Ohio is proud

by Anthony Glassman

At the end of the month, the 46th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots marks almost a half-century of the modern LGBT rights movement.

In the wee hours of June 28, 1969, a routine police raid on the Stonewall Inn went a little awry. As patrons and staff were lined up outside waiting for the paddy wagons to arrive and cart them off, a crowd of those who had been released formed, joined by onlookers. As one lesbian was knocked on the head by a police baton and entreated the crowd to do something, police tried to quell the onlookers. The police violence brought a stronger reaction from the gathered throng, eventually breaking into a riot.

Crowds continued their protests for days afterwards, leading to the formation of more contemporary LGBT rights organizations and 46 years of lobbying for equality, and the observance of LGBT Pride in June throughout much of the country.

Just 16 years later, the Gay People?s Chronicle was started, one of hundreds of LGBT publications around the country. We were the second major LGBT newspaper in the city, after the Gay Education and Awareness Resources Foundation?s High Gear, which folded in 1984. In that time, Pride celebrations have emerged in Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati, Toledo and Youngstown, while Columbus? started in 1981.

This year is no different, and in this issue of the Gay People?s Chronicle, our 2015 Pride Guide, we have information about festivals in Springfield, Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland.

Belinda Carlisle is headlining Cleveland Pride this year, and the former Go-Gos singer is the proud mother of an out gay son.

Also included in this issue is a personal account of another gay son reflecting on his relationship with his father, following his father?s death. It is a powerful piece, and we are proud to present it to you.

Two years after the Supreme Court opened the door for same-sex marriage in various and sundry jurisdictions around the country, the court now stands poised to mandate marriage equality across the nation, the man who started that legal ball rolling, Jim Obergefell, will be the grand marshal of the Columbus Pride Parade.

Obergefell and his husband, John Arthur, married in Maryland in 2013, shortly after same-sex marriage began there legally. Arthur was dying from ALS, but to be buried in Obergefell?s family plot, Obergefell would have to be listed on Arthur?s death certificate as the surviving spouse.

Ohio refused, citing the state?s constitutional amendment barring the recognition of same-sex marriage. Obergefell and Arthur sued, the U.S. District Judge Timothy S. Black ruled in their favor, barring the Ohio registrar from accepting a death certificate that did not include Obergefell as surviving spouse and listing Arthur as married.

A second case was packaged in for appeal, and as the Ohio cases were joined by others from Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ability of states to restrict marriage recognition to opposite-sex couples. The cases were immediately appealed to the Supreme Court, which, now faced with a dissenting appellate circuit, heard arguments earlier this year.

The court is expected to issue a ruling by the end of the month. Perhaps by July 1, we will be proud of the Supreme Court. If nothing else, we can be proud of those who took their fight to the highest levels.

Regardless of the Supreme Court?s decision, have a wonderful Pride month, whether you enjoy it at home with loved ones or travel far and wide to enjoy as many festivals as possible.