On the eve of the Columbus Pride March, City Council President Shannon G. Hardin vowed to form an LGBTQ+ affairs commission to advise city leaders.
Council President Shannon G. Hardin and other LGBTQ+ elected officials and community leaders from Ohio announces a new initiative to support the needs of Columbus’ LGBTQ+ residents June 13 at City Hall in Columbus.
Hardin made the announcement at City Hall on June 13, surrounded by officials from Columbus and across Ohio who are fellow members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community. Hardin is gay.
This is the third year in a row that Hardin has held the luncheon for Ohio’s LGBTQ+ officials. This year, about 20 out officials attended out of the 40-something across the state.
“This commission will help ensure that Columbus is a place where LGBTQ+ people can live openly, where they know that they belong and they know that they can thrive,” Hardin said. “We want to send a clear message that Columbus is and will remain a city that protects our rights and uplifts the LGBTQ+ community.”
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Hardin said creating this permanent commission isn’t just about Pride month; this is about enshrining inclusion in city government. He pointed to a wave of rhetoric targeting LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender youth, coming from President Donald Trump’s federal government and the Republican-controlled state government.
“The commission will recommend policies and monitor legislation at the state and federal level and will organize outreach to our community,” Hardin said.
This is the second such commission in the state. The Cincinnati City Council voted to create a similar body in March.
The Columbus commission can make a difference and be an example for the whole state, said Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, the first openly LGBTQ+ member elected to the Ohio General Assembly.
“Now, more than ever, we stand strong against hate, against bigotry and tyrants,” Antonio said. “There’s no closet big enough to send us back into. Besides, we’re not going. We don’t go back; we only go forward.”
While federal and Ohio governments have recently taken aim at diversity programs, Columbus has formed two other commissions this year to platform diverse voices: the Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and the Commission on Disability Issues. The city council appointed members to the former in April and appointed members to the latter on June 9.
More on city commissions: Chair of Columbus’ new immigrant commission says group formation ‘came at the right time’
Hardin said he plans to introduce legislation in July to create the LGBTQ+ affairs commission. Assuming the council passes the ordinance, residents will be able to apply for appointments and Hardin said he hopes members will be selected by the end of the year. Hardin said a budget for the commission will be determined after the commission sets priorities.
The new commission will be made up of 13 members, six appointed by the council, six appointed by the mayor and one chair appointed jointly. Members will serve staggered three-year terms.
Brittney Klockowski and Chris Cozad listen to a news conference in which Council President Shannon G. Hardin announced a new initiative to support the needs of Columbus’ LGBTQ+ residents. At the lectern is Ohio Senate Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio.
“The nation is watching Columbus. The nation is watching Ohio,” said Evan Low, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a national political action committee dedicated to getting LGBTQ+ candidates elected, who attended the City Hall event.
Hardin said he hopes Columbus can be a beacon in Ohio for LGBTQ+ people around the state to know “that they have a city, a community that is there for them, that is protecting them, that will fight for them.”
Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@dispatch.com. Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus creating LGBTQ+ commission, Council President Hardin promises