COLUMBUS, Ohio — June marks Pride Month, and to celebrate, Columbus communities and businesses are holding events.
The Stonewall Columbus Pride March will be returning this year with thousands expected to march in the event.
The march will begin on June 17 at 10:30 a.m. on Broad and North High streets with the procession heading north toward Goodale Park.
Starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, the following areas will be closed for the march:
- High Street between Buttles Avenue and Rich Street
- Dennison Avenue between Goodale Street and Buttles Avenue
- Park Street between Buttles Avenue and Goodale Street
- Buttles Avenue between Dennison Avenue and High Street
- High Street between Main and Broad streets
- Rich Street between 3rd and Front streets
- Town Street between High and Front streets
- State Street between 3rd and Front streets
*All closures will remain in place until cleanup has been completed.
In addition to the Pride March, several businesses, organizations and cities will be holding their own events in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
List of Pride events happening this month
Friday, June 2
Bexley Pride Walk – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 3
Delaware Pride Festival – 10 a.m.
Sunday, June 4
Stonewall Columbus Pride Brunch (fundraiser) – 11 a.m.
Worthington: Rainbow Love pride event – Noon
Monday, June 5
Stonewall City Hall Pride Illumination – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 10
Hilliard 3rd Annual Pride Event – 12 p.m.
Westerville Pride Festival – 2 p.m.
Sunday, June 11
Upper Arlington Pride - 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday, June 16
Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival & Resource Fair – 4 p.m.
Saturday, June 17
Stonewall Pride March – 10:30 a.m.
Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival & Resource Fair – 11 a.m.
Saturday, June 24
Grove City Pride Parade – 9 a.m.
Reynoldsburg Pride Celebration - 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
About Pride Month
While there are celebrations and other gatherings all year in support of the LGBTQ+ community, there typically are many pride-themed events during June. How did that come to be?
It’s in recognition of the Stonewall riots in New York City, which happened on June 28, 1969. On that day, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular hangout in Greenwich Village for many in the queer community. The rough treatment of patrons from police led to days of protests and riots and was a significant catalyst for the gay rights movement in the U.S.
When did June officially become designated as Pride Month? According to the Library of Congress, this tracks back to June 11, 1999, when President Bill Clinton declared a formal proclamation issuing June “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.”
In June 2009, President Barack Obama also issued a proclamation for Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month, which celebrated the contributions made by LGBTQ+ Americans and acknowledged broader initiatives like the HIV pandemic.
But celebrations of the LGBTQ+ community are not just limited to June, according to Emily O’Hara, a spokesperson for GLAAD.
“So, traditionally, pride was a big parade in June at the end of the month to celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising,” O’Hara explained. “But now it’s been over 50 years and we see pride tend to take on more of an all-year-long quality, where you see celebrations in different places at different times of the year.”