Sapphic Palm Springs: Lesbian & Queer Women's Events

Dr. Karyl E. Ketchum

Director, The L-Fund at The Center

Dr. Karyl E. Ketchum is a California State University professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies and a longtime board member of The L-Fund, the Coachella Valley fund founded in 2012 by a group of local Black lesbians. In 2026, when The L-Fund merged into The LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert, she became the inaugural Director of The L-Fund at The Center. She oversees programs that provide emergency financial assistance, education and career support, health and wellness help, and arts grants for cis, trans, and queer-identifying lesbians.