Founded in the 1790s and influenced by the Shakers, Lebanon, Ohio, is a Cincinnati suburb of 21,000 people.
Promoting itself as “historic charm reimagined,” Lebanon has maintained a quaint, colonial, small-town feel even with contemporary updates such as sidewalk cafes, coffee shops and breweries. Its longtime claim to fame is the Golden Lamb Restaurant, which used to be a stagecoach stop back in the day and is now known for good food and holiday gatherings.
It is also the city where Leelah Alcorn, a transgender teen, ended their life December 28, 2014. According to Leelah’s note, the school and her peers were accepting. However, her family was not.
Lebanon also describes itself as a family-friendly city. But what happens if you or one of your family members belongs to the LGBTQ+ community? James Reynolds, a former Lebanon resident, is organizing the first Pride Festival in Lebanon—with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers—to make sure that marginalized residents know they have an LGBTQ+ community that embraces and supports them. The group has formed a non-profit to support the event, which is scheduled for next summer.
The Buckeye Flame had the opportunity to sit and talk with Reynolds about the plans and vision for the festival.
Tell us a little bit about James Reynolds.
I grew up in Lebanon. Left and went to Morehead, Kentucky, for school to become an art teacher and later got a master’s in special education, when I returned to Cincinnati. All of that, combined with a love of art-making and people, have opened many doors. One of which is bringing Pride to Lebanon.
It was not a friendly atmosphere when I was growing up here, so I was not out. It was not a safe place. This is an opportunity for the community to learn who we are.
What makes this Pride in Lebanon so important?
It’s important because it’s 2023 and Lebanon is fairly behind in its ability to encourage happiness for those who do not fit the white, middle-class stereotype. Additionally, we hope to be able to help the citizens reformat how and what they think about queers. Most importantly, it’s necessary for young queer and questioning folx to see people who look like them and know they are not alone. That makes all the difference in the world.
How do you plan to get support for the project?
It’s a very slow-grow process. In the beginning, it was easy for folx to be dismissive because we didn’t have a date. Once we got the date, it has become very real. Most of the people really don’t know what Pride looks like other than what they’ve seen on Fox News. We haven’t presented our plan, so they don’t know what to expect.
The businesses are the ones with the most to lose. However, what we have found is there’s actually a lot of support for it, but no one wants to be the one that starts it. That’s where we come in. We have smaller events planned throughout the year to help garner support. We recently had a Mrs. Roper Romp as a way to help break the ice. My friend Brooke and the rest of the committee are working hard to make this happen.
What’s the rest of the year like in Lebanon?
Like a small town, it’s fairly quiet. However, for Pride, we are doing monthly events that will be social opportunities for queers, allies and the other residents to get acquainted. We will also be doing community-based and civic work such as a park cleanup. We want to be known as a group of queer folx and allies but also known as part of the overall Lebanon community. Lebanon is a very old-school city and we have to meet people where they are currently and help them move forward.
How can Cincinnati and the rest of Ohio support this endeavor?
Folx can help in a multitude of ways, the first one being money. It’s expensive to put on a festival. In the beginning, with no proven track record, it’s difficult to get corporate sponsorships. So right now, we’re not getting any big monies. Some of our monthly events leading up to Pride will be fundraisers, so attending and donating to them [is supportive]. We’ll have Lebanon Pride Flags and logo stickers available as we get closer to the date. Vendor opportunities will also be available.
And most importantly, mark July 20, 2024, on your calendars and plan on attending Lebanon Pride. 🔥
Ignite Action
- Learn more about Lebanon’s first Pride Festival by visiting their website.
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