Columbus, Ohio- Pride is an annual celebration for gay and lesbian communities throughout the United States and in other countries around the world. It’s a time when we, as gay men and women take time to be proud of our accomplishments as gay professionals, paraprofessionals, students or whatever else it is we do in our the day to day operations of our lives.

Pride is Columbus is no different – or is it?

Marketed as the largest pride parade in the Midwest (assuming Chicago is not included), Columbus’ pride is a hugely well attended event – even by Ohio standards. Coordinated by Stonewall Columbus, the Gay community center of central Ohio, the parade and subsequent festival held all the traditional sights you’d expect to see at gay pride including, drag queens and kings, leather daddies and their pups, hard muscled men, feminine and butch lesbians. I would be remiss if I didn’t include sexy white twinks and their straight female counterparts (an entirely different editorial story all together - stay tuned friends).

This year I noticed something different. As I walked through pride, I was able to feel and detect something I hadn’t noticed before.

Bruthas

Although they were not in the parade in any great numbers, they were at pride. There were groups of guys – young ones (pre teens), young professionals, middle aged (like me) and older folks. Even some of the music coming across the loudspeakers at pride featured black artists, No, not just the top 40ish stud, I mean some traditional historically significant spirituals that had pride themes attached to them. The music was sprinkled in with the Beyonce, Ne-Yo, Joe and other stuff you hear on the radio. It was nice to even hear some music of Mexico and Latin America spattered into the loudspeakers as well.

Wow – Gay Black Men at Pride. And who says we are so far into the DL that we can’t dig ourselves out? I like to think that out Stonewall Community Center here in Columbus under the leadership of Karla Rothan, Center Director has been instrumental in opening the eyes of the community to increasing the representation of racial and ethnic diversity in programs and events Stonewall offers.

Recently, Stonewall offered a great deal of support to the new Brutha2Brutha social and activity group designed for gay African American men because as Karla put it “there needs to be something for the bruthas to do other than club and attend after hours parties” and how right she has been. With the assistance of Stonewall Columbus Board Vice President Wanda Ellis, a diversity initiative has been started which will address social and activity needs of gay minorities in central Ohio. Things are definitely on the upswing for minority gay men in Columbus, another source of pride in our community as a whole.

Keep your eyes on Columbus Ohio nation. Great things are happening here!