Ellery McGregor and Mikaya Green of the Friendlier City Project speak before Wheeling City Council on Tuesday in support of the upcoming Pride on the Plaza event. (Photo by Eric Ayres)

WHEELING — A united front of community members filled the room during Tuesday night’s Wheeling City Council meeting to show their support for inclusivity in the city and for the upcoming Pride on the Plaza event that is planned for June 10 on the city’s Market Plaza.

Several members of the public signed up to speak at the end of the council meeting to respond to recent public statements made expressing concern about the upcoming event. During the last council meeting on May 2, Wheeling resident Carlee Dittmar brought up controversy that stemmed from a previous event at Heritage Port in which witnesses claimed that drag queens were performing simulated sex acts during the festivities that had been promoted as being family friendly.

Dittmar, who has leveled criticisms before council on a recurring basis, said that “the place for drag shows should not be in the open public and around children.” Dittmar’s position was later described as hateful by Councilman Ben Seidler, who stormed out of the meeting during her presentation.

On Tuesday, the response to those comments from last council meeting came from several individuals, including Ohio Valley MMA owner Johnny Haught, