Hello Folks!!

We hope you’ve been able to support so many wonderful grassroots prides this year happening in June. We intentionally put out this fundraising ask later in hopes that you would. However, our events our kicking off so here we are, once again, asking for your generous support for Columbus Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer!

The Future is Queer pays homage to lasting resiliency of queer, trans, and intersex people of color. Our elders have led countless movements toward liberation throughout history and for generations we have persevered against relentless state violence against our people. Mama Major Griffin-Gracy said “I’m still fucking here!” and The Future is Queer honors this.

Our community will only continue to grow – our generations are becoming queerer, we are cultivating deeper connections with our ancestors, and our youth and elders are coming out at the same time. The Future is Queer declares that queer, trans, and intersex folks will exist and thrive in the future and into infinity.

This year we have multiple events in May, June, September and October so we really hope you will support, show up, and tell your loved ones. Our list of events are below, we will continue to update this description and our social media platforms for further details.

Our fall Community Pride festival will be at Mayme Moore Park Saturday, October 8th, 2022.

WHY COMMUNITY PRIDE IN CENTRAL OHIO:

At Stonewall Columbus’ 2017 Pride parade, several community members stepped out into the street with the intent of bringing public attention to the lack of safe spaces for Black and brown LGBTQIA+ folks within the larger LGBTQIA+ community. Within one minute of leaving the curb, the group was accosted by aggressive CPD officers, who assaulted them with bikes, pepper spray, and sheer force. During this altercation, four folks––All Black and mostly Black trans and queer individuals––were arrested. They have become known as the #BlackPride4.

Despite hosting the parade at which this altercation occurred and claiming to be an advocacy organization “for all” LGBTQIA+ people in Central Ohio, Stonewall Columbus not only failed to aid the #BlackPride4 after their arrest, they refused communication with them and their supporters, resisted public calls for change and resignations, and, finally, testified for the prosecution in the #BlackPride4 trials of Wriply, Kendall, and Ashley.

Years later, in 2022 after all we’ve been through, things have not changed much. Stonewall rotates Black face after Black face within their Executive Director role only to gaslight and negotiate harm for the Black Pride 4 and QTIPOC, especially within community conversations and failed accountability processes. Even after this last executive director was chosen, many people harmed by Stonewall were excluded from future accountability processes intentionally. That was hurtful and harmful. For listed reasons above and many many more, we believe our community deserves a space free of police, state violence, and rainbow capitalism. So, Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer is here!!!

WHAT COMMUNITY PRIDE LOOKS LIKE:

Columbus Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer will take place in May, June, September and October 2022. We will have safe in person events and virtual events in May and June and September and October and the actual in person festival on October 8th, 2022. With celebratory and educational and community events ranging from Queer Karokee Night with fabulous songs to chose from to Queer Skate Night to Queer camping and Queer Art Night (having a fun teach in before performances!) we hope to highlight the vibrant lives of QTIPOC and communities at other intersections of oppression. Community Pride will culminate in the Columbus Community Pride Festival on Saturday, October 8th which will include performance and visual artists, arts & crafts, a community resource fair, workshops, vendors, free water and a specific child care area! We are raising money so that every Community Pride event, including the Festival, will be FREE to attend. The only event that is known to cost money is our annual fundraising event, Queer Skate Night, at Skate Zone 71!

We are committed to Community Pride being inclusive and safe for everyone. Community Pride will not be for police or corporate organizations. Rather, it will be a grassroots effort in support of the seeds of Pride: a community-based coalition which furthers the safety and liberty of the most marginalized in our communities. 50+ years ago, Pride started as a riot. Let’s honor our fierce leaders who fought for us years ago by providing a safe and inclusive space without corporations or police! In order to grow the promise of liberation for QTIPOC in Central Ohio and beyond, we must create space outside of white, cis, ableist corporate Prides.

WHERE YOUR DONATIONS GO:

Any funds raised will be used to fund Community Pride: to pay artists and invited speakers, to rent venues, to rent/purchase equipment, to advertise to the communities we most need to reach, to cover any food costs, to invest in culturally competent safety measures, and any other expenses associated with building our weeks of events for Columbus Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer. Any additional funds will fund Community Pride 2023.

Again we want all events associated with Community Pride to be FREE to attend. We need your help to make this a reality!

Check out our website for details and updates at columbuscommunitypride.org.

Here are our May and June events!

May 26th at 7pm-9pm – Queer Trivia night (Virtual platform is CrowdPurr)

June 5th/June 7th at 7pm-10pm — Karaoke Night (in person) (+)

Saturday, June 4th – Community Gardening Day - Community Pride Service Project (+)

Friday, June 10th at 7pm-10pm – Queer Art Night (in person) at the Vanderelli Room

Thursday, June 16th 9pm-12am —Queer Skate Night at Skate Zone 71 (in person)

Friday June 17th/Saturday June 18th —Queer Club Night (in person) (+)

Here are our September and October events!!

September 2nd/3rd — Queer Speed Dating (virtual/in person) (+)

September 2nd - September 5th, 2022 – Queer Camping Outing (+)

September 9th/10th — Queer Storytelling (in person) (+)

September 18th – Child/youth centered event (virtual/in person) (+)

September 24th/October 1st —Burlesque Show (in person) (+)

October 8th 12pm-8pm — CCP Festival (in person) Mayme Moore Park (+)

Here are our trainings to skill up the community and convene our community safety team for the Community Pride festival and events!

Wednesday June 8th – Know Your Rights Training (+)

Friday June 17th – Harm Reduction Training (+)

August 7th or August 28th: Know Your Rights training (+)

September 17 (weekend of September 24th is backup): First Aid, Deescalation, Substance use support, and Mental Health Support with FACO (+)

Will be updated soon with more information

Thank you so much for your support,

The Columbus Community Pride Team

Columbus Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer

Columbus Community Pride 2022: The Future is Queer

Team Members