Today, October 1, marks the beginning of LGBTQ+ History Month—a time set aside to honor the visionaries, advocates, and everyday people who have carried our movement forward. From the courage of the Stonewall Uprising in 1969 to the 1979 March on Washington, from the first Pride marches in Columbus in the early 1980s to the recent creation of Columbus’s LGBTQ+ Commission, our history is filled with moments of resistance, resilience, and joy.
At Stonewall Columbus, history isn’t just something we look back on—it’s something we live into. For 45 years, our organization has been part of shaping Central Ohio’s LGBTQ+ story. We have been a gathering space, a voice for advocacy, a convener of Pride, and a community home. Alongside countless partners, we’ve helped transform what once felt impossible into everyday reality: greater visibility, inclusion, and connection for LGBTQ+ people in our region.
But LGBTQ+ History Month isn’t only about what has already been done. It is also a call to remember that we are still making history. Every rally, every Pride march, every support group, every person who finds affirmation within our Center’s walls, every elder who feels celebrated rather than forgotten—these are the chapters of today’s story. The work to be seen and thriving is ongoing, and it requires all of us.
As we reflect this month, let us honor the past while also writing the future. We are the inheritors of a powerful legacy, and we are the authors of what comes next.
Stonewall Columbus remains committed to ensuring that when future generations look back on this moment, they will see not only the struggles we faced but also the ways we chose to rise and thrive—together.
