Grove City, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus, on Monday, Dec. 15, unanimously passed an ordinance that bans workplaces, landlords and public accommodations from discriminating against LGBTQ+ individuals.
The ordinance was brought forward by Council member Melissa Anderson at the City Council meeting on Dec. 1. During its second reading at the next meeting, which included a public hearing, two community members spoke positively of the ordinance.
“This ordinance is about fairness, nothing more, nothing less,” said Brian Parks, a resident and business owner in Grove City. “Lacking any action on the state level, it’s vital that municipalities take action.”
The city of 44,000 residents joins 36 other Ohio municipalities that have passed a similar ordinance, including Columbus, Youngstown and Portsmouth. Some municipalities, like the village of Chauncey, had pushback from council members and residents who said a nondiscrimination ordinance would go against their religious beliefs. In contrast, Grove City’s ordinance passed with little fanfare or controversy.
That might be because Anderson said it was years in the making. The question of whether to introduce an LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinance originated in meetings with the city’s Diversity Task Force, which was put together in 2023 but dissolved in 2025. But last June, a resident asked City Council to review those protections again.
June’s public comment lit the fire that led to its passage on Monday, Anderson said.
“In Grove City, everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, no matter who they are,” she said. “I’m proud that Grove City Council came together unanimously to say that discrimination has no place in our community, and that our laws should protect the health, safety and welfare of all residents, while reflecting our shared values of fairness, inclusion and equal opportunity.”
Seeing the legislation pass was “exciting” and a show of the “progress happening in Grove City,” said Leslie Anderson, board president of Pride in GC and Melissa’s wife, an LGBTQ+ advocacy and support organization in Grove City. The nonprofit celebrated its third annual Pride festival last summer, which Anderson said continues to grow every year.
“Grove City is a hidden gem of diversity with a small town feel just 15 minutes from downtown Columbus,” Anderson said in an email to The Buckeye Flame. “It was once thought of a conservative city but now is evolving.” 🔥
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- To learn more about Grove City’s LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit, Pride in GC, click here.
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