I knew I could be who I was in Columbus when I couldn’t in my hometown, a small rural farming community.”
We’ve had issues, and we’ve had to be careful, but it’s progressed much faster than other cities. “I’ve always felt that it’s been more progressive, even through the moniker of being a ‘cowtown’ in the Midwest,” says Scott Heimlich, owner of longstanding Barcelona Restaurant in German Village. Like Austin is to Texas, or Atlanta is to Georgia, Columbus has emerged as a queer haven for the region, turning this swing state from purple to a twinkling tint of sequin-clad lavender. Ironic, then, that this type of legislative showdown ensues in a State Capital building surrounded by queer-friendly neighborhoods and businesses, and a Pride festival whose attendance equates the population of Denver. Like many a swing state, Ohio’s social politics are fraught with challenges for the community-in most parts of the state, it’s still legal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people, and recent legislation seeking to ban gender-affirming care is an unfortunate example of harmful policies sweeping the country. “Each year, we’ve worked to make space for the various identities within the LGBTQ+ community, while working to ensure our allies and accomplices are also a part of the moment of recognition and celebration for the queer community.”Īnd space for various identities is very much needed.
“Part of our vision is to ensure that queer identities are seen across our state and not only in queer spaces,” explains Densil Porteous, executive director and CEO of Stonewall Columbus. Its increasingly diverse populace continues to broaden the demographics and color the landscape with all tints of the rainbow. It now has the 15th largest LGBTQ+ population in the US, with a Pride festival that’s risen dramatically in popularity.Īfter originating in 1981, Stonewall Columbus Pride has steadily blossomed in attendance to more than 700,000 (along with some 13,000 marchers in the parade), becoming a beacon of inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance not only for the state, but for the surrounding region. Not only is Columbus booming in population- at a much faster clip than any other Midwestern city, making it the nation’s 14th largest-but Ohio’s capital has become a mecca of loud-and-proud queerness of late.
When it comes to Pride in the Midwest, Chicago tends to monopolize a lot of the rainbow-hued fanfare, but a couple states over, a rapidly growing city is giving the Second City a run for its money.