Photography by Kimarie Martin Photography

Bexley Pride, a group some 200-people strong, started under a different name in 2020 after a certain hate group protested in front of Dr. Acton’s house and began harassing her neighbor, Kate. Realizing there was no unified LGBTQIA+ group, people came together to get action from the city. They went to City Council meetings and Mayor Kessler issued an apology, but the group stalled a bit after that. Not wanting a silent group, Larry DeAtley-Ellyson and his husband Brian restarted the group with the goal of social advocacy.

“Since then, we hosted our first mini-event with the opening of the rainbow crosswalk at the library in 2021,” Larry said. He has gotten involved with Bexley DEI and represents the LGBTQ voice to the Bexley Coalition for Equitable Policing, and helped select Chief Lewis.

This month Larry is starting the “Proud to be Me” campaign. “LGBT has been a big target for politics and school boards this year so I am going business to business to give out Bexley Pride window clings – either Proud to be Me or Proud to be an Ally,” he says.

Bexley Pride is one of the first established suburban groups in the area. Now there are groups in Upper Arlington, New Albany and Worthington. Larry humbly admits, “we may have been an inspiration.” It’s helpful, he explains, for these groups to stay in contact and partner with each other so they can influence decisions. He was very proud that the UA Pride group founder, Kathy Adams, went on to win a seat on her City Council.

Connecting is critical, he says, whether it’s among advocacy groups or more simply just between humans. “That is the one thing that happens. People feel isolated and don’t feel there’s a community and what I want people to know, especially young people, is that there is a community.”

And this community is facing a lot right now. People are trying to ban trans kids from participating in athletics, and establishments are not giving gender-affirming care. Larry hopes more folks with join Bexley Pride for support, and that more people will stand up as allies. Search Bexley Pride on Facebook if you'd like to join them.

“Allyship,” he says, “is more than putting an avatar on your profile. It’s calling your legislators and attending school board meetings to speak up.”

Larry does feel that Bexley has been inclusive. Around 2015, when a small business refused service to a gay couple, the city responded by passing an ordinance affirming non-discrimination. The school board has made policies to protect students.

To celebrate Pride Month, the group is hosting its second annual Pride Walk on June 2 at 5:30pm. No RSVP needed. And that’s where the Girl Scouts come in. If you mixed the platitudes of “children are the future,” and “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them,” you’d get Troop 1512. Talking with Ivy, Grace, Nico, Zoe, Brianna, Abbie and Cece was truly inspiring. They made the Pride Walk happen.

“I was sitting on my couch and thought, what if we had a Pride Walk and I talked to the troop and it became what it is today,” Grace explained.

You’ll have to excuse the lack of clear attribution here, because at this point, the girls started talking excitedly one after the next. “300 people came! We didn’t expect that many people and everyone started showing up! We had these big grins ear to ear. When we were putting it together, we thought people were hesitant. But we ran out of materials! We had these flag making kits and we ran out in 10 minutes!”

The walk started at Capital, went down Main Street across that rainbow crosswalk, down Euclaire, then turned on Mound and back through campus. It’s not a long walk because “we tried to make it accessible for everyone who wanted to join, like people in wheelchairs, because everyone should be able to feel that warmth and love!”

This Girl Scout troop started in kindergarten and now they’re in 8th grade at Bexley Middle School. Having such a diverse troop feels totally normal to them because “kids let things roll off them. They accept them being them. Kids are curious, not judging. The younger kids get used to something, the better.”

They immediately took to Grace’s idea because “a lot of us are part of the LGBT community. We wanted to add to the inclusivity here. Bexley accepts people and we want to do our part. The Pride Walk helps with being inclusive because, even if you are supporting, it feels good.”

“Our Pride group is integral for Bexley's LGBTQIA+ families and youth. Studies show that when kids see themselves represented in their personal spaces, they lead happier and more productive lives, and suicide rates go down. In a year where a record 417 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the US (more than twice the number in all of 2022), and violence against the Trans and nonbinary community is at an all-time high, visibility, representation and not just acceptance, but celebration are not simply important, they are lifesaving.”

- Jessica Kahan