Pride Creates Spaces Where Everyone Thrives

Pride has always been about creating spaces where equity, belonging, and authenticity shine. Since the Stonewall uprisings in 1969 and the first Pride march a year later, LGBTQIA+ activists have worked to build a world where queer people don’t just have equal rights, but are truly accepted and thrive.

We at Origo Branding are inspired by that vision. As an agency rooted in collaboration and inclusivity, we’re committed to building a workplace filled with opportunity and respect for all. Since our founding, we’ve proudly partnered with organizations like Equitas Health, Stonewall Columbus, and Equality Ohio in pursuit of that mission.

This Pride, we’re celebrating spaces where our team, clients, and friends can bring their full selves to our work together — and to the world.

Get Involved 

There are plenty of opportunities to support the queer community during Pride and year-round. Whether you donate money, advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, or educate yourself about urgent issues, supporting the below organizations helps build a stronger Central Ohio — for all of us.

• Equality Ohio: Equality Ohio is a statewide legal aid organization. You can donate time or money to support their free legal clinic, policy work, communications efforts, and more as they work toward racial and LGBTQIA+ equality. 
• Equitas Health: As one of the nation’s largest affirming healthcare organizations, Equitas has served LGBTQIA+ patients across Ohio and beyond. Learn about donation and volunteer opportunities to help provide high-quality care to people of all races, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
• Stonewall Columbus: Stonewall Columbus operates Columbus Pride and provides vital resources to our communities. Visit their website to donate, learn how to volunteer, check out their list of LGBTQIA+ friendly businesses around town, and more.
• Kaleidoscope Youth Center: Kaleidoscope is a nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQIA+ youth in Columbus. Learn how you can get involved with Kaleidoscope Youth Center’s drop-in center, wrap-around services, and housing assistance to support youth in need.

Educate and Celebrate

In honor of Pride Month, Origo team members shared their favorite books and films by queer artists. From moving memoirs to hilarious essays to era-defining movies, celebrate Pride all year with these powerful stories.

• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Karen, Associate Creative Director: “This heartwarming book of essays gives a view into the life of what a queer black person can have when they are embraced and loved by their family in a supportive environment. This book is a gift showing how radical love, understanding, and acceptance can positively impact our queer youth.”

• Naked by David Sedaris

Sheehan, Senior Copywriter & Content Strategist: “Sedaris writes so breezily that most anything he puts to paper gets lots of laughs. But these oldy but goody stories from the late ‘90s have always stood out to me for their mix of heart and hilarity. They’re about his family, his sisters (including the iconic Amy), coming out, and going to a nudist colony. You’ll crack up all the way through.”

• Not Quite Narwal by Jessie Sima

Amanda, Senior Account Manager: “A lovely story I shared with my boys about the journey of self-discovery and finding belonging. Regardless of whether you fit into one category or not, those who love and support you will be there no matter what! I want my kids to grow up knowing that there is no one right way to be and that we all deserve love and belonging. Let’s be includers; the world can only be better with more love in it!“

• Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Alessandro, President: “Less is a satirical novel about a writer, Arthur Less, as he travels the world on a literary tour to numb his loss of the man he loves. The novel won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The sequel, Less Is Lost, was published in 2022, which is an emotional and heartfelt follow-up to the original novel, revisiting some beloved characters and providing closure to the story’s hero.”

• The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin

Nate, Copywriter & Content Strategist: “I recommend this series if you like: The kind of high-prose fantasy your high school English teacher reads in her spare time; ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’; subtle social commentary; the phrase ‘first author to win a Hugo three years in a row;’ books you wish you could experience reading for the first time twice.”

• The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Sheehan, Senior Copywriter & Content Strategist: “I can see you rolling your eyes right now. The copywriter has suggested literature. But Dorian Gray is just such a queer and literary classic, both at the time of its publishing and today, when Sarah Snook is performing an adaptation on Broadway. It needs no further selling. Just go read (or re-read) it!”

• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Karen, Associate Creative Director: “Through the lens of a black lesbian mother, this thought provoking collection of essays, poems, and speeches shows how standing together can create and enact change. In this book, Lorde highlights how intersectionality can be an invitation for collaboration and to expand perspectives, rather than focusing on differences.”

• Redefining Realness by Janet Mock

Nate, Copywriter & Content Strategist: “Janet Mock has made so many memorable episodes of TV that it was only a matter of time before I picked up her memoir. Reflecting on her journey as a trans woman, Mock writes about the danger of certainty — and how letting go of it opens the door to deeper self-discovery. It’s a powerful model of honesty and vulnerability. I hope I have the courage to keep exploring who I am and to fully embrace the person I find, uncertainty and all.”

• “Grease” (1978) directed by Randall Klieser

Todd, Creative Director: “Grease will never go out of style or fail to deliver. It’s a total cinematic escape loaded with wit, camp, and nostalgia. It is full of quotable lines, and the soundtrack is incredible. It’s like stepping into a musical time capsule — and somehow, it still hits home. It’s one of my favorite films of all time.”

• “Disclosure” (2020) directed by Sam Feder

Karen, Associate Creative Director: “This film shares how the consumption of media has shaped many perspectives leading to negative treatment towards the trans community. This powerful documentary shows the importance of proper representation for marginalized communities.”

• “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022) directed by Daniel Scheinert & Daniel Kwan

Karen, Associate Creative Director: “This is a wild movie filled with parallel universes, martial arts, outrageous movie references, and an existential crisis. But at the core of this action-packed film is an emotional story of queer acceptance and identity.”

• “But I’m a Cheerleader” (1999) directed by Jamie Babbit

Karen, Associate Creative Director: “This film is a classic coming of age comedy about queer youth. There is nothing funny about conversion therapy, but this film is perfect.”