CINCINNATI — One of Ohio's largest cities is now marking one of its busiest streets as Cincinnati Pride Way.

What You Need To Know

  • Cincinnati City Council members voted on the new name over the summer and revealed it to the public Thursday 

  • Cincinnati Pride Way now marks 7th Street from Plum to Central

  • The new street name also now marks the same area where the annual Pride parade kicks off 

The new street name is a small sign that to Reggie Harris says a lot.

“When you see signs that visibly represent with signs that say you matter, that we see you and honor you, it allows one to feel a little more comfortable in their skin,” said Harris.

He’s a part of the LGBTQ+ community and the chair for Equality Ohio. It's made up of a team of advocates pushing for fair treatment. Harris said the street sign location shows what they've been fighting for.

“This is sort of the final step in enshrining the area where we have our pride parade where we kick off, so it’s a visual representation of our city’s move to inclusivity," said Harris.

The new name didn’t happen until the city stepped in. The Cincinnati City Council approved Pride Way this summer during Pride month.

“It’s important for every city and municipality to accept and celebrate every member of the community, and for so many years, we did the opposite of that,” said City Council Member Chris Seelbach.

Seelbach, the city’s first openly gay council member, led the effort.

“I’m three months away from going off council, and I hope that it’s a visual reminder of what we’ve done in the last decade,” said Seelbach.

Harris is planning to pick up where Seelbach's leaving off. Harris is running to get a seat on the council, with hopes that the new street name is just the beginning.

“Our next step is for that lived experience to be really strong so that openly queer people can walk down the street hand in hand all around our city and not just downtown,” said Harris.