Organizers: Unity prom makes statement for LGBTQ community at Ohio Statehouse

Ball gowns, harnesses, towering high heels and full drag isn't the typical uniform worn at the Ohio Statehouse, but it was on Saturday.

The inaugural Unity Prom took place at the Ohio Statehouse on Saturday for a night of dancing and drag, which many organizers and people in attendance said was a "statement" given the amount of anti-LGBTQ legislation proposed through the legislature at that building in the last few years.

One of the event's organizers, Cheryl Harrison, said she and members of the Columbus Lesbian and Gay Softball Association saw Unity Prom as an opportunity to unite local LGBTQ organizations and the wider community for a night of fun benefiting LGBTQ youth.

The event drew 350 people, with a waiting list of more than 50.

It featured performances from drag queens Virginia West, Edna Mwah and Maya Bizness; drag king Riley Poppyseed; nonbinary drag performer Clinica Deprecious; and Six Foot Blonde Band lead vocalist Anne Wilson.

The event also brought together LGBTQ organizations, like OutRunners Columbus, Columbus Gay Men's Chorus and Stonewall Sports Columbus, as well as the Ohio State University College of Social Work, with representatives from each honored on a gender-neutral prom court.

Sharon Moss, of the chorus, was named the first prom monarch.

The night also benefited the LGBTQ youth organization Kaleidoscope Youth Center.

Kaleidoscope — which hosts its own prom-themed event, Other Prom, in May — received ticket proceeds and additional donations totaling more than $10,000 in support of the organization's mission.

Board President Cliff Mason highlighted how the donation would impact the organization.

"Not only are we a safe space for youth, we provide housing for youth who are homeless," Mason said during the event. "We provide mental health services for youth who need mental health services. We go out to school districts and Fortune 500 companies and provide education about how they can support our youth. So, your dollars go so far."

Unity Prom provides a 'do over' for the LGBTQ community

Harrison said the "prom" theme felt especially fun for this time of year as high schoolers approach prom season, but it also gives adult LGBTQ members a chance to go to their proms authentically.

"A lot of people who are LGBTQ maybe didn't get a chance to go to their own high school prom or authentically be themselves at their own prom," Harrison said. "So, for those people, we kind of think of this as a do-over."

That was the case for Julie Taylor, 40, of Merion Village. She said she skipped her high school prom because she felt uncomfortable with the expectations of prom and the judgment of classmates, choosing to hang out with friends instead.

"I was nervous, I'm not gonna lie. It kind of brings back those feelings," said Taylor. "(But) now as an adult ... I can come and still feel feminine, but wear a tuxedo jacket and a harness and show skin and not feel like I'm doing something wrong.

"I'm a person who's sex-positive. I'm a person who loves my fluidity and also embraces my feminine side. I don't have to conform to anything," she said.

Though Matt Sliger, 29, of the South Side, attended prom and was able to make it more "gay-friendly" as an organizer, it wasn't as open as Unity Prom.

"Me and my lesbian date went together, and her girlfriend and my date went together. My date and I won prom king and queen, and we both danced with our dates," said Sliger. "It's different because when you go from being young to an adult, you slowly start to realize that other people's opinions don't actually matter about you. You get to be who you are 24/7, no matter what."

Statehouse venue made a 'statement' for Columbus LGBTQ community

Harrison said when the Statehouse was chosen as a venue for the event months ago, it was for different reasons than it may have been chosen now.

"At a time when there are a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced in statehouses across the country, it feels especially meaningful now to be able to unite together the community," she said.

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Unity Prom organizers also decided not to promote the affair widely to maintain a joyous and safe event.

"It didn't occur to us in December that drag would be something that people were trying to outlaw," said Harrison. "Obviously, there's been attacks on our community nonstop, but the fact that we have drag queens performing in the Statehouse, that that might be a controversial thing, wasn't even on our radar."

Jacob Bigby, 25, said he felt having this event in the Statehouse shows the strength of the LGBTQ community.

"(It's) such a huge statement that we have the visibility ... the political power and faith between our community (members) to be inside the Statehouse, where political change happens," he said.

"It just shows that we are a strong community, that we will show up every single day."

tmoorman@dispatch.com

@taijuannichole

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus LGBTQ community hosts first Unity Prom at Ohio Statehouse