Community,
Happy Pride Month! This June, we gather not just to celebrate our vibrant and intersectional identities, but to recommit to the continued fight for our rights, visibility, and liberation.
As we enter Pride Month, our theme—United in Power—feels especially resonant. We face renewed threats from legislation like Ohio’s House Bill 249, aimed at restricting our expression, particularly targeting drag performers and transgender and gender-diverse communities. Amidst a national landscape increasingly hostile to our identities, we must remember: our visibility remains one of our greatest tools of resistance.
Pride was never solely a celebration; it was born from protest. The brave individuals who took to the streets in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn—and those who marched for the first time in Columbus in 1981—laid the groundwork for our community to thrive openly. This legacy of protest, resilience, and joy lives in each of us. It is our responsibility to continue this fight, ensuring our voices remain heard and our identities fully celebrated and protected.
Stonewall Columbus is here to uplift you, support you, and advocate alongside you. This Pride season, join us at our march, our festival, and our events—but also join us in continued advocacy and organizing, ensuring our progress is never rolled back.
To every LGBTQ+ individual who is still seeking visibility and affirmation: We see you, and we are here for you.
To our allies and accomplices: Thank you for showing up. We need your continued action, your solidarity, and your voice now more than ever.
Together, let’s make this Pride month a powerful reminder of who we are, how far we’ve come, and how much further we will go—United in Power.
With gratitude, power, and pride,
Densil R. Porteous (he/they)
Executive Director
