Cincinnati Pride History

The Cincinnati Gay Community (CGC), founded in 1972, held the city’s first Pride Celebration. It began Friday night, April 6, with a spaghetti dinner at St. John’s Unitarian Church attended by over 150 people.

On Saturday, April 7, after a brunch at the Badlands dance club, about 70 people marched with signs and banners from Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine through downtown to Fountain Square, where a rally featured “live music, political speakers, and several theatrical skits.” Founding member Terry Flanigan recalled that “there was much heckling along the route,” and only WCPO Channel 9 covered the event. The Independent Eye (May 1973, Volume 6, No. 2) also covered it.

Mayor Theodore Berry, the city’s first African American mayor, declined to issue a proclamation. The CGC fell apart amid disagreements about a month later, and no Pride was held again until 1978.

Following the formation of the UC Gay Association in 1973, graduate student C. Powell Grant attempted to incorporate “The Greater Cincinnati Gay Society, Inc.” as a non-profit organization.

Ohio Secretary of State Ted W. Brown denied the corporate charter. Grant, represented by attorney Douglas Mansfield, filed a mandamus action taking the case to the Ohio Supreme Court. On July 10, 1974, the court upheld the denial in State ex rel. Grant v. Brown, holding that “the promotion of homosexuality as a valid lifestyle is contrary to the public policy of the state.”

Despite this roadblock, the University of Cincinnati officially adopted an anti-discrimination policy protecting gay and lesbian students that same year.

After the Cincinnati Gay Community dissolved in 1973, Pride went unobserved for five years until it was revived in 1978 by the Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition (GCGC).

On June 24, 1978, Mayor Gerald (Jerry) Springer signed a Pride proclamation.

A rally on Fountain Square marked the 10th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City. Mayor Bobbie Sterne issued a proclamation, and the Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition (GCGC) was a sponsor of Pride.

The GCGC, which revived Pride in 1978, incorporated as a non-profit in 1984 and became known as the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition (GCGLC).

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition held L/G Pride Day on Sunday, June 22, 1980.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition held Pride on Fountain Square on Sunday, June 28, 1981.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition held L/G Pride Day on Fountain Square on Sunday, June 20, 1982.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition held Pride Day on Fountain Square. The two main speakers were Harry Hay, a founder of the Mattachine Society who helped establish the Radical Faeries, and Dr. Rhonda Rivera, an Ohio State University law professor recognized as a pioneer of LGBTQ+ rights.

Hay’s theme was “Gays — a separate people whose time has come. Share the Pride. Feel the Magic.”

Cincinnati residents Dr. Shane Que Hee and his late husband, Dr. Bob McNee, were instrumental in inviting Hay to the city. Period Yellow Pages listings called this “the 6th Pride” — counting 1973 and the years since 1978, though not consecutive years.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition, newly incorporated as a non-profit this year, organized “Gay Pride Week” from June 9 to 17, 1984.

Marchers gathered at City Hall and proceeded to Fountain Square for a rally organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition. Mayor Charlie Luken refused to issue a GLBT Pride Day proclamation.

The march was led by Dr. Kirk Prine and Pat North, vice president of the Coalition. Edward Hicks, co-founder of The GayBeat, recalled that “Kirk told the coalition flatly that there was going to be a march even if he were the only one.”

A photo of the speakers located in December 2020 shows Dr. Kirk Prine, former Cincinnati councilmember Guy Gugenberger, Pat North, Dr. Mike Mavroidis (founder of AIDS Volunteers of Greater Cincinnati), and Jan Scholler, who later served as Coalition president in 1987–1988.

On June 7, a political rally at City Hall was followed by a march to Fountain Square and then to the Dock (603 W. Pete Rose Way) for a festival behind the bar. Vice officers raised concerns with Coalition president George Vanover that the lot was city property, so the festival moved to the Dock’s front lot the following year. The Coalition then consisted of 22 gay, lesbian, and ally groups.

On Sunday, June 8, festival booths moved to Ruth Lyons Lane near the Metro, Side Door, and Subway bars for an art and crafts festival that included “drag queen mud wrestling” featuring Eartha Quake (Denny Welch).

On September 4, the Gay & Lesbian Coalition entered the Cheviot Harvest Home Parade.

A rally at Fountain Square and parade to the Dock focused on the upcoming March on Washington, with information on how to participate and a collection of donations. A festival at the Dock followed.

The Coalition also sponsored Gay Days at the Cincinnati Zoo and at Americana Amusement Park in Hamilton, Ohio (dates unknown).

A rally at Fountain Square was followed by a parade to the Dock and a festival there. (The Dock, at 603 W. Pete Rose Way, closed in spring 2018.)

The Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition held a Pride rally on Fountain Square.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition held a rally at Fountain Square followed by a parade to Sawyer Point.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition held L & G Pride Day. Mayor David Mann gave a “tolerance day” proclamation to GLBT Pride.

Patti Herrmann was Coalition president; Matt Hon and Robbie Vasseur were Pride chairs.

