DAYTON, Ohio — To Rick Flynn, the executive director of the Greater Dayton LGBT Center, Pride Month is about reasserting that he and the rest of Dayton’s LGBTQ population are here and unashamed to be themselves.
Though, with the backlash against his community growing across the country and in Ohio, he said this year’s Pride celebrations come with a growing focus on security both through collaboration with local police and the center’s own volunteers. The first line of defense will be the Pride Angels.
Pride Angels have existed at LGBTQ-focused events for decades, beginning after Matthew Shepard’s death in 1998. Activists dressed up in angel costumes, complete with large white wings, to block protesters outside Shepard’s funeral and later at his killers’ trials.
“The angels are as much a part of pride as the parade and a festival and drag queens and everything else,” Flynn said.
Dayton has had its own team of Angels at its annual Pride celebration for the past seven years. Jim Garvey has been a frequent volunteer, standing between the event and protesters as a part of a stoic human wall.
“The biggest key is don’t engage because that’s what they’re looking for,” he said.
So far, Garvey said that’s worked to keep events peaceful, though last year, he said things were noticeably more confrontational.
“We just don’t know what to expect this year because of the state of things,” he said.
Over the past few months, Garvey said it’s been unsettling to see LGBTQ-centric events, including drag brunches, story hours and Pride celebrations face protests and increasingly attract the attention of hate groups.
While Flynn said Dayton Pride has not received a specific threat, he’s been in close contact with area police and city leaders to develop a more in-depth security plan.
“I think we have increased enough that it’s not going to be intimidating but we’re just encouraging people to be aware," he said.
The Angels are mobilizing as well. This year, instead of being an Angel himself, Garvey is coordinating the team of volunteers, now about three times larger than previous years. There will be twice as many Angels in costumes, alternates to rotate with them throughout the day, and a team of Angel advocates who will scope out areas of tension and alert the authorities if necessary.
“We’re anticipating and making sure we have people available to go the whole day if they need to,” Garvey said.
Despite these concerns, both Garvey and Flynn said it’s been heartwarming to see the outpouring of support directed their way as they prepare for the year’s events. This year’s celebration will include a record number of booths, expanding the celebration’s footprint out onto Third St. for the first time and Garvey said his call for Angel volunteers was met almost immediately.
“People are seeing more and more hate out there, so they’re returning with love,” Flynn said.
Flynn said city and county leaders have never wavered in their support either, and that’s helped reassure him, despite the opposition, keeping events like this public and accessible is important. He said canceling was never an option.
“We want to be in a community that stands up against bullies and stands up against hate,” he said.