For too long, being gay meant life on the fringes. There were certain places you could hang out, certain people you could talk to, certain ways you could act. Fed up with accepting “how it’s always been,” these young organizers are creating safe, accepting spaces where there were none before — and finding out they were amongst friends the whole time.

Rich Sherman moved to the Queen City from Minneapolis, his hometown, after his partner, Chris, was transferred for a job. And a year later, his tune — and business — have changed. “I am happy to say I love it here and am so thankful we ended up here. It is one of the best-kept secrets, I think. Who knew Cincinnati had so much going on?”

From federal legislation to local initiatives and activism, Cincinnati's LGBT community has many triumphs to look back on during the past year.