Southgate City Administrator Dan Marsh
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
SOUTHGATE – A third annual Pride event scheduled for 2 p.m. June 13 at Southgate Veterans Memorial Library was canceled, then reinstated two days before the event was scheduled to take place.
Joanna Whaley, a member of the LGBTQ+ community who is a Democrat running for the 2nd District state House seat, said June 11 that the Library Network stepped in and provided the funding needed to host the third annual Southgate Pride event, which will celebrate Pride and feature crafts, glitter henna and fun activities.
The library is located at 14680 Dix-Toledo Road.
She thanked City Administrator Dan Marsh for engaging in a constructive dialogue.
When the event was initially cancelled, Marsh said the city does not use taxpayer dollars to sponsor political or social advocacy activities, regardless of the viewpoint being expressed.
“This is not a decision about the LGBTQ+ community but rather about maintaining a consistent approach to the use of public resources,” he said in a June 10 email. “If the city were to officially sponsor or endorse one advocacy-related event or organization, it could create expectations that similar support be extended to other groups representing a wide range of social, political, or ideological positions.”
Marsh said applying a consistent standard helps ensure that public resources are managed fairly and avoids the appearance that the city is favoring one viewpoint over another.
“If the event had been funded by a private donor or outside organization, as occurs in many communities, it would not have involved the same issue regarding public funds,” he said. “The city values all residents and expects everyone to be treated with dignity and respect.”
Marsh said the decision was about the appropriate use of taxpayer resources and not about opposing any group or community.
City Councilmember Phillip Rauch, who is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said the council did not have any input with respect to the decision to cancel the event, which was reinstated June 11 with funding from the Library Network.
District 2 Democratic state representative candidate Joanna Whaley
City Attorney Ed Zelenak said someone misinterpreted what Marsh said when the Pride event was initially canceled.
“Someone has really mischievously and foolishly distorted what was said,” he said. “Proverbially shot themselves in the foot and by their own devices may have hurt what is otherwise a noteworthy event — the sole issue was using municipal funds without appropriation and approval to pay a private vendor.
“I am more annoyed that someone took it on their own to expand this out of proportion and destroy an annual Pride event by misquoting and misinterpreting the advice presented.”
When the Pride event was initially canceled, Whaley said the decision was not merely a bureaucratic shift but a “calculated, regressive attack on the civil rights and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community.”
“LGBTQ+ residents are a fundamental part of Southgate fabric and deserve the same rights to assembly and public celebration as any other group,” she said. “To suppress Pride is to affirm prejudice.”
On June 11, when the event was reinstated, Whaley thanked the advocates who spoke out against the cancelation.
“This victory is a powerful reminder that grassroots voices truly matter,” she said. “At a time when so many feel disconnected from their local leaders, Southgate proved that government can listen when the people speak.”