Historical Context
Columbus, Ohio's' first Gay Pride Parade, June 26, 1982. This image appeared in the Columbus Dispatchon October 7, 2012 in an article by Gerald Tebben: "Columbus Mileposts: Oct. 7, 1971 | Gay parade refusal soon swept aside." Used with permission.
The Ohio Gay Rights Coalition (OGRC)
was formed on January 22, 1977 with the express purpose of unifying the gay rights movement in Ohio. By bringing together separate groups with similar goals, the OGRC hoped to strengthen and hasten the process of achieving equal rights for Ohio’s gay community.
During its active years, the OGRC created a communications system of county contacts within Ohio, a United States Congressional contact network, an educational pamphlet designed for the general public that was distributed across the state of Ohio, a pamphlet that described the current legal rights of lesbian and gay people, and a regularly published newsletter. Additionally, the OGRC set up a booth annually at the Ohio State Fair. Their presence at this venue allowed them to distribute their literature en masse, while simultaneously collecting signatures for petitions to the United States Senate and House of Representatives. By 1980, the OGRC had co-sponsored and financially supported several other organizations and workshops. These included workshops with the Dayton Gay Centers, the Whitman Brooks Foundation, Gay People’s Alliance, and the Women’s Action Collective.
On October 25, 1983 the OGRC was disbanded. Its remaining assets were awarded to the Stonewall Union of Columbus, an organization that still exists today.