Born May 25, 1968, Kristi grew up in the College Hill neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas
and attended College Hill Elementary. She graduated from Wichita East High School
East in 1986 and earned bachelor’s degrees in finance and accounting from Wichita
State University. A member of the Wichita Professional Communicators, Kristi was an
award-winning journalist with relentless drive and boundless curiosity. She was also
a beloved mother, daughter, sister, co-parent, aunt, niece, friend and mentor. Kristi
served on many committees and boards, including Wichita Pride, Kansans for Human Dignity,
The Center and Transitions. Compassionate, calm and hilarious, she accepted even the
toughest challenges with a smile, a chuckle and a shrug. Kristi enjoyed jigsaw puzzles,
the Kansas State University Wild Cats, playing pickleball, Mickey Mouse, a job where
she didn’t have to wear dresses, and an occasional Bud Light. Above all, Kristi loved
the people in her life and gave her whole heart to them. She passed from this life
on March 10, 2018 at the age of 49.
Activist
Bored as an oil and gas accountant, Kristi resigned in 1994 and took off to New York City in her Dodge Shadow for the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall riots and their massive impact on LGBTQ+ civil rights. She was already involved with Wichita Pride, but wanted more for her community. She attended the Dyke March and NYC’s massive Pride Parade and party, met energized people, and soaked up the inspiration of many well-known LGBTQ+ speakers. After two weeks in New York, she jumped in the Shadow for an extended trip home. As she drove, Kristi thought about her life in Kansas and what it was like there for others like her. She reflected on the exhilaration she felt at the Pride event and wondered how she could create this kind of much-needed community for LGBTQ+ citizens in Kansas. Kristi envisioned a way to bring people together, a place to share resources, a publication where underrepresented voices could be heard: Liberty Press.
Mother
The love of Kristi’s life, Jack Irwin Parker-Levin, was born in 2001. When Jack was 22 months old, Kristi and Jack’s other mother, Sharon Vinnie Levin, began to realize their son was different from other children. When he was 4, he learned to read, and it was clear that he was highly intelligent. At 4 ½ he was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Kristi and Vinnie embraced their roles as mothers to a special child. They provided Jack with the best care available, actively supporting his education in traditional schools and ensuring he had time to do the things he loved, including competing in Special Olympics and studying the Torah. Gay Parent Magazine published an article about Jack and Kristi in 2014 and described him as her love and joy. Kristi’s gentle, one-of-a-kind laugh would fill the room when she shared her love of Jack’s quirky sense of humor.
Advocate
Kristi provided information to gay and transgender people that was considered taboo at the time: resources to improve their quality of life. In addition to the resources they shared in Liberty Press, Kristi and Sharon Vinnie Levin, her partner in life and business for ten years, established Transitions in 1996, supported by the ally organization PFLAG. This haven offered resources for LGBTQ+ people as well as emotional support from others who had gone through—or were going through—similar experiences. Kristi was especially supportive of LGBTQ+ youth. The couch at Kristi and Vinnie’s home became a safe temporary bed for many young people who had been rejected by their families and were starting a new life. Over the years, she received dozens of letters from readers, many who lived in small towns. The authors talked about their fears and loneliness living in rural Kansas, but also about the life-changing impact Liberty Press had on them, inspiring them to be confident, proud and genuine—and confirming they were not alone, but a welcome part of a vibrant, loving community.
Publisher
Co-chair of Wichita’s Pride Committee, Kristi produced the annual Pride Guide. With a $1,000 loan from her mother, Kristi evolved the publication into a monthly magazine for the Kansas LGBTQ+ community. The first issue of Liberty Press came out in August 1994, with 12 pages and 5 advertisers. During the publication’s 24-year run, Kristi and her team took on a wide variety of issues that touched LGBTQ+ people, including politics, the arts, sports, health, parenting, events, religion and education. Kristi planned, wrote, and edited content; handled ad sales and finances; and even took care of circulation, hand-delivering freshly printed issues herself. Liberty Press’s motto, “We were gay before it was cool,” reflected its publisher’s ironic sense of humor. The magazine’s regional focus created a sense of collective identity for LGBTQ+ Kansans and gave them the opportunity to support advertisers who embraced the community. The last issue of Kansas’ award-winning, first and only LGBTQ+ news magazine, (and the longest running in the US at the time)—all 60 pages of it—was published shortly before Kristi’s death in March 2018.