TOLEDO, Ohio — This weekend, thousands will line the streets to celebrate Toledo Pride's 10th anniversary. Organizers say that in a decade, they've come a long way and hope the celebration continues to grow.
"Year one of Pride was very duct tape, spray paint, low budget and we tried really hard to get anything done and now it's a much larger-scale event with hundreds and hundreds of volunteers," said Lexi Hayman-Staples, executive director of Toledo Pride.
In 2009, only about half of states across the U.S. legally allowed same-sex marriage. That was the environment in which Hayman-Staples and her friends threw the first Toledo Pride. During the last 10 years, she says she's seen attitudes change.
"It's great to see two kids walking down the street that aren't even thinking about it ... aren't even thinking they should be nervous, it's really cool," Hayman-Staples said.
For this year, they are expecting 20,000 people for the weekend-long event. A parade, concerts and local businesses are getting in on the action.
It's something Rick Cornett, who's been to all 10 Toledo Prides, never would've imagined when he was growing up.
"We've come a long way since I came out in 1985. It's only gotten bigger and better. There's so much unity, diversity and support, I feel it's the best of times to be LGBT in Toledo," said Cornett, founder of the LGBT Historical Archives of Toledo.
Cornett has spent the last decade collecting pieces of LGBT history from Toledo so members of the community can remember how far they've come and honor the people who paved the way.
"There was also a lot of hiding and living a sheltered, closeted life. You're afraid to be totally yourself in public," Cornett said.
Then, the LGBT community largely depended on the local gay bars to create a safe space to be open. Now, they're no longer forced to create communities behind the four walls of a bar. They can choose to, but they also have the chance to celebrate out loud. That's what Hayman-Staples wants everyone to remember this Pride weekend.
"It just is really huge to have somebody saying 'It's OK to be who you are," Hayman-Staples said.
The first event begins at 6 p.m. Friday at Promenade Park. The Pride parade is Saturday at noon, and winds its way down Adams Street, onto Ontario Ave., down Jefferson, before finishing at Promenade Park. The Main Event takes place at Promenade Park with a series of events from 1 p.m.-11 p.m. For more information on all 2019 Pride events, visit the official website here.