There is something about Pride Month that changes the rhythm of a city.
You can feel it in Columbus each June—in the energy building across neighborhoods, in the visibility of our community, and in the thousands of moments of connection that begin to emerge throughout the month. Pride has a way of reminding people that they are not alone.
And that matters.
Because while Pride is joyful it has never been solely about celebration.
Pride has always been about possibility.
The possibility of living openly.
The possibility of being seen.
The possibility of safety, belonging, and freedom.
And as we gather this year under the 2026 Stonewall Columbus Pride theme, “Until We’re All Free,” we are reminded that those possibilities are not yet equally experienced by everyone.
Freedom is not evenly distributed.
Belonging is not guaranteed.
And community is not something that simply exists on its own.
It is something we build.
That truth sits at the center of how Stonewall Columbus is thinking about this moment—not just as the organization behind Pride, but as one of the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ community centers and as an institution increasingly focused on what our community will need in the years ahead.
Because Stonewall Columbus is evolving—in many ways, it already has.
When I stepped into leadership at Stonewall Columbus in the summer of 2020, the world—and our community—was navigating extraordinary uncertainty. Questions around connection, safety, sustainability, and visibility were unfolding all at once, even as people continued looking to LGBTQ+ institutions for stability, affirmation, and hope.
Now, as I step into my sixth year with the organization, I find myself reflecting not only on how much Stonewall Columbus has changed—but on how much our understanding of community has evolved alongside it.
Over the past several years, we have continued growing not simply as an event organization, but as a year-round connector of people, programs, partnerships, and possibility.
We have expanded community access efforts through C.A.R.E.S.
We have begun building pathways to economic opportunity and workforce connection through initiatives like Out to Work.
We have deepened our role as a convener, educator, and civic voice for LGBTQ+ people across Central Ohio.
And perhaps most importantly, we have continued creating spaces where people can feel something increasingly rare in today’s world: Belonging.
Not performative inclusion.
Not temporary visibility.
But genuine connection.
That matters because the needs of our community are evolving too.
People are searching for spaces where they feel safe.
Young people are looking for connection and affirmation.
Families are looking for support.
Transgender and nonbinary individuals continue navigating systems that do not always see or understand them fully.
And increasingly, people are looking to institutions like Stonewall Columbus not simply to host events—but to help hold community together.
That responsibility is something we take seriously.
It is also why we have begun framing our future through what we are calling “Stonewall at 50.”
Founded in 1981, Stonewall Columbus will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2031. But “Stonewall at 50” is not simply about reaching a milestone year.
It is about asking: What kind of organization does our community need us to become by then?
How do we strengthen our ability to serve?
How do we deepen our impact?
How do we ensure that future generations inherit not only Pride celebrations, but sustainable institutions capable of supporting LGBTQ+ life across Central Ohio for decades to come?
Those questions have helped shape a North Star for Stonewall Columbus:
To ensure that every LGBTQ+ person in Central Ohio is connected, supported, and able to thrive in a community where they are seen and belong.
That vision is intentionally expansive.
It recognizes that Pride is not just a weekend.
That community work does not begin and end in June.
And that the future of LGBTQ+ life in Central Ohio will depend on our ability to build spaces, systems, partnerships, and institutions capable of meeting people where they are.
That work belongs to All of Us.
And after six years of helping guide this organization, I remain deeply hopeful—not because the work is easy, but because I continue to see people choosing community, choosing connection, and choosing one another.
And so this Pride Month, as we celebrate, march, gather, dance, volunteer, support local businesses, and show up for one another, I hope we also take a moment to reflect on the kind of community we are continuing to build together.
A community where more people can live openly.
A community where more people can feel safe.
A community where more people can belong.
Because Pride is not something we simply attend.
It is something we build.
Together.
Happy Pride Month.
— Densil Porteous (he/they)
Executive Director, Stonewall Columbus
