Columbus Pride
{{Short description|LGBTQ festival in Columbus, Ohio, US}}
{{Infobox recurring event
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|logo = OFFICIAL 2016 COLUMBUS PRIDE LOGO.jpg
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|logo_caption = 2016 logo
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|status = Active
|genre = Festivals
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|frequency = Annually
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|location = Columbus, Ohio
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|country = United States
|years_active = {{age|1981||}}
|first = {{start date|1981||}}
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|website = {{URL|https://columbuspride.org}}
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Columbus Pride (or Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade){{cite web | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2018/06/17/photos-pride-parade-draws-huge-crowd-as-companies.html | title=Columbus Pride Parade 2018 draws huge crowd downtown (Video) }}{{cite web |title=Large Crowd March, Line Streets for Columbus Pride Parade |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2018-06-16/large-crowd-march-line-streets-for-columbus-pride-parade |website=U.S. News & World Report |date=2018-06-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017123531/https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/ohio/articles/2018-06-16/large-crowd-march-line-streets-for-columbus-pride-parade |archive-date=2018-10-17 |url-status=live}} is an LGBTQ festival in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Stonewall Columbus. The event first took place in 1981, and has grown into the second largest LGBT pride event in the Midwest, behind Chicago. The pride parades typically include marching bands, firetrucks, motorcycles, and floats covered in rainbow flags or balloons.
History
The city's first pride parade took place in 1981, and it drew roughly 200 people. Several of the attendees were afraid of marching so publicly, and they wore bags over their heads, so they could hide their identities. {{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/news/20180616/annual-stonewall-columbus-pride-parade-draws-throng-championing-both-diversity-unity|title=Annual Stonewall Columbus Pride Parade draws throng championing both diversity, unity|first=Bonnie|last=Meibers|website=The Columbus Dispatch}}
Early pride parades in Columbus were met with anti-LGBTQ protesters. This includes the 1983 event, when demonstrators attributed HIV/AIDS to homosexuality. Additionally, two protesters tore down a pride flag from the Ohio Statehouse and burned it in 1999. The two were charged with riot and disorderly conduct and criminal damaging. In 2001, one of them subsequently returned and burned another pride flag during Columbus Pride.
In 2017, a controversy arose when four protesters were arrested during the Columbus Pride parade. Members of the community called for the organization's leadership to resign. Instead, the executive director of Stonewall Columbus retired in the following year.{{Cite web|url=https://www.dispatch.com/news/20180614/look-back-at-history-of-columbus-pride-parade|title=A look back at the history of the Columbus pride parade|first=Maya|last=Kaufman|website=The Columbus Dispatch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926212002/https://www.dispatch.com/news/20180614/look-back-at-history-of-columbus-pride-parade|archive-date=26 September 2021|url-status=dead}}
In 2014, Stonewall Columbus estimated the event had over 300,000 participants.{{cite news|last1=Vitale|first1=Bob|title=Columbus Pride Draws 300,000|url=http://outlookcolumbus.com/2013/06/columbus-pride-draws-300000/|agency=Outlook Columbus|access-date=2014-06-12|archive-date=2015-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614005153/http://outlookcolumbus.com/2013/06/columbus-pride-draws-300000/|url-status=dead}} By 2018, the event rivaled Chicago in attendance. In 2019, Columbus Pride hosted roughly 500,000 people, which at the time made it the city's largest pride festival to date.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 parade was postponed and ultimately canceled. Organizers moved to virtual events that took place later in the year.{{Cite web|url=https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/columbus-pride-parade-and-festival-canceled-due-to-covid-19|title=Columbus Pride parade and festival canceled due to COVID-19|first=Jarrod|last=Clay|date=July 9, 2020|website=WSYX}} In 2023, the event hosted over 700,000 people, becoming the largest Columbus Pride parade to date.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wdtn.com/news/pride-month/watch-live-2023-columbus-pride-march-and-festival/|title=Thousands gather for 2023 Columbus Pride March and Festival|first=Joe|last=Collins|date=June 17, 2023|website=WDTN}}
Notable appearances
Several notable people have appeared at this event in recent years. For instance, organizers hosted actor George Takei in 2014 and Jim Obergefell, of Obergefell v. Hodges, in 2015. More recently, Carmen Carrera, who is a transgender actress, was the event's "Patron of Pride" in 2022. {{Cite web |url= https://stonewallcolumbus.org/pride2022/patron-of-pride-2022/ |title=Patron of Pride - 2022 |date=August 22, 2008 |publisher=Stonewall Columbus |access-date=2023-06-16}} Transgender rights activist Rhea Debussy was one of the "Icons of Pride" for the event in 2023.{{Cite instagram |user=stonewallcolumbus |postid=Cs9yUclo6lP |title=Shining a Spotlight on Columbus Local, Dr.Rhea Debussy! |date=2023-06-01}} In 2023 musical artist Trey Pearson performed at the event.{{Cite web |url= https://issuu.com/stonewallcolumbus/docs/pride_2023_pride_guide_book-kc_working_file_lores |title=Stonewall Columbus Pride Guide 2023 |date=June 1, 2023 |publisher=Stonewall Columbus |access-date=2023-07-10}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Ohio}}
- {{Official website|https://columbuspride.org}}
Category:1981 establishments in Ohio
Category:Culture of Columbus, Ohio
Category:Recurring events established in 1981
Category:Events in Columbus, Ohio
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