An Ohio county is refusing to allow the
county courthouse to be lit with rainbow colors during an LGBT Pride
festival.
Newark, Ohio will host its first-ever
LGBT Pride parade and festival in early June.
Councilmen Jeremy Blake and Sean
Fennell asked for the Licking County courthouse to be lit up for the
event. Licking County Commissioners refused, The Columbus
Dispatch reported.
Blake called the decision “hurtful to
a lot of people, especially in this day and age.”
The courthouse's recent renovation
included installation of a $40,000 controller system that allows
year-round lighting.
Commissioners have approved a list of
holidays and occasions such as Breast Cancer Awareness week in
October for use of the system.
“We're not taking requests,”
Commissioner Tim Bubb said. “If we make exceptions for you, we
have to make exceptions for everyone. We're not going to get into
the drama of causes, which is what they have now.”
Blake and Fennell plan to pack a
commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
“Hopefully, they change their minds,”
Blake
said. “This is just the right thing to do.”