame, Ohio would join the 18 other states that don’t have an LGBTQ+ newsroom. We refuse to let that happen, but need your support to keep the Flame burning bright.

And our work has actual impact. We invite you to read through (and share!) this report and learn about what can happen when we shine a light on the lives of LGBTQ+ Ohioans, (symbolically!) burn down the systems that neither serve nor represent us and provide a much-needed spark to ignite the change needed to create the lived equality we both need and deserve.

  • To support our work and keep The Buckeye Flame burning bright, you can set up a recurring donation by going here.

Know an LGBTQ+ Ohio story we should cover? TELL US!

Submit a story!

Author

Dr. Ken Schneck (he/him) is the editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. For this work, he was honored with the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for National LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. He is the author of “Seriously, What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew” and three LGBTQ+ Ohio history books. Schneck spent 25 years working in higher education, including 10 years as a dean of students and 13 years as a tenured professor of education. He is a graduate of the Executive Program in News Innovation and Leadership at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.

Our LGBTQ+ Ohio news is never behind a paywall. Help us keep it that way with a donation to The Buckeye Flame! When you donate, you’re keeping LGBTQ+ Ohioans informed about the issues that matter to us.

Why your support matters

A note from our Editor

Subscribe to The Spark

The Spark is our FREE weekly digest with all the latest LGBTQ+ Ohio news & views delivered right to your inbox.