Ken Schneck

Ken Schneck is the Editor of The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ news and views digital platform. He is the author of Seriously…What Am I Doing Here? The Adventures of a Wondering and Wandering Gay Jew (2017), LGBTQ Cleveland (2018), LGBTQ Columbus (2019), and LGBTQ Cincinnati. For 10 years, he was the host of This Show is So Gay, the nationally-syndicated radio show. In his spare time, he is a Professor of Education at Baldwin Wallace University, teaching courses in ethical leadership, antiracism, and how individuals can work with communities to make just and meaningful change.

Why is everyone doing 'The Prom?'
From the Near West Theatre in Cleveland's Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and Chagrin Valley Little Theater in Chagrin Falls, to Akron, Medina, and Ashtabula, "The Prom" musical is flourishing with audiences and actors alike. Ken Schneck, editor of "The Buckeye Flame" and Baldwin Wallace University professor, decided to find out why.
He’s 23 and in an Ohio Prison for exposing someone to HIV—even though he couldn’t transmit the virus
Ohio has six laws that criminalize living with HIV—leading to at least 200 prosecutions in recent years. Caymir Weaver—born with HIV and 23 years old—is one of them.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning Shaker native and her unforgettable memoir of all things Lost & Found
Shaker Heights native Kathryn Schulz explores love, loss, and life's other ups and downs in her bestselling book "Lost & Found." Ken Schneck talked with Schulz about her Northeast Ohio roots, the sudden loss of her father, falling in love with her wife, and finding her own voice.
Ohio's first LGBTQ-friendly apartments feel inclusive to some, like any other building to others
There aren't rainbow flags flying or posters touting gay-friendly events at A Place for Us—Ohio's first LGBTQ-friendly senior housing community. After six years, some say say the building is not fulfilling its promise to be a space that proactively supports older LGBTQ people, while other residents think the space is just fine the way it is.
Greater harm than good: HB 276 passed the Ohio House, but it could endanger LGBTQ+ Ohioans
Ohio House Bill 276, dubbed the “prohibit receiving proceeds of prostitution bill," passed by a large minority. But experts warn the LBGTQ+ community could be doubly vulnerable to the bill’s unintended consequences.
Tapping superpowers: Meet the art therapist who is using superheroes to help LGBTQ+ youth
Mike Boyce discovered at an early age that comic books provided a well-needed escape from reality. Now, the art therapist uses comics to create a nonjudgmental and positive space for LGBTQ+ youth.
With game-changing grant, Colors+ is set to explode in square footage and LGBTQ+ youth support
Three Arches Foundation recently made a $134,000 grant to Colors+ Youth Center—allowing the organization to sign a lease on a new facility and further its mission of strengthening LGBTQ+ youth and allies by promoting individual and community wellness.
Two drag queens walk into a sausage shop…. Wait. This is not a joke.
What do Melissa Khoury (the Queen of Pork) and Cleveland drag queen Peach Fuzz have in common? Their mutual love of hosting monthly Sunday Matinee Sausage Parties—hands-on, sausage-making, drag-entertaining extravaganzas that raise money for LBGTQ+ charities.
Meet the Cleveland nun who has been working on the frontlines of HIV/AIDS for decades
Sister Susan Zion—a member of the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland—founded Ursuline Piazza, an organization in the Detroit Shoreway she founded to address gaps in service for the HIV-positive community. Read what has to say about the group's work.
Invisible: Report reveals LGBTQ+ youth in Cuyahoga County foster care have adverse experiences
A report on LGBTQ+ youth in Cuyahoga County’s foster care system shows disparities in their treatment, increased mental health hospitalizations, and greater reported use of substances, as well as discrimination and other adverse experiences.
Pride in the CLE will look different when the celebration goes virtual this weekend
Pride in the CLE, the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland’s annual march and festival, may have been delayed in June, but this weekend revelers will make a virtual show of Pride in the CLE.
Decade of stewardship: Metroparks celebrates 103rd birthday, Brian Zimmerman marks 10 years as CEO
Happy 103rd birthday, Cleveland Metroparks! It's also the 10th anniversary of CEO Brian Zimmerman's tenure with the parks system. FreshWater sits down with Zimmerman to talk about the parks' assets, how the parks have been a refuge during COVID-19, and what's next for the ever-evolving Metroparks. 
Attendees weigh in on the impact of Cleveland Rising Summit
Hundreds of people spent 2½ days in Cleveland Public Auditorium last week at the Cleveland Rising Summit, working on an ambitious shared vision for the region’s economic future. What will come of their efforts?
Ripple effects of Sustainable Cleveland 2019 spread across city
Sustainable Cleveland 2019 has spent the last decade changing the area's environmental landscape with bold and creative efforts.
Follow the redlining to places the U.S. Census usually doesn't count
The U.S. Census starts counting people in March. Civic activists want to make sure redlined neighborhoods are accurately recorded.
Meet the changemakers ready to rally for justice at the Cuyahoga County Jail
Devin* is no stranger to adverse circumstances. The 24-year-old’s background includes military training, specifically ECAC: Evasion and Conduct after Capture (a multi-day, hardcore immersion program that trains service members to survive high-risk environments that may place them at increased risk of isolation). That extreme experience was nothing compared to the week he spent in the Cuyahoga County Jail.
A river runs through it: In honor of #Cuyahoga50, our 50 reasons the Cuyahoga River rocks
Fifty looks good on you, Cuyahoga River. As Cleveland celebrates the momentous 50-year milestone of the Cuyahoga River Fire—and the remarkable progress made—with #Cuyahoga50, we're answering all of your burning questions about the river with these 50 fun facts.
One in 11 Ohioans has a felony conviction. Isn't it time they received a second chance?
Your spirits will be instantly uplifted within mere seconds of sitting down with Karen McAlpine. The 38-year-old mother of three radiates a positive energy that is no less than supremely infectious. Currently, McAlpine is seeking an opportunity to channel her gift of an inspiring personality into a career where she can help people, make a difference, and somehow give back. Her ever-present smile only falters when she reflects on her experiences trying to secure such a job.
Five generations later, Dave's Supermarket is still feeding the needs of Cleveland
On the surface, a Cleveland-area supermarket naming their aisles after local streets is a smile-inducing novelty. But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill supermarket. This is the newly opened Dave's Market & Eatery on E. 61st St. and Chester Ave. in Midtown—an ambitious venture that simultaneously honors a storied past, addresses the current needs of the community, and lays the groundwork for a vibrant future.
A new chapter: Cleveland Public Library prepares for the next 150 years
The "People's University" will enter its next era with an ambitious, library-wide revitalization project and a yearlong CPL150 celebration, along with the announcement that it will now be fine-free.