Hamilton, Ohio held its first Pride festival, organized by the drag performer Eartha Quake (Denny Welch, also called “Junior”). About 100 community members from Greater Cincinnati attended, including Cheryl Eagleson and Michael Chanak. Denny Welch passed away on September 30, 1998, at age 38; Hamilton did not hold another parade or festival until June 5, 2021.

On June 13, the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition held a rally at City Hall and a march to Fountain Square.

In November 1993, Cincinnati voters approved ballot measure Issue 3, amending the City Charter to include Article XII. The clause prohibited the City of Cincinnati from enacting or enforcing any ordinance or policy according minority or protected status based on sexual orientation.

Article 12 made Cincinnati the only municipality in the United States with an anti-gay civil rights ban written directly into its city charter, triggering widespread boycotts, national legal challenges, and severe community chilling effects.

The march began at City Hall with a rally at Fountain Square. Michael Chanak Jr. was named Pride Marshal in recognition of his work to include sexual orientation in Procter & Gamble’s non-discrimination policy, announced September 15, 1992.

In April 2018, P&G and CNN’s Great Big Story released The Words Matter, a 19-minute film about that work.

A rally at Bicentennial Commons was followed by a parade through downtown and a festival at the Dock. This was the first Pride organized by the Gay & Lesbian Community Center, created after the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Coalition dissolved.

The Gay & Lesbian Community Center held a Fountain Square rally and march to the Dock for a festival in its front parking lot. It was the last formal parade until 2000.

From 1996 through 1999, Cincinnati held no formal Pride parade. Smaller events kept Pride visible:

• 1996: The Gay & Lesbian Community Center held a “Pride and Cultural Fest,” eight events over three days, with no rally or parade.
• 1997: “Aware on the Square,” held from noon to 1 pm on Thursday, June 5, by the Community Center.
• 1998: “Aware on the Square” on Tuesday, June 23, with no parade.
• 1999: On June 6, Michael Blankenship organized a rally at City Hall, with no parade or festival.

Formal parades resumed in Northside in 2000.

In late 1999, organizer Chris Good approached veteran activist Michael Chanak Jr. with a core question: Why isn’t there a parade?

Good formed an independent committee, moving the route to Northside. On June 11, 2000, the parade stepped off following a rally at Burnet Woods, marching down Ludlow and Hamilton Avenues to end at Hoffner Park for a community festival. This revived annual continuous marches in Cincinnati.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by Chair Ken Colegrove and an independent committee. Honorary Pride Marshals: Peaches LaVerne and Scott McLarty.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by Chair Ken Colegrove and an independent committee. Honorary Pride Marshal: Peaches LaVerne.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by Chair Ken Colegrove and an independent committee. Honorary Pride Marshal: Peaches LaVerne.

Following eleven years of community grassroots campaigning, coalition organizing across labor and civil rights groups, and national attention, Cincinnati voters passed Issue 2 on November 2, 2004, formally repealing Article 12 from the City Charter.

The repeal restored the city’s ability to protect LGBTQ+ citizens under human rights ordinances and opened the door to modern corporate and civic engagement.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by Co-Chairs Ken Colegrove and Debra Randall with an independent committee.

Peaches LaVerne served as Queen Mum of the Parade and was driven through Clifton in a yellow VW convertible by ally Christopher L. Osborne. Pride Marshals were Kathy Laufman (GLSEN) and Patti Herrmann, who was unable to attend due to a family emergency.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Pride Marshal: Scott Knox.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Pride Marshal: David Crowley.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Community Center. Pride Marshals: Marian Weage and Dr. Ronn Rucker.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Community Center.

Pride Marshals: Rev. Paula Jackson, Vic Ramstetter, Phebe Beiser, Worley Rodehaver of Greater Cincinnati GLBT News, and Dr. Larry Wolf, former UC geography professor.

A rally at Burnet Woods, parade to Northside, and a two-day festival at Hoffner Park, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay & Lesbian Community Center with Pride Chair Bill Abney. Pride Marshals: Cheryl Eagleson and Dr. John Maddux.

Attendance was estimated at 22,000–25,000. Recognizing the event had outgrown the Northside venue, the Center’s board chose the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce as the new host organization. This was the last year the Center sponsored Pride.

After the 2009 Northside Pride outgrew its venue, the Gay & Lesbian Community Center handed Pride to the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce. On July 4, 2010, the Chamber held the Cincinnati Pride parade and festival downtown on Fountain Square. Pride Marshals were Doris Marks Callis, Karen Aronoff-Holtmeier, Michael Cottrell, and Randy Bridges.

An independent committee led by Dan Wells held Northsiders Pride in Northside on August 14, and the first ever Northern Kentucky Pride, organized by Patti Herrmann, followed on October 3.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce held Cincinnati Pride downtown on Fountain Square. Pride Marshals: Megan Neal and Rusty Lockett.

Regional events that summer included Northern Kentucky Pride at Goebel Park in Covington on July 9, which honored Worley Rodehaver for journalism contributions to the local GLBT community, and Northsiders Pride at Hoffner Park on August 13, organized by Dan Wells.

The Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce held Cincinnati Pride downtown at Sawyer Point. Pride Marshals: Adam Hoover (Marriage Equality Activists), Lynne Lefebvre (long-term volunteer and PFLAG board member), and Chris Seelbach, the first openly gay Cincinnati councilmember.

Northern Kentucky Pride was held July 1 at 7th & Bakewell Streets in Covington. The final Northsiders Pride took place at Hoffner Park on August 18, organized by Dan Wells; no further Northside Pride events were held.

Marking 40 years since the first 1973 march, living Pride Marshals from past years were featured in a rain-soaked parade at Sawyer Point, organized by the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce.

On July 22, the Chamber incorporated the Pride committee as “Cincinnati Pride, Inc.,” an Ohio non-profit. Incorporating trustees were Cathy Rogers, Shawn Baker, Anthony Phillips, Michael Cotrell, and Melissa Riley.

On November 13, 2013, the former LGBTQ+ community center in Northside closed.

The first Pride organized by Cincinnati Pride, Inc. was held downtown at Sawyer Point. Pride Marshals: Ron Clemons and Crystal Loomis.

Cincinnati Pride was held downtown at Sawyer Point, with Erika Ervin (Amazon Eve) as Marshal.

The IRS granted Cincinnati Pride, Inc. non-profit status later that year. (The source gives both November 23 and November 25, 2015.)

Cincinnati Pride was held downtown at Sawyer Point. Marshals: Ron Hirth and Jen Henderson.

Cincinnati Pride was held downtown at Sawyer Point. Marshal: Chuck Beatty.

Cincinnati Pride was held downtown at Sawyer Point. Marshals: Del Shores (producer and writer), James Lee (International Mr. Leather 2018), and Keiran Marcum, a transgender youth from Lebanon, Ohio.

On October 18, Procter & Gamble announced scholarships at its annual GABLE North America meeting in Cincinnati: one to Michael Chanak Jr. for “Courageous Leadership,” and one to Lynwood Battle “For effective Allyship.” Battle was P&G’s chief EEO officer when the company added sexual orientation to its policy on September 15, 1992.

Cincinnati Pride was held downtown at Sawyer Point. Marshals: Arykah Carter and Ariel Mary Ann, both trans activists.

On April 24, 2020, Cincinnati Pride postponed its June 27 celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, the committee announced a new date of October 3, 2020, between Walnut and Elm and 2nd and 3rd Streets downtown. On September 1, the October event was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

The source notes this would have been the 39th Cincinnati Pride with a full parade or march, counting 1973, 1978–1995, and 2000 onward. By that count, the 2023 celebration marked 50 years since the first march, not 50 consecutive years of Pride.

On February 1, 2021, the Cincinnati Pride committee canceled the in-person parade and festival planned for June 26.

On Sunday, June 27, Cincinnati Pride and the Gay Chamber of Commerce held an outdoor market at Washington Park from 11 am to 4 pm, with some 20 local supportive organizations represented. It was not a substitute for Pride or its festival.

On June 5, Hamilton, Ohio held its first Pride parade and festival since 1992; it has been held annually since.

The Cincinnati Pride parade and festival returned. Pride Marshals were Tristan Vaught, co-founder of Transform Cincinnati and UC adjunct professor of women’s, sexuality, and gender studies, recognized for work with the trans community and trans youth; and Kersha Deibel, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio, recognized for work on women’s health.

Northern Kentucky Pride returned to MainStrasse and Goebel Park on June 5, and Lawrenceburg, Indiana held Pride at the Dearborn County Fairgrounds on June 12.

The Cincinnati Pride parade and festival marked 50 years since the first Pride march in 1973. The year’s Pride Marshals were a celebration of all marshals since the first parade.

The “Love Wins” mural, a partnership of Cincinnati Pride and ArtWorks created by local artist Mathew Dayler, was installed outside Queen City Radio downtown in celebration of the anniversary and incorporates elements of an original black-and-white photo from the first event at Fountain Square.

Other regional Prides included Northern Kentucky (June 4), Madeira (June 10), Lawrenceburg, Indiana (June 11), and Golf Manor Juneteenth (June 16).

The Cincinnati Pride parade and festival featured transgender youth as grand marshals, in collaboration with Transform Cincinnati.

The city held its annual Pride flag raising at City Hall on May 31, and Northern Kentucky Pride was held in Covington on June 2. In June, Cincinnati Jew Folk reported that pro-Palestinian activists forced the resignations of two Jewish volunteers from Cincinnati Pride; Cincinnati Pride’s president issued a statement to the press.

Pride Marshals were Missy Spears (Executive Director of Queer Kentucky), Storm Boyd (Chair of Equality Cincinnati), Stix Newman (Stixen Stones), a trans activist and drag performer, and Ron Clemons, a retired social worker and community activist who was also a marshal in 2014. WCPO reported organizers’ attendance estimate of 250,000.

On June 24, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on Pride sponsorship, quoting P&G retiree Michael Chanak.

Three Pride Marshals were announced: Cathy Allison of Crossport (transgender support), DJ Boywife (Shane Brouman), a DJ and community organizer, and Marco Trujillo, a Hispanic LGBTQ+ community advocate. Local news coverage reported attendance of 300,000.