Columbus Pride Festival 'In The News'

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2019

Originally posted on them.us on December 9, 2019

Across the Midwest, Smaller Communities Are Celebrating Pride on Their Own Terms

This week, them. is highlighting and celebrating queer people, places, and stories from across an often-overlooked region: the Midwest. Look out for more from our Queer Midwest package throughout the week.

Five years ago, plans for a Pride walk in Chillicothe, Ohio, fell by the wayside when few people showed any interest in taking part. This coming July, however, the city of 22,000 will have not just a walk to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride, but a pool party and a dance party as well.

Chillicothe — home to 990 queer people if its LGBTQ+ population matches estimates of the national percentage — is one of a growing number of small towns throughout the Midwest where traveling to big-city Pride festivities is no longer the only option. As people become more comfortable living openly and authentically no matter where they call home, suburbs and small towns are increasingly hosting their own events. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on therepublic.com on April 13, 2019

Pride Festival attracts large crowd

Columbus Pride Festival organizers promised a larger gathering in Saturday’s second installment, and they delivered.

An estimated crowd of more than 3,500 people gathered along a crowded Fifth Street and the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza downtown Saturday afternoon in support of the LGBTQ community and their family and friends.

And that was an hour before the drag show, last year’s most popular attraction, began.

Erin Bailey, now a student at Herron School of Art + Design in Indianapolis, launched the first Pride festival last April as her senior project at Columbus Signature Academy — New Tech High School. Regional, national and international media picked up the story of the event they saw as especially significant because the event was occurring in Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on indianapublicmedia.org on April 12, 2019

Columbus To Host Second Annual Pride Festival Saturday

Organizers say they expect an even larger crowd at the second annual Columbus Pride festival Saturday.

The event in Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown attracted around 2,500 people last year. A high school senior organized the inaugural festival to send the message that Columbus is a welcoming community.

Sarah Franklin, the media and public relations coordinator for Columbus Pride, says they’ve moved the event to 5^th street and the Bartholomew County Public Library because of the expected turnout. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on wishtv.com on April 6, 2019

[VIDEO] Columbus Pride Festival preview

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) – The Columbus, Indiana Pride Festival is one week away.

Organizer Erin Bailey stopped by Daybreak Saturday to discuss the upcoming festival.

There will three bands, a number of speakers and a drag show.

Additionally, there will be several food vendors on hand. Watch the Full Video >

Originally posted on wishtv.com on February 16, 2019

Columbus Pride Festival to return April 13

The Columbus Pride Festival that attracted an estimated 2,500 people on a rainy spring day last year will return downtown on April 13.

The free event, set for noon to 4 p.m. April 13, will be held on the 500 block of Fifth Street in front of the Bartholomew County Public Library Plaza to allow room for emergency vehicles and more room for attendees to gather, said Katelynn Herrick, coordinator.

She said city officials were concerned after last year’s event included some crowding along the two blocks of Fourth Street where the event was held last year. See the Full Feature >

2018

Originally posted on wthr.com on April 14, 2018

[VIDEO] Columbus holds first gay pride festival

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WTHR) — Hundreds of people in Columbus attended the city first gay pride festival Saturday.

Erin Bailey, a senior at Columbus Signature Academy, planned the event as her senior project.

Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown once rallied against homosexuality, signs of inclusion and encouragement painted the town Saturday. Jill Tasker, President of Pride Alliance of Columbus, couldn’t find the words to describe how well she thought the event was.

“Oh it’s so gratifying. So edifying. It’s satisfying. It’s brilliant.” See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on lgbtqnation.com on April 14, 2018

Mike Pence’s hometown held its first LGBT pride festival today & it was incredible

High school student Erin Bailey is going to get an A on her senior project. She just pulled off something no one else has. She hosted a pride festival in notoriously anti-LGBT Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown.

Over 1,000 people braved chill winds and rain to show support for the LGBT community in Columbus, Indiana. Shortly after the event started, the rain died off and the sun came out to shine on the parade of people streaming through the downtown streets.

The city of 47,000 people welcomed the visitors warmly. The Old National Bank downtown had rainbow colored banners in the windows touting diversity and inclusion. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on fox59.com on April 13, 2018

[VIDEO] First ever Pride parade in Columbus set for Saturday

COLUMBUS, Ind. – It’s a historic moment in Columbus as organizers prepare for the first ever Pride festival Saturday morning.

High school senior Erin Bailey is at the helm. This event started as her senior project that’s now gotten national attention.

