A community platform that helps connect Greater Cincinnati’s LGBTQ+ community through events will soon have an official office in Over-the-Rhine.
Midwestern Lesbian has signed a lease for a space at 1447 Walnut St. in 3CDC’s Willkommen Development and is planning a grand opening with close friends and family in early 2026. The team has been operating from COhatch near Findlay Market for almost a year.
Kelsey Ference co-founded Midwestern Lesbian in 2021 with her partner, Caitlin Dunkley, to create a resource for the LGBTQ+ community, especially the Sapphic community, to find inclusive events across the Midwest. It’s since grown into a community platform that focuses on fostering meaningful connections through events, collaborative initiatives and a storytelling approach to social media.
“In 2021, I was creating an events calendar for a local brewery, and I realized there wasn’t a calendar of events for the local queer community to discover things to do in the area,” Ference said in a press release. “I started researching and discovered there are an estimated 70,000 bars in the U.S. Of those, only about 800 are gay bars — and just 36 are dedicated lesbian bars. When I learned that, I knew I wanted to create a safe, intentional space for Sapphic individuals. Too often, men dominate queer spaces, and the Sapphic community deserves places and events designed specifically for them.”
Midwestern Lesbian has since expanded into hosting its own events, including bar crawls, speed dating, karaoke nights and drag shows, and uses the platform to promote those. Ference and Dunkley also started Cincy Gay Agenda as a space for sharing all local queer happenings.
“3CDC has always been intentional about cultivating a diverse, inclusive mix of businesses in OTR storefronts, and we’re thrilled to welcome Midwestern Lesbian to the neighborhood,” said Christy Samad, executive vice president of Civic & Commercial Space Activation at 3CDC. “We’ve had the privilege of partnering with Kelsey and Caitlin on numerous events in the civic spaces we manage, and we fully support their mission to make Cincinnati a safe, welcoming place for LGBTQ+ individuals.”
After Midwestern Lesbian’s office opens, anyone is welcome to stop in to learn more or access LGBTQ+ resources. The team also plans to host small events in the space.
You can see Midwestern Lesbian’s calendar of events here.
Midwestern Lesbian, 1447 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: midwesternlesbian.com.