Rainbows by the hundreds could be seen even before the precipitation paused during Saturday’s inaugural Columbus Pride Festival.
An LGBT-friendly crowd of 2,000 to 3,000 people filled the two-block festival area at Fourth and Washington streets in downtown Columbus. Many wore the multi-colored Pride flag logo on their cheek, forehead, T-shirt, sweater or ball cap. One woman even sported it on her dog leash.
The free event, which attracted national media ranging from CNN to Vice and attendees from as far away as New York City, will return next year, said founder and organizer Erin Bailey, a senior at Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech High School, who organized the festival as her senior project.
“Oh — this makes me feel so inspired, honestly,” said Bailey, who said she identifies as bisexual. “I’m just so happy that everyone has come out. I was kind of afraid that maybe they wouldn’t.”
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She was referring to the impact of rain, which had been forecast and fell during the first 40 minutes and at the tail end of the three-hour event.
Sondra Bolte, a longtime local resident who years ago feared for her safety after going public about being in a same-sex relationship, sported a smile almost as big as the day’s crowd. She seemed amazed by the size of the throng.
“This is built on at least 18 years of trying to get this town ready for this,” Bolte said.
That’s the length of time that has passed since Columbus-based Cummins Inc. first began offering health insurance and other benefits to domestic partners of employees.
Distinguished, white-haired New York City resident Glenn Pannell, dressed in a suit jacket, tie and shorts he called hot pants, played a character he calls Mike Hot-Pence, capitalizing on a resemblance to the vice president.
Pannell, who began portraying the character Dec. 3, 2016, to poke fun at Pence’s views he sees as anti-LGBT, was among the most popular figures at the event.
Many people stopped him, chatted, and asked to get a cellphone photo. But his self-funded visit, triggered by Bailey’s national publicity via outlets such as USA Today and Teen Vogue, was for a serious reason.
Pannell was raising money for an LGBTQ Indiana youth group, in part to help that population with self-esteem amid stats that show they are three times as likely as others their age to commit suicide.
“This is a cause that’s very important to me,” Pannell said.
National attention for the Pride Festival built because Columbus is the hometown of Pence.
The former Indiana governor was heavily criticized for his 2015 signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. The law, initially perceived as anti-gay for allowing businesses to refuse to serve gay and lesbian patrons, was quickly revised to include that businesses could not deny service to anyone based on sexual orientation, race, religion or disability.
In contract to the protests of that time, Saturday’s atmosphere was one of celebration among festival attendees — from the local chamber of commerce, university administration, the arts community, retirees, young families pushing strollers and the church community.
Several faith representatives acknowledged that their presence was significant in a community that turned angry when Cummins extended benefits to same-sex partners in 2000.
“We’re all created equal in the eyes of God,” said Sarah Campbell, First United Methodist Church’s director of youth and children’s ministries, said she could summarize her views simply. “It’s not our place to judge anyone else.”
Other churches with strong, visible representation Saturday were the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus and North Christian Church.
Late in the day, the loudest and most passionate crowd included about 300 people packed around a small stage on the western end of Fourth Street, where a drag queen contest unfolded to a pulsing beat of recorded tunes from artists such as George Michael and Cyndi Lauper. While the audience clapped to the beat, some participants danced and sported long fake eyelashes — although not as long as the lines at the food booths for brats or pulled pork.
One contest entrant, a transgender 65-year-old Bloomington resident with the stage name Tea!, looked over the cheering crowd. Then the performer tried to explain the overall event’s popularity after a segment in which she stripped from a dress to a one-piece swimsuit while dancing to Cat Stevens’ “Don’t Be Shy.”
“The world has changed,” Tea! said. “And politicians are going to have to learn to live with that.”
Meredith Dickerson indicated that the group of politicians includes Pence, whose face appeared on her T-shirt with a message, “Have a gay day.”
“I think all this is just great. I wasn’t expecting such a good turnout, but this is incredible,” Dickerson said.
Amid the good times and celebratory atmosphere, other individuals were more somber.
Alli Ziegler, a Columbus native, spoke emotionally on one stage about her friend Zach Bishop, 24, a gay Columbus native who committed suicide last year. She wore a bishop chess piece tattoo on her stomach in his honor — and wore his image on her T-shirt.
“Oh, my gosh, he would have been standing at the front of every single event here,” Ziegler said.
The crowd boosted sales at downtown outlets along Fourth Street.
“We’ve seen a pretty good bump in business,” said Steve Leach, owner of The Garage Pub and Grill.
Tyler Hodge, co-owner of Lucabe Coffee Co., also said his staff was busy.
The rain began to fall lightly again just before the event closed. But T-shirt and face stickers offered a contrasting message amid a slightly soggy, first-time festival: “Love reigns.”
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”At a glance” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
$6,000: Estimated cost of event (from a Go Fund Me campaign)
2,000 to 3,000: Estimated attendance
35: Food and merchandise vendors
7: Number months to organize the event
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