Columbus has been quietly racking up the accolades and it’s time we stop keeping it to ourselves. In our series, Behind the Buzz, we’re unveiling the people, places and experiences that make our city worthy and deserving of all the hype. Keep reading and you'll be asking yourself, "Can all of this exist in one city?" Yes, Columbus.
You may have heard that Stonewall Columbus Pride is officially the largest Pride Festival in the Midwest, with more than 700,000 people attending annually. To help explain what makes Pride in Columbus so incredible, we’re talking to Densil Porteous, CEO and Executive Director at Stonewall Columbus.
"Scioto Lounge," a collection of bronze deer statues, by artist Terry Allen. Source: Experience Columbus.
What are people surprised to learn about the queer scene in Columbus?
That there is a scene in Columbus. There’s the stigma around Ohio being a conservative red state that keeps people from considering and exploring Columbus and the greater state, but Columbus is a very welcoming and inclusive city. Having organizations like Stonewall Columbus and Kaleidoscope Youth Center helps bring a wide variety of people from around the country here because they see the organizations and resources for their identities. I think that’s a wonderful thing.
We’re one of the fastest-growing cities and are now the 14th-largest city in the country. A lot of folks are coming from outside the region to live and work here. Those organizations and other things the city does to make us an inclusive place make people say, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize the LGBTQ+ scene was so vibrant and dynamic here.’
A common thing I’ve heard from people is them saying they experienced their first Pride in Columbus, or that’s what made them come and visit, or that’s what made them want to come back and stay. They had an experience here that was just so welcoming and inviting that they wanted to come back and make Columbus home.
Stonewall Columbus Pride draws 700,000+ people annually. Source: Stonewall Columbus.
Congratulations on hosting the largest Pride Festival in the Midwest! What's the #1 piece of advice you'd tell folks who are planning to come to Columbus Pride for the first time?
I often tell people to rest up and rest well. There are so many things happening during our Columbus Pride celebration—we used to say Columbus Pride was a weekend, but now it’s a month-long celebration in June. It’s a phenomenally large and dynamic experience of community and allies coming together to support of the queer community here in Columbus and across the Central Ohio region. So rest and rest well because it’s going to be a fabulous, long, and engaging weekend with lots of things to do!
Stonewall Columbus puts on the Pride festival in June, and our community really becomes activated between our bars and restaurants and our other LGBTQ organizations, as well as our allies who are opening stores and nightclubs and restaurants and welcoming the queer community here in Columbus. So, resting ahead of time and during is always a smart thing to do.
Slammers. Source: Experience Columbus.
For folks visiting Columbus outside of Pride weekend, what are some can't-miss experiences every queer tourist should try? Where should they go and what should they do while they're in town?
The wonderful thing about Columbus is that it has a little something for everyone. I moved here many moons ago for college and stuck around because I love it here. I grew up in New York, I’ve lived in Atlanta, and spent time in San Francisco, and I encourage folks that you don’t have to be here just in June to experience the warmth and hospitality of the LGBTQ+ community and our allies here whether that’s stopping in the Stonewall Community Center to see our wonderful art installations in the building, or experiencing the city’s diversity of businesses and spaces where queer folks can exist.
We have one of the last few lesbian bars at Slammers, so I always tell people you have to make a stop there and get pizza because they’re well-known for their pizza. Then you have the opportunity to attend drag shows at District West, one of the first of its kind drag-forward establishments in the country. It was built with the artists and creative folks who would be onstage in mind.
And by the end of the year, we’ll have three LGBTQ+ historical markers in Columbus. One representing one of the first lesbian bars in the country, then Stonewall Columbus will have a marker in front of our building to identify us as one of the oldest LGBTQ+ organizations in the country, then we’ll have another marker placed in Goodale Park to represent the Pater Noster House, which was one of the first HIV/AIDS hospices in the country that were taking care of folks during the height of the AIDS pandemic. There’s a rich history people can explore in Columbus outside of Pride Month that gets them connected to the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in Columbus and connects that to the broader national movement.
One of the things we’re trying to do at Stonewall Columbus is highlight all these other opportunities. Not everyone wants to go to a bar, so we’re trying to show people that queer community can be found in so many other spaces. That’s what people are surprised about—they start to peel back the layers of the community here in Columbus, and they find so much history, culture, and experience that happens outside the bar and restaurant spaces; it just takes time to unearth it.
Stonewall Sports, for example, is one of the largest LGBTQ+ sports organizations in the country, and the branch we have here in Columbus is one of the more active branches. I know people who moved from Washington D.C. who did Stonewall Sports there, then they come here and realize we have a Stonewall Sports league here they can get involved in. I don’t think people realize the national connection we have to the queer movement here in Columbus.
Densil Porteous, CEO and Executive Director, Stonewall Columbus.
You have extensive experience in the nonprofit world. How does being CEO of Stonewall Columbus challenge you? What are some things you're looking forward to in terms of the organization's growth?
My most exciting opportunity and the reason I said yes to being CEO and Executive Director of Stonewall is the opportunity to help guide an organization that’s critically important to so many people. The work we do and the resources we connect people to are life-saving and life-affirming. Why wouldn’t I want to be a part of that work? I believe my responsibility is to leave the world a little better than I found it. I believe in humanity and in helping people find joy, happiness, and connection, and that’s the work we’re doing here. It’s helping people find happiness, survive, find value in their identity, and then connecting them to community aid and resources that help them thrive and see themselves in a way that is affirming for who they are.
I live in an intersectional body, I understand the intersections of identity, religion, culture, and all these things—I live them practically. I think often it’s folks who live at these deep intersections who can help guide organizations through tumultuous times to help people reach a positive place. It’s been almost five years now of learning to look deep within myself to look at lessons I’ve learned to help guide the organization and the community to become better and be who they always wanted to be—which is a place where a variety of identities, including intersectional identities, can come together and thrive with a single mission of being seen, supported, and living their full selves. To me, that’s been the greatest opportunity: to make space and bring disparate identities together in such a beautiful way.
I came in at a time when there was a need to understand that we’re better together. Meaning fully locking our arms together and understanding that while we’re different in some ways, we’re fundamentally the same in that we’re human and want to be seen, to thrive, and feel supported. The next several years of growth will be just that—continuing to make space for the identities that aren’t seen as often, and making space for the identities that are seen and helping them connect. And understanding that while we’re different, we ultimately want the same things: joy, connection, and happiness.
The patio at Barcelona in German Village. Source: Experience Columbus.
When you’re not at the helm of Stonewall Columbus, what are some of your favorite things to do in town?
I’m so thankful to live such an integrated life. I don’t talk a lot about work-life balance because, for me, living an integrated life means my work is not fully work; it’s also my life. It’s the thing I love to do; it brings me joy. So when I’m here in the office, it may be work, but it’s also fun and exciting. Then, on the regular I plug into the activities that are happening here at Stonewall Columbus, like our monthly community hour where folks come together from a wide variety of our community intersections to meet and make friends.
I’m also an avid volunteer, so a lot of my additional time spent outside the office is volunteering with other LGBTQ+-affiliated organizations and identity-based organizations because some of these organizations may need the time and talent but may not have the treasure to be able to pay for it.
Outside of that, I’m a food connoisseur. I can have great Caribbean food, which is important because I’m from Jamaica. I get Jerky's Jamaican Grill and Ena's Caribbean Kitchen.
One of my favorite restaurants is Barcelona in German Village. I’m biased because I used to teach salsa there, but the atmosphere is beautiful, and the meals are always a phenomenal experience. If you’re lucky enough to experience the patio, it’s a beautiful escape. Another of my favorites is Basi Italia. It’s tucked away in this intimate setting, the food is excellent, the servers are great, and it feels so authentic. I traveled to Rome a couple of years ago and I think about when I walk into these little mom and pop places in these small districts, and it feels like that.
I live a truly integrated life, and it’s a beautiful thing for me to exist as a quote-unquote “professional gay” in this beautiful community.
