By Emily Tate, The Columbus Dispatch, and staff
COLUMBUS – Brutus Buckeye is off the bench and back in the Columbus Pride Parade and Festival this weekend.
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After a day of social-media chatter over Ohio State University’s Wednesday decision to cancel Brutus Buckeye’s planned appearance at this weekend’s LGBT Pride parade, OSU officials changed their minds. By mid-afternoon Thursday, Brutus was back — along with a sometimes-friendly rival.
Ohio University’s Rufus the Bobcat will appear also, with OU’s LGBT Center director donning the costume.
Ohio State had said on Wednesday that Brutus would not appear because officials, mindful of last weekend’s deadly shooting inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, were concerned about safety during the Columbus event.
Ohio University announced Rufus’ plans at around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. Shortly after that, Ohio State announced that, “After additional consultation and reviews, the spirit program has decided to reinstate Brutus Buckeye” in the parade.
After additional consultation and reviews, the spirit program has decided to reinstate Brutus Buckeye in the Columbus Pride Festival and Parade on Saturday. Brutus will join a campus-wide group of faculty, staff and senior officials led by President Michael Drake and Athletics Director Gene Smith. Ohio State looks forward to participating throughout the weekend.-Statement posted at osu.edu
delfin bautista, director of OU’s LGBT Center, plans to personally don the costume for the Pride parade, because the students who normally do it are away from Athens for the summer.
“In an hour, I may be asked to do cartwheels,” bautista said, laughing. The decision to wear the suit came after the Orlando shooting, in which 49 people were killed and 53 injured, because bautista wants Columbus to come together as a community and honor its LGBT members.
“Yes, take precautions, yes be careful, but we can’t live our lives in fear,” bautista said. “Pride in Columbus takes on different meanings. We’re celebrating who we are, and we’re doing so without fear.”
Columbus police have said security will be increased for this weekend’s events, including a billboard campaign intended to encourage the estimated 400,000 people who will attend the parade and festival to report any suspicious activity.
The division worked with Lamar Advertising to design digital billboards (left) with the messages “See Something, Say Something” and “Take Pride in Reporting Crime.”
Streets will be closing from noon Thursday through about 11:00 p.m. Saturday for the festival and parade
W. Goodale Street will be closed between N. High Street and Dennison Avenue.
Park Street will be closed between W. Swan Street and Buttles Avenue.
Additional closures Saturday
W. Broad Street between Front Street and Starling Street 7:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
The Pride Festival and Parade will cause some street closings for the weekend:
The Columbus Pride Parade will stage at Front Street and W. Broad Street beginning at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning, will step off at about 10:30 a.m. and proceed along the following route (see map right):
East on W. Broad Street to High Street
North on N. High Street to Buttles Avenue
West on Buttles Avenue to disband at Dennison Avenue
Streets will be closed as the parade stages and follows the route. Motor traffic will be unable to cross the route until the parade has passed.
COTA will provide service to the event on several routes through midnight and the COTA #21 Night Owl route which runs through 2:45 a.m.
A Yay Bikes Yay Valet bike corral will be available for those biking to the event and CoGo Bike Share has a station on E. Lincoln Street immediately east of N. High Street, a block from Goodale Park.