Cincinnati Pride
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The
Parade
Cincinnati Pride started in 1973. In 2018, the event had approximately 120,000 attendees. The
Festival
The festival formed out of a
In addition to the parade and festival, the event's organizers have expanded the celebration to include numerous
Administration
After the 40th anniversary of the festival, in 2013, Cincinnati Pride incorporated as a non-profit organization in the State of Ohio and was granted its tax exempt status as a public charity in November, 2015 by the IRS. It is governed by a volunteer
History
In 1972, Cincinnati’s first gay organization, The Cincinnati Gay Community (CGC), was established by Michael Weyand, Terry Flanagan, Carol Kipp, Richard (Dick) Jazwinski, Ronald Carter, Jack Ferguson, and Karl Owens.
In April 1973, four years after the initial events surrounding the Stonewall riots, CGC organizers planned and carried out Cincinnati’s first gay march through Over the Rhine (OTR) and rally at Fountain Square. Although some of the original details are unclear, most reports state that initial attendance ranged from 12-40 individuals.[2]
Shortly after the 1973 rally and march, the CGC disbanded and the next city-wide Pride was not revived until 1978 when it fell under the auspices of the newly created Greater Cincinnati Gay Coalition. The GCGC became the Greater Cincinnati Gay and Lesbian Coalition in 1984. Subsequently, the GCGLC became the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Greater Cincinnati (The Center) in 1993.
In 1993 when
From 2000-2009,
Although Northside did not host the official Cincinnati Pride Festival after 2009, Northside Pride continued to host its own event, later in the summer the years 2010-2012.
As Pride Parade and Festival attendance surged (an estimated 120,000 now attend annually), the Greater Cincinnati Gay Chamber of Commerce worked with city officials to move the event from Fountain Square to Sawyer Point Park and Yeatman's Cove (on the banks of the Ohio River) in 2012.
Following the 2013 festivities (the 40th anniversary of the city's first Pride event), Cincinnati Pride registered as an independent, non-profit organization becoming Cincinnati Pride, Inc. The 2014 festival marked the first celebration executed entirely under the organization's newly incorporated board of trustees and planning committee.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cincinnati Pride was canceled in 2020. Initially, the event was scheduled for June 27, 2020, and then reset for October 3, 2020. Both were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. The annual fundraiser, Pride Night at Kings Island held generally on the first Friday of September each year was also canceled due to the pandemic. On February 1, 2021, the Cincinnati Pride committee announced that the in-person 2021 Pride Parade and Festival has been canceled due to COVID-19 but other events will be planned, as appropriate.
References
- ^ "2018 Sponsors". Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ^ "Cincinnati Pride History - 45 Years Strong". Retrieved 4 September 2017.