June is PRIDE month, and LGBTQ+ organizations throughout Ohio are holding events to celebrate. And in recent years, events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community have been expanding in some areas even as some corporate support has dwindled.
“I think we have over 150 celebrations planned for in the state this year," said Equality Ohio Statewide Advocacy Manager Josh Meek. "And one of the things I think is most amazing about it is just seeing pride taking place in areas of Ohio that traditionally didn't happen."
Meek said there’s an uptick in the number of PRIDE celebrations in rural areas of the state. “You know, people had to travel further to go to a celebration before, and now they could do so with greater ease, getting access to resources, other community members that look like them or feel like them.”
Meek said PRIDE events are being held in Appalachian Ohio and in Western Ohio. And he said the events are growing because of grassroots support.
“Some of these are not supported by any organizations. It's just people wanting to show support for their LGBTQ plus neighbors," Meek said. "We've seen a lot of political changes.”
Community and Corporate involvement
Meek said corporate involvement has taken a hit in recent years as President Trump took office and Ohio lawmakers have proposed and passed legislation aimed at the LGBTQ community.
“We've definitely seen corporate sponsorships shrink a little bit, which has been very telling on who our actual allies were not and who was just doing it for, you know, just some cheap points in the media," Meek said.
As for legislation, he cited House Bill 249, the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act, which some have called a drag ban. Meek said it's having a chilling effect on free speech and created confusion.
“We've already seen pride organizers and people in the community reach out to us because they're worried that the bill already passed or drag has already been banned. And we've even seen online posts of people just only traveling through the state who think we have a drag ban in effect," Meek said. "The bill hasn't passed, but just existing is already giving people concern on, do I need legal representation in my pride? Do we need people to step in if police are called or something like that, you know, because of these mismatched ideas on what is legal now? So it's unfortunate that during such a moment when we need unity right now, we need community, just some political extremists trying to divide us further.”
Meek said the LGBTQ+ community is joining with people who work in non-profits, businesses and universities to show that support for PRIDE is still strong. He said they don’t need big sponsors to do that.
“It almost feels like we're sliding back in some areas where I also progressing further forward and others, and I think part of our job at Equality Ohio is figuring out how do we fill in that patchwork and create an opportunity for everyone to have some kind of pride in their life this year,” Meek said.
