The Columbus Pride Tea Dance [Around Town] is a nod to the 1950s and 60s when the LGBTQ+ population was chiefly living in secret.
In the queer community, tea dances have been seen as a space to live out proud and among friends! It was illegal for men to dance with other men, or women to dance with other women. It was also “illegal for bars to knowingly sell alcohol to homosexuals.” These afternoon tea dances were held in speakeasy fashion; in the event of a raid, gay men and lesbian women would quickly change partners to mixed couples.
A tea dance, also called a thé dansant (French for “dancing tea”), was a dance held in the summer or autumn from 4pm to 7pm.
A portion of proceeds to support Stonewall Columbus’ operations and programs.
