Brittany Rayl’s teenage daughters were excited to attend an Ohio Pride festival in 2025.
Last year, the family had attended a Detroit-area Pride where Rayl was the DJ and emcee, and her daughters – members of the LGBTQ+ community – enjoyed the experience immensely.
The only problem: there wasn’t a June 2025 Pride celebration anywhere near the family’s home in Upper Sandusky, a small city in Northwest Ohio, sixty miles south of Toledo.
Pride in the Park in nearby Findlay isn’t happening this year, Columbus’ festivities were well over an hour away and Toledo’s Pride isn’t until August.
“They were bummed that there wasn’t anything nearby,” Rayl said.
So Rayl did the next best thing: She decided to organize her own Pride.
“Why not just do it?” Rayl said. “Why not create an opportunity for people right here in our own community?”
“And for my children to not be disappointed,” Rayl added with a laugh.
On Sunday, July 13, Upper Sandusky Pride will take place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Harrison Smith Park. It will be the community’s first Pride celebration, and it came together in only six weeks.
Pride teamwork
Rayl has by her side her boyfriend Brian Webb, a fellow DJ and a self-proclaimed hype-man. Together, the two have put together a festival in a most unlikely locale.
“This is a farm town,” Webb said. “We’re talking rural red Republican land around here.”
Indeed, Wyandot County – Upper Sandusky is the county seat – voted for Donald Trump by almost 75% in the 2024 election. In 2021, Upper Sandusky Mayor Kyle McColly refused to issue a proclamation recognizing Pride Month, despite hundreds of local residents signing a petition urging him to do so. McColly still serves as mayor.
Still, Rayl and Webb were determined to move forward. They went before the Upper Sandusky Park Board in early June, prepared to go through all the proper channels to host a community-wide event. They were expecting some resistance; they encountered none.
“Everyone was really supportive,” Rayl said.
The only snag they encountered was a full schedule of June events already on the books. Rayl and Webb grabbed the first open date presented to them, even if it was a bit outside of June.
“We were OK taking the schedule sacrifice if it meant making this event happen,” Rayl said.
The organizers say that Pride-goers can expect a family-friendly event with “good music, good food and a lot of people showing love to the community.” They have 25 vendors booked – everything from beard care to community resources like the local library and health department.
They have encountered some resistance, but nothing unexpected.
When the Wyandot Chamber of Commerce published a Facebook post advertising the event, the expected trolls came out to denounce the festival with homophobic rhetoric.
“We’re definitely making some new friends,” Webb laughed.
But they are also making local history.
“This is the first event of this magnitude for the LGBTQ+ community here in a small rural town that is not used to something like this,” Webb said.
For Rayl, this is deeply personal. Not only are her daughters LGBTQ+, but, so too, is Rayl.
“This is the first time I have ever publicly stepped into anything that has to do with my identity,” Rayl said. “Our theme is ‘be visible and shine,’ and I really feel that.”
The organizers are expecting a day of “love, acceptance and inclusion.” And they are, of course, already looking to the future.
“We are already planning for next year’s Pride,” Rayl said. 🔥
IGNITE ACTION
- Upper Sandusky Pride will take place on July 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Harrison Smith Park. More info here.
- There are still 20(!) LGBTQ+ Ohio Pride celebrations left in 2025. Visit our Pride Guide here to find one to attend.
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