Columbus City Council takes great pride in its history of developing and adopting progressive legislation that promotes equality, fairness, inclusiveness, acceptance, and progressive social action towards our LGBTQ+ communities.
Home to one of the largest populations of residents identifying as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender, Columbus has long sought to protect the rights and secure the safety and well-being of those residents and visitors who often find themselves subject to oppression and attack.
1974: Columbus City Council adopted an ordinance that, for the first time, extended protections against discrimination in housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation.
1982: Stonewall Union – now known as Stonewall Columbus – held the first Pride Parade in Columbus that was attended by approximately 850 people.
2008: Columbus City Council passes an ordinance to extend civil rights protections to the new classes of age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, familial status and military status.
2012: In order for the City of Columbus to recognize relationships of mutual love, care, support and commitment, it was necessary for the government of the City of Columbus to enact new Section 229 of the Columbus City Code to establish a City of Columbus Domestic Partnership Registry.
2014: In a Citywide election, Columbus voters pass recommended City Charter amendments prohibiting the city and its agents from denying equal access to city services or equal opportunity in city employment and promotion, or the benefits thereof, on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification or expression, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, age, disability, family or military status, or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.
Columbus received a perfect score on the 2022 Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Municipal Equality Index for its policies regarding the LGBTQ community.
March 2017: Columbus enacted new section 2331.10 of the Columbus City Codes prohibiting the practice of conversion therapy or reparative therapy on minors and prescribing penalties for violations of that section.
Today: With well over a ½ million participants, Columbus is the proud host of the largest Pride Parade in the Midwest!
In the last few years, Columbus City Council members have supported grants benefitting LGBTQ agencies such as Kaleidoscope, Stonewall and Equality Ohio with their programming.
For information about providers of services and goods to the LGBTQ+ communities in the central Ohio region, please visit The Lavender Listings.