Geauga SOGI Support Network holds Pride in Geauga event in Burton

Bryson Durst, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·3 min read

Jun. 26—The Geauga SOGI Support Network held a Pride in Geauga event on June 26, with attendees including LGBTQ+ individuals and supporters, food vendors, advocacy groups, healthcare organizations, churches and more.

The event spanned the grounds of the Century Village Museum in Burton. Large rainbow balloon displays, designed by balloon artist Extra Betty, greeted visitors, along with music, yard games, face painting and more. Exhibitors set up tables in the Lennah Bond Activity Center, where visitors could learn more about their organizations and missions.

Ginger Marshall, administrative coordinator for the MetroHealth Pride Network, was there to inform attendees about the network's doctors and to learn more about the other exhibitors and organizations in attendance.

Marshall described the network's mission as "healthcare for LGBTQ+ people that is caring and competent and knowledgeable and life-spanning, from cradle to grave; for kids of LGBTQ parents." The network's website mentioned that its doctors address general health needs as well as those specific to LGBTQ+ patients.

Dick and Jan Hurwitz came to represent East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church from Kirtland.

"We're here because we believe in diversity of all kinds," said Dick Hurwitz. "We don't have one set of beliefs that everybody has to ascribe to. We help each person in the church find their own spiritual path."

Chris Steigerwald, president of the board for the Geauga SOGI Support Network, said other attendees included advocacy groups such as Equality Ohio and TransOhio; Camp Lilac; LGBTQ+ health representatives from University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic and Signature Health; the Social Justice Advocacy Ministry from Federated Church in Chagrin Falls; Bainbridge United Church of Christ; Community Church of Chesterland; Lake Geauga Recovery Center; Kent State University Geauga Campus; PFLAG Cleveland; and League of Women Voters.

Steigerwald added that the event's sponsors included Parker Hannifin, Extra Betty, Howling Print and Promo, Huntington Bank and KeyBank.

The network, with the SOGI in its name standing for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, was founded in January 2020, noted Steigerwald. She said that the organization's mission is "to engage with individuals, families, friends and the Geauga community to embrace sexual orientation and gender identity through collaboration, education and advocacy.

"We want the youth to feel more comfortable, feel that they are accepted, that they're embraced and supported," she said.

Due to the pandemic, Steigerwald said that the network did not hold major community events in its first two years. Organizers chose Century Village because it has a large property, is "centrally located in the Geauga community" and is private, so the organization could ask individuals to leave if it deemed necessary. An officer from the Burton Village Police Department stood watch at the entrance near the parking lot.

Steigerwald said that there were community members both in favor of and against Pride in Geauga. Speaking on June 22 of the previous night's Burton Village Council meeting, Steigerwald said, "It was all very respectful last night, but definitely there's disagreement. But in the process of that, we have people reaching out and thanking us for being there, for speaking up, for having this event."

Steigerwald noted that the Geauga SOGI Support Network has support groups for LGBTQ+ middle and high school students, as well as the parents of individuals who identify as transgender or nonbinary. The network also holds outreach programs with organizations such as churches, schools, social service agencies and more, and is planning to begin work with organizations such as the Community Life Collaborative, which Steigerwald described as an organization that offers "programming and education around social justice issues like immigration and the environment."