They started as a friend group of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. Now, they’re running their rural county’s first Pride. By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● March 26, 2026 In the past, Van Wert County residents traveled to Indiana for Pride
Columbus-based Kaleidoscope Youth Center pauses queer expansion into Northwest Ohio, lays off staff amid drop in grant funding By Ben Jodway & Ken Schneck ● Rural ● March 24, 2026 LGBTQ+ residents attempt to pick up the organizing that no longer has a sponsor
‘I’ve had more engaging conversations with trees’: Trans Ohioans get a cold reception from Ohio US rep in D.C. trip By Ben Jodway ● Politics ● March 17, 2026 A trans elder, a trans daughter and her father lobbied Ohio US Rep. David Joyce for trans rights on Capitol Hill
Students at an Ohio private Christian university hosted a drag show for over 10 years. This year could be the last. By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● February 26, 2026 University of Findlay’s LGBTQ+ student organizers worry Ohio’s proposed drag ban would jeopardize their main source of funding.
In college, he was ‘MAGA Christopher.’ Now, he’s out as bisexual and running to unseat a Republican By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● February 20, 2026 ‘The whole message of being yourself in the LGBTQ+ community is being yourself in your own ways’
Rural Ohio church offers $5,000 reward for information on Pride flag arson on New Year’s Day By Ken Schneck ● Rural ● February 17, 2026 Lacking evidence, police consider case closed.
A trans candidate in rural Ohio lost two elections and was doxxed. She’s running again for ‘a better path forward’ By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● February 10, 2026 ‘I am in the most red district in rural Ohio, and we are fighting like hell’
Trans-owned plant shop The Leaf Lounge takes root in rural Ohio By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● February 4, 2026 By collaborating with other local businesses, Kayden Warner sows the seeds of a greener community space in Fremont.
Winter discussion sessions in Knox County give rural LGBTQ+ Ohioans a voice By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● February 2, 2026 The first session took attendees from ‘discomfort to comfort’
Queer-owned farm-to-table businesses reclaim history in a former rural Ohio gay bar By Ben Jodway ● Rural ● January 8, 2026 ‘I just loved the energy from the moment I had seen [the space.]’