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Gahanna council presents Pride Month resolution as students urge inclusion
Summary
Gahanna City Council presented a Pride Month resolution June 2 and students from Gahanna Lincoln High School's United Club urged explicit recognition and protection for LGBTQ+ "+" identities.
Gahanna City Council acknowledged Pride Month on June 2, 2025, when Council Vice President Trenton Weaver presented a resolution honoring LGBTQ+ communities and invited representatives of the United Club from Gahanna Lincoln High School to the meeting.
The presentation included two student speakers who described how the United Club supports LGBTQ+ youth at the high school. Oneida Bryson, a member of the United Club, told council members she is pansexual and said adding "+" to the LGBTQ acronym matters: "I am pansexual, which means I am attracted to someone regardless of their gender." Bryson said previous city resolutions and last year's Pride celebration showed that Gahanna can be a safe space for queer residents and small-business owners.
Matt Miller, a student and United Club member, described finding peer support after a difficult freshman year: "Being able to walk into our school library one day after school and see all these people and talk to them and find out that they're a lot like me ... it gave me a place to sort of talk about how I was feeling." He said preserving the club is important for future students whether or not they identify as LGBTQ+.
The presentation was introduced by Weaver, who also thanked the club's teacher advisors and school officials for attending. Council President Bowers and other council members thanked the students and their advisors for speaking.
Why it matters: The remarks came as council formally recognized Pride Month at a time when some state-level actions and public debate have challenged municipal statements and events supporting LGBTQ+ identities. Students asked council to ensure that the city's recognition explicitly covers identities included in the "+" of LGBTQ+ so that those identities are not overlooked.
Council members and the administration referenced upcoming community Pride events; Council President Bowers noted a Pride celebration scheduled for June 26 at Headley Park.
There was no council vote recorded on any change to city policy or the text of the presented resolution during the meeting.
