LEBANON, Ohio — James Reynolds walks past the Golden Lamb. He walks past an ice cream shop. It’s a surprisingly warm day, and he points out all the examples of quaint charm people love about Lebanon.
He grew up here, so he would know. But for Reynolds, there's a darker side to the small-town nostalgia. He holds up a sticker in front of the government building and smiles. The sticker says: “Lebanon Pride.”
It’s the logo for a festival he’s bringing to the city this summer. On top of the building in the logo, there’s a rainbow flag. Reynolds can't help but laugh.
“Lebanon Pride,” he says. “The story is absurd.”
Reynolds doesn’t live in Lebanon anymore. For a long time, he didn’t visit – even though his mom still lives in town. It was too painful.
A queer man in a largely conservative town, Reynolds says he never felt like he could truly be himself until he moved away. And when he did, he never thought he’d be back.
The story behind Lebanon Pride starts with an old friend of his. Brooke Handley grew up in Lebanon, too. She knew Reynolds in high school but lost touch with him.
“I wasn’t ready for a Brooke in my life,” Reynolds said.
When they reconnected, Reynolds asked Handley what it was like still living in Lebanon. She told him about a dream. Something she hoped they could do in five years.
“My dream was to have 100 drag queens parading down Broadway,” Handley said.
Reynolds told her they should do it now. Last year, they formed a nonprofit organization and spoke to Lebanon’s tourism board. They submitted event permits to shut down Mulberry Street and takeover Bicentennial Park.
City officials approved the permits. Handley said she was expecting more resistance. This is the first Pride festival in Lebanon, and organizers say it is the first in all of Warren County.
Lebanon made national news in 2021 for passing legislation to outlaw abortion in the city, even though there are no abortion clinics there. Advocacy groups sued the city in 2022. Lebanon officials declined interview requests for this story.
In an email, city manager Scott Brunka said police will work with organizers to make sure the event is safe. WCPO reached out to all seven Lebanon city council members seeking an interview. Two responded.
Mayor Mark Messer was the only one to answer emailed questions. He said he’s confident city officials can make the event a success. He did not directly answer a question about whether he supports the event.
“I think the people of Lebanon support events that are in alignment with their values,” Messer said. “Just like any other city would.”
Reynolds is 42 now. An art teacher, he runs a "paint and sip" business in the Pendleton neighborhood of Cincinnati. He says he never saw anyone like him growing up in Lebanon.
"Being queer wasn't an option I thought was available,” Reynolds said. “Just being proud – the essence of Pride. I didn’t have that. My home was not the space where I felt uncomfortable, it was the community.”
Reynolds used to say if Lebanon ever had a Pride event, there would be more protesters than attendees. Now, he hopes he’s wrong. He hopes other young people see someone like him and know they are not alone.
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