It’s a rare site as you take a stroll through downtown Columbus. A rainbow flag waving in the window of this wine shop and just a couple of doors down Dell Brothers men’s clothing store proudly displays they welcome the LGBT community. Watch the Full Video >

Originally posted on hrc.org on April 13, 2018

HRC to Join First LGBT Pride Festival in Mike Pence’s Hometown of Columbus, Indiana

Tomorrow, HRC will celebrate with local advocates at the first-ever LGBT Pride Festival in Columbus, Indiana — hometown of Vice President Mike Pence, whose political career has been predicated on anti-LGBTQ animus. Spearheaded by Columbus high school senior Erin Bailey, organizers say they hope the event will reflect the growing diversity and commitment to inclusion evident in their community, despite Pence’s deplorable legacy.

“We are honored to participate in Columbus’ inaugural LGBT Pride Festival and prove once again that love trumps hate,” said HRC Senior Public Policy Advocate and Indiana native Jennifer Pike Bailey, who will be representing HRC at the event. “By fearlessly standing up for equality, Erin Bailey is showing Mike Pence, who has a long, disturbing record of attacking and demonizing the LGBTQ community, that Hoosiers won’t stand for his brand of discriminatory politics.” See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on teenvogue.com on April 13, 2018

Erin Bailey Is Throwing a Pride Festival in Mike Pence’s Hometown

The first thing you might notice about Erin Bailey, 18, is her fiery red hair, often accompanied by a knit beanie hat and a flannel. The next thing you’d notice is her passion for social justice, which is just as fiery as her hair. Erin, a senior at Columbus Signature Academy, says she wants to make a difference in her community. That’s why she planned an LGBTQ Pride Festival, slated for April 14 in her hometown of Columbus, Indiana.

Columbus might not be big — it’s home to about 45,000 people, and it’s almost an hour away from the nearest major city — but Erin’s event is making national headlines. That’s because Columbus is also the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on refinery29.com on April 2, 2018

Meet The Teen Behind The First Pride Festival In Mike Pence’s Hometown

Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown in Indiana will host its first Pride Festival ever, thanks to a teenage girl.

Originally posted on usnews.com on March 30, 2018

Columbus Student Spearheads City’s First Gay Pride Festival

Originally posted on back2stonewall.com on March 30, 2018

Columbus, Indiana: Mike Pence’s Hometown To Host First PRIDE Festival – April 14, 2018

Vice President Mike Pence was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana. And his tenure as governor of that state made national headlines when he signed the controversial anti-LGBT Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law.

Over the past few months, the vice president again made national headlines on this topic — first, in a Twitter exchange with openly gay U.S. figure skater Adam Rippon ahead of the Olympic Games, then as comedian John Oliver trolled him with a children’s book in which the Pence family bunny was imagined in a gay relationship.

In a show of support and solidarity to the LGBT community Mike Pence’s hometown plans to hold its first ever LGBT Pride Festival next month. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on elle.com on March 30, 2018

This Teen Is Throwing A Pride Festival In Mike Pence’s Hometown. Here’s Why.

Mike Pence’s hometown of Columbus, Indiana, is getting its very first gay pride festival — and the event is organized by a high school senior.

Columbus native Erin Bailey, 18, is heading the April 14 event, which promises to make Columbus “a more welcoming community for everyone.” The festival will have information booths, vendors, and food.

“We haven’t had anything else in our town like it before,” Bailey tells ELLE.com. “It seemed like something that needed to happen.” See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on cosmopolitan.com on March 29, 2018

Meet the Teenager Organizing the First LGBTQ Pride Festival in Mike Pence’s Hometown

Teenage girls know how to get shit done. If you need supporting evidence, there’s tons of it. Just in the past year — teenage girls have done things like spearhead national gun control protests and create software to help women find abortion clinics. And now, 18-year-old Erin Bailey is in the national spotlight for organizing the first ever LGBTQ pride festival in Columbus, Indiana, or vice president Mike Pence’s hometown.

Bailey, a high school senior in Columbus, told Cosmopolitan.com her school requires all seniors to complete a project in order to graduate. She knew she wanted to focus her project on activism for either women’s or LGBTQ rights (two things on which Pence has a horrific voting record). See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on cbsnews.com on March 28, 2018

Mike Pence’s hometown set to host its first ever gay pride festival

Vice President Mike Pence was born and raised in Columbus, Indiana. And his tenure as governor of that state made national headlines when he signed the controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, igniting a fiery debate over whether businesses should be able to discriminate against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity, for religious reasons.

