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Meredith Dickerson indicated that the group of politicians includes Pence, whose face appeared on her T-shirt with a message, “Have a gay day.” “And politicians are going to have to learn to live with that.” Then the performer tried to explain the overall event’s popularity after a segment in which she stripped from a dress to a one-piece swimsuit while dancing to Cat Stevens’ “Don’t Be Shy.” One contest entrant, a transgender 65-year-old Bloomington resident with the stage name Tea!, looked over the cheering crowd. While the audience clapped to the beat, some participants danced and sported long fake eyelashes - although not as long as the lines at the food booths for brats or pulled pork. Late in the day, the loudest and most passionate crowd included about 300 people packed around a small stage on the western end of Fourth Street, where a drag queen contest unfolded to a pulsing beat of recorded tunes from artists such as George Michael and Cyndi Lauper. Other churches with strong, visible representation Saturday were the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Columbus and North Christian Church. “It’s not our place to judge anyone else.” “We’re all created equal in the eyes of God,” said Sarah Campbell, First United Methodist Church’s director of youth and children’s ministries, said she could summarize her views simply.
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Several faith representatives acknowledged that their presence was significant in a community that turned angry when Cummins extended benefits to same-sex partners in 2000. In contract to the protests of that time, Saturday’s atmosphere was one of celebration among festival attendees - from the local chamber of commerce, university administration, the arts community, retirees, young families pushing strollers and the church community.
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The law, initially perceived as anti-gay for allowing businesses to refuse to serve gay and lesbian patrons, was quickly revised to include that businesses could not deny service to anyone based on sexual orientation, race, religion or disability. The former Indiana governor was heavily criticized for his 2015 signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law. National attention for the Pride Festival built because Columbus is the hometown of Pence. “This is a cause that’s very important to me,” Pannell said. Pannell was raising money for an LGBTQ Indiana youth group, in part to help that population with self-esteem amid stats that show they are three times as likely as others their age to commit suicide. But his self-funded visit, triggered by Bailey’s national publicity via outlets such as USA Today and Teen Vogue, was for a serious reason. Many people stopped him, chatted, and asked to get a cellphone photo. 3, 2016, to poke fun at Pence’s views he sees as anti-LGBT, was among the most popular figures at the event. Pannell, who began portraying the character Dec. first began offering health insurance and other benefits to domestic partners of employees.ĭistinguished, white-haired New York City resident Glenn Pannell, dressed in a suit jacket, tie and shorts he called hot pants, played a character he calls Mike Hot-Pence, capitalizing on a resemblance to the vice president. That’s the length of time that has passed since Columbus-based Cummins Inc. “This is built on at least 18 years of trying to get this town ready for this,” Bolte said. She seemed amazed by the size of the throng. Sondra Bolte, a longtime local resident who years ago feared for her safety after going public about being in a same-sex relationship, sported a smile almost as big as the day’s crowd. She was referring to the impact of rain, which had been forecast and fell during the first 40 minutes and at the tail end of the three-hour event. Click here to purchase photos from this gallery