Southeastern Indiana Can Show Its Pride At LGBTQ Parade June 2

Thursday, May 10, 2018 at 9:28 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

Ohio River Valley Pride and Love Must Win, Inc. are putting on the parade and festival in Lawrenceburg.

Ohio River Valley Pride held a parade in Lawrenceburg in April of 2017. It's next parade and festival is being planned for June 2, 2018. File photo.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - A LGBTQ+ advocacy group is planning a pride parade in Lawrenceburg - and all are invited.

Ohio River Valley Pride was founded by Bright resident Shelly Snyder in Dearborn County in 2016. It has recently become a program with Cincinnati-based non-profit Love Must Win, Inc.

“Love Must Win, Inc.’s overarching mission is to provide a safe haven for all,” says Jeremy Phillippi, vice president of the organization. “Love Must Win, Inc. offers various educational programs, community building events, life coaching services, and a monthly Safe Haven event held the last Friday of every month at the Children's Home of Northern Kentucky.”

One of those events will be a pride parade and festival in Lawrenceburg on Saturday, June 2.

The parade through downtown will start at Ivy Tech Community College’s Riverfront Campus on Walnut Street at noon, then proceed to the lot next to the Dearborn Adult Center.

From 12:30 until 6:00 p.m. on Tate Street, visitors can enjoy a free kids zone with arts, crafts and games. Jessica Dimon, a regional drag queen known as Cincinnati’s “it girl”, will be leading up the entertainment and drag show along with national spoken word artist Angelle Peace and rapper Kim Belew.

Free hugs will also be given, Phillippi adds.

“It will be a sober event and kid-friendly with a kids playing area. It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” says Snyder.

Individuals or groups interested in helping with the event should contact Snyder at Shelly.snyder@lovemustwin.org.

Additional pride events are being planned for June 10 in northern Kentucky and June 23 in Cincinnati.

Phillippi says Love Must Win will also provide ongoing student services and support for LGBTQ+ students in K-12 schools in the area. It also plans to hold a once per month youth group in Lawrenceburg for fun and safe social events.

Ohio River Valley Pride will also work closely with tri-state colleges and universities to help inclusion and diversity flourish. Love Must Win, Inc. is hopeful that they will be able to open a youth/community center in the region by 2019.