1986 Columbus Gay Pride Parade photograph   Save
Columbus Free Press Collection Audiovisual Series
Description: A crowd watches three speakers or performers at the annual Gay Pride Parade (identified on the reverse as the "Lesbian/Gay Freedom Parade") at the Riverfront Amphitheater in downtown Columbus, Ohio, June 29, 1986. Stonewall Union, a gay rights group formed in 1981, organized the city's first gay pride parade in 1982. It's now an annual event in support of the LGBTQ community. This photograph was taken by a photographer for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B03F09_01
Subjects: Gay rights--United States--History--20th century; LGBTQ Community; Parades & processions; Activists
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)