Celebrating 50 Years of Cincinnati Pride
Cincinnati Pride began in April 1973 as a small gathering of celebration, support, and visibility. Over the years, it has changed and transformed and is now a staple of the Cincinnati summer. More than 100,000 people gathered downtown, and we joined the festivities on Saturday, June 24, to speak to just a few in the eager crowd waiting for the parade to begin. With increasing rollbacks on protections for the LGBTQ+ and queer communities, we knew it was necessary to highlight why Pride is as important now as it was 50 years ago.
Reporting by Winter Crews, Vasenta Selvanayagam, Olivia Taylor.
Photography by Stacy Wegley.
Why are you at Pride?
“I'm here to support everyone in the community, including my students.” –Ashley
“I identify as queer. It's always been important to me for everyone to have equal rights and celebrate their individuality, whether they’re gay, straight, trans. My daughter has grown up learning that there are more people other than ourselves.” –Consuelo
“Our dance group is here. We're Groove Crew of Cincinnati, and we're actually in the Pride parade today. It's actually our group's debut at Cincinnati Pride, but a lot of us have been to Pride in the past. They performed at Kentucky Pride just two weeks ago, and we'll be at Second Sunday on Main Pride in July. It’s an event that means a lot to us.” –Jackie
“We love coming down here because it's an opportunity for us to be with our family and be who we are. We love being open about who we are.” –Olivia
What does Pride mean to you?
“Pride is a way to celebrate and to support other people.” –Ashley
“It’s love.” –Liz
“For me, personally, Pride is being able to love who you want and to be loved, to be supported, to feel safe in your community, and to be true to yourself. It’s an opportunity for people to be the best versions of themselves – to do that, you need tolerance, you need kindness, you need acceptance. As a society, we've come such a long way with LGBTQ rights, and it's just so exciting to be part of that and to see that growth and to see something like Cincinnati Pride grow – I think they have more than 200 participants in the parade this year, which I think is the largest on record. It's the 50th anniversary of Cincinnati Pride, and so it's really just amazing to see. There's still a long way to go; there's a lot of legislation that's looking to maybe rewind some of those hard earned efforts, but we can support each other and then be allies to each other.” –Jackie
“It’s about showing pride, being gay, not being afraid, and not letting what’s going on in politics and legislation hold us back or hold us down and saying we're not going to go back in the closet.” –Olivia
“I love Pride because it reminds me that I'm not alone. It means knowing that even if people don't believe me, it still exists and it's still real and not going to change.” –Rebecca
What’s your favorite part of Pride?
“Being able to express yourself. It’s a part of everyday life.” –Alexis
“Bumping into people like the community and just seeing the support for products and services from businesses founded by minorities. We're out here to see the community – this is my opportunity to get out and be comfortable without having to defend who I am or explain who I am.” –Consuelo
“People need to be who they are without being ashamed of it, and people can be themselves here; they feel included.” –Jenny
“I’ve been to Pride every year since 1972 – in San Francisco, Chicago, New York. I’ve been around a while; I’m 71. The thing about Cincinnati Pride is that it’s gotten bigger and bigger, and the crowd is more diverse. The first year, there were maybe 20 people on Fountain Square, and I’ve watched it grow.” –Roger