CHARDON — Folks packed Chardon Square Saturday for the first-ever LGBTQ Pride in Geauga County.
Despite that opposition, county law enforcement said there were no incidents Saturday, and the event was very peaceful.
“I’m very glad that they’re having this,” said Emily Smith, a student at Chardon High School who identifies as bisexual.
For Smith, she said the Pride event in her county means everything.
“I almost cried at the beginning,” she said.
Smith attended the event with her mom, Megan, and her younger sister.
“I knew that she would want to be here, but more importantly, I wanted to be here. I wanted to show my support,” said Megan Smith. “Some people are not accepting and they need to understand that we just want the same rights and equal opportunities for everybody.”
Smith said the event is even more meaningful given Chardon and Geauga County is traditionally conservative.
“I feel both happy and nervous. I’m worried if people will come in and be like ‘this is bad, this is bad,’” Smith said.
It was a genuine concern after pastors and members of several area churches recently wrote a letter, sent to Chardon’s mayor and city council, speaking out against the Pride event.
Authors of that letter called the event “not healthy for families,” expressing concern specifically with a drag show taking place at the event.
The letter also said: “Our children and grandchildren should not be in danger of being exposed to lewd behavior and sexuality in a setting as public as the town square.”
It is because of the letter that Reverend Randy Partain, with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Cleveland, felt it was especially important to attend Saturday’s Pride event to support the LGBTQ community.
“I wanted to be able to present a more loving side of that acceptance,” said Partain. “I did think it was important to show up in support of this because there are so many religious communities that embrace and affirm and celebrate people’s identities.”
Geauga County isn’t the only county in Northeast Ohio to hold a Pride event for the first time this year. It’s a first for Lake and Lorain counties, as well.
