Gay pride festival in Pence's hometown draws large crowd

The first gay pride festival, in the hometown of socially conservative Vice President Mike Pence and a city that once drew protests against health benefits for same-sex couples was held Saturday.

More than 2,000 people cared less about the gloomy weather and more about coming together to celebrate the LGBT+ community. 

"It's crazy. It's awesome," said Erin Bailey, the high school senior from Columbus Signature Academy who organized the event as a class project. She had initially sought permission to close just one block of Washington Street. But in recent days, as interest in the Columbus Pride Festival grew after receiving widespread publicity, she asked the city for more space.

The festival, with three dozen vendor booths and a drag show, ended up covering two blocks.

The Gayly. April 15, 2018. 10:33 a.m. CST.