Ohioans determined to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride in deep red counties [GALLERY]

Dozens of LGBTQ+ people and their allies gathered at a public amphitheater in downtown Tiffin, Ohio over the weekend – celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride in an overwhelmingly conservative county.

Seneca Proud‘s third annual Our CommUNITY Pride Festival featured private event security, live music, vendors, resource booths, food trucks and free activities for families and children.

The non-profit held its first Pride Festival in 2022, in the face of anti-transgender legislation proposed by their own Ohio state Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), a Baptist pastor who represents Ohio’s 88th District, comprised of both Seneca and Sandusky Counties.

Since then, Click has since become a primary sponsor of anti-transgender legislation at the state level, including House Bill (HB) 68, which bans health care for transgender youth and trans female athletes.

In the rural Northwest Ohio communities Click represents, LGBTQ+ people have built important community safe havens and support networks.

In downtown Tiffin – where Tiffin University has fostered a small, politically left-leaning community – The Buckeye Flame captured these images of Seneca Proud’s third annual CommUNITY Pride Festival. 🔥

ignite action

• To register to vote or to check your voter eligibility status in the state of Ohio, click here.
• To find contact information for your Ohio state representative, click here.
• To find contact information for your Ohio senator, click here.
• If you are a young LGBTQ+ person in crisis, please contact the Trevor Project: 866-4-U-Trevor.
• If you are an transgender adult in need of immediate help, contact the National Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860