Mayor Jim Lienhoop has signed a proclamation declaring June as Gay Pride Month in Columbus as the city’s third Columbus Pride Festival is planned Sept. 18 at Mill Race Park.
This marks the first time there has been such a designation, according to festival organizers. They worked with Columbus City Council member Grace Kestler on the official designation.
“The proclamation is big news, and those who have heard about it are ecstatic,” said Katelynn Herrick, among the coordinators of the festival. “This makes Columbus more welcoming to those of the LGBTQ+ community and makes them proud to be residents of a city that is finally recognizing them and their achievements in the community.”
The gathering of music, food and various vendors, which attracted an estimated crowd of more than 2,000 people and international attention first year in 2018 and 3,500 in 2019, has become one of the most popular downtown events.
The event exists “to unite Columbus as one community that celebrates diversity, fosters inclusion for all, and celebrates (the) LGBTQ (community),” according to organizers.
Erin Bailey, now a student at Herron School of Art + Design in Indianapolis, launched the first Pride Festival as her senior project at Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech High School. Regional, national and international media picked up the story of the event they saw as especially significant because the event was occurring in then-Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown.
The event has since then picked up support from a mix of organizations, churches, groups and more.
Jill Tasker, a leading member of the currently dormant Columbus Pride Alliance organization and also a senior project mentor Bailey for that inaugural festival, is more than pleased with the proclamation.
“I am beyond delighted, and so happy,” Tasker said, adding that these words mean plenty. “Absolutely, these words do (have impact). That is huge — especially in a red (Republican) state and in a red town. And I will say that I am so proud that Jim Lienhoop is our mayor.
“He has consistently and reliably walked the walk when it comes to LGBTQ+ issues. He has been there from day one. Jim is a man of integrity and honor, and he knows that this (proclamation) is the right and honorable thing to do. And he did it.”
Kestler also has a track record of being a voice for minorities, including the disabled and others.
The proclamation includes that there has been progress on LGBTQ+ issues, but adds “Despite this progress, LGBTQ+ people in Indiana face disparities in employment, healthcare, education, housing, and many other areas central to the pursuit of happiness in the United States simply for who they are.”
Sondra Bolte, among Pride Festival organizers and also a leading pioneer locally for LGBTQ+ issues since at least the 1990s, called the proclamation “huge.”
“It recognizes that we’re legitimate,” Bolte said. “And for many, many years, weren’t (considered such).”
Bolte said a proclamation reflects more progressive times and attitudes over the years for Columbus. And, like Tasker, Bolte passed kudos to Lienhoop.
“I think Jim Lienhoop wants to be mayor of an inclusive community,” Bolte said. “And I have heard him talk about the importance of being inclusive at a number of events.”
Herrick acknowledged that coordinators are uncertain what to expect with festival attendance this year.
“(With) 2021 being in the fall instead of spring, we are unsure what crowd size to expect, (and that’s) also due to some people still being wary of attending large events,” she said.