Originally posted on newsweek.com on March 28, 2018

Mike Pence’s Hometown Throwing Gay Pride Festival So Everyone Knows They Don’t Share His Views

he hometown of Vice President Mike Pence is set to hold its first ever gay pride celebration, in a move intended to show the U.S. that not everyone from Columbus, Indiana, is anti-gay. Organized by high school senior Erin Bailey, the Columbus Pride Festival draws a clear line between the views of those involved in the festival, and Pence’s dubious record on LGBT rights.

“I am organizing Columbus Pride Festival because I feel it is important for members of the LGBTQ community to know that Columbus is a welcoming and diverse community,” Bailey told the Huffington Post. “Even though Mike Pence is openly anti-gay, that doesn’t mean that all of us in his hometown are,” she added. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on cbs4indy.com on March 28, 2018

Columbus student organizes first gay pride festival in Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown

COLUMBUS, Ind. – A high school student in Columbus, Indiana has taken it upon herself to organize the city’s first gay pride festival in her hometown. Coincidentally, it is also Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown.

Erin Bailey is a student at a project-based learning school in Columbus called Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech. She started organizing Columbus Pride Festival back in August for her senior project because she realized the city didn’t have anything like it. She also wanted to send a message of inclusiveness from a city well-known for being the hometown of the vice president—a man with a long history of holding opposite views from the LGBTQ community. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on nydailynews.com on March 28, 2018

Teenager to host first-ever LGBTQ Pride festival in Vice President Pence’s Indiana hometown

Vice President Pence’s hometown is about to be full of pride for the first time.

A high school senior in Columbus, Ind., will throw the town’s first-ever LGBTQ Pride festival next month, taking a shot at President Trump’s ultra-conservative right-hand man.

Erin Bailey plans to host the rainbow-inspired festival on April 14, and it will feature educational booths, vendors, drag queens, music and other performances. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on usatoday.com on March 28, 2018

Mike Pence’s hometown to host gay pride festival

The face painting, rainbow S’mores on a stick and drag performances planned for Columbus, Ind.’s first gay pride festival are for fun.

But organizers hope the April 14 event also will send a message of inclusiveness from the hometown of Vice President Pence, who has a long record of being on the opposite side of issues important to the gay and lesbian community.

“Most people would think that all of us here are also anti-LGBT,” said Erin Bailey, the high school senior organizing the April 14 event. “But there are plenty of us who very much support the LGBT community and are members of the community.” See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on people.com on March 28, 2018

Teen Organizes First-Ever Gay Pride Festival in Mike Pence’s Hometown — and the VP Reacts to It

Vice President Mike Pence‘s hometown of Columbus, Indiana, is set to hold its first LGBT Pride festival on April 14.

High school senior Erin Bailey organized the event in the historically conservative community, explaining to the Huffington Post that “even though Mike Pence is openly anti-gay, that doesn’t mean that all of us in his hometown are. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on cnn.com on March 28, 2018

Mike Pence’s hometown to host first gay pride festival

Washington (CNN) – Vice President Mike Pence’s hometown plans to hold its first LGBT Pride Festival next month, according to a Facebook post regarding the event scheduled for April 14.

Columbus, Indiana — a small town south of Indianapolis — is the birthplace of the conservative vice president, a frequent target of pro-gay protests. Pence was criticized during his time as Indiana governor for his positions on issues important to the LGBTQ community, including signing a religious freedom bill into law in 2015.

There will be drag queens, music and other entertainment, as well as food booths, educational booths and vendors selling pride-themed items, according to event organizer Erin Bailey. See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on curvemag.com on March 27, 2018

First Ever Pride Celebration In Columbus, Indiana

“Come out to Columbus, Indiana’s first ever LGBTQ Pride Festival on April 14th! We’ll be celebrating downtown on 4th Street from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Let’s help make Columbus a more welcoming community for everyone. There will be informational booths, vendors, food, entertainment, and more!

The Columbus Pride Festival is being held for members of the LGBTQ community and allies. We want everyone to know that Columbus is a welcoming and diverse community. Columbus is so much more than just a small town that Mike Pence grew up in. It is important for this event to be happening now, so that others know that even in this time of hatred, we don’t all agree with it. This is an opportunity to show support for an all-inclusive community.” See the Full Feature >

Originally posted on huffpost.com on March 23, 2018

High School Student Organizes First Pride Celebration In Mike Pence’s Hometown

A high school senior is organizing the first LGBTQ Pride festival in downtown Columbus, Indiana, the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence.

“I am organizing Columbus Pride Festival because I feel it is important for members of the LGBTQ community to know that Columbus is a welcoming and diverse community,” Erin Bailey, a senior at Columbus Signature Academy-New Tech, told HuffPost. “Even though Mike Pence is openly anti-gay, that doesn’t mean that all of us in his hometown are.” See the Full Feature >

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