In the bucolic, and conservative, small town of Broadview Heights, Ohio — south of Cleveland, north of Akron and right next door to the spectacular Cuyahoga Valley National Park — Jennifer Speer and fellow members of Brecksville/Broadview Heights Pride put on their town’s very first “Pride Fest” in 2023. “We didn’t know what to expect,” Speer told LGBTQ Nation, who serves as president of the group of LGBTQ+ community members and allies. The mission of BBH Pride, Speer says, “is to promote awareness, instill acceptance, promote inclusiveness, and foster a welcoming community for all LGBTQ+ individuals. We provide education, workshops, fellowship, meetings, and special events, all with the goal of establishing empathy, respect, and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community.”