COTA

Family has always meant more than one thing.

In Illuminate: Central Ohio’s LGBTQ+ History, the Columbus Metropolitan Library and COTA share an internal Pride Month exhibit that looks at the chosen families, advocates and legal action that helped move equality forward across our region.

Across Central Ohio, advocates, parents, partners and chosen families fought for recognition, support and equal treatment under the law. Their work helped move conversations around marriage, adoption, custody and family rights forward.

Their legacy is part of the community we serve today.



Image attribution:
James “Jim” Obergefell and John Arthur | Image courtesy Columbus Dispatch

Heading to the Stonewall Columbus Pride Festival & Resource Fair at Goodale Park this weekend? COTA can help get you closer to the celebration.

Use Lines 1, 2, 5 and 8 to access the area near Goodale Park. Service may be impacted by the Stonewall Columbus Pride March, so be sure to check COTA.com/reroutes before you go.

Plan ahead, give yourself extra travel time and celebrate with the community COTA is proud to serve.

On Juneteenth, Friday, June 19, COTA will operate on a Sunday schedule for fixed-route service.

COTA//Plus will be available in the South Side zone only, and our Customer Experience Center will be closed.

COTA Customer Care will be available for assistance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Plan your trip at COTA.com or on the Transit app.

Public transit is one of the ways a city shows who it is built for.

That is why COTA is highlighting Transit Columbus, a grassroots advocacy group led by community members working to make transportation safer, more accessible and more connected across Central Ohio.

Meet Stevie Pasamonte, Chair of Transit Columbus, and Sarah Lucas, Chair of the Transit Columbus Communications Working Group. Through advocacy, education and lived experience, their work helps advance a transportation system that centers people, increases equity and expands opportunity.

That work is closely connected to Pride. For LGBTQ+ people, allies and the broader community, reliable transportation can shape how people reach care, resources, work, family, found family and moments of celebration. Q***r and trans people already face barrier after barrier. Transportation should not be one of them.

At COTA, we know transit is more than a way to get from one place to another. It is a shared space that connects people across neighborhoods, backgrounds and experiences.

We are honored to spotlight Transit Columbus, Stevie and Sarah for their advocacy and for the work they do to help Central Ohio become more connected, accessible and welcoming for all.

Before the internet, LGBTQ+ people in Central Ohio found events, resources and political action through newsletters, public access television and community publications.

Illuminate: Central Ohio’s LGBTQ+ History, an internal COTA Pride Month exhibit created with the Columbus Metropolitan Library shares how local media helped LGBTQ+ Central Ohio stay informed, connected and seen.

From student-produced newsletters to Lavender Listings, Outlook Magazine and other local outlets, these publications helped people find each other and build community.

Stories move differently now, but the need for connection remains the same.



Image attribution:
Gay Activists Alliance | Outlook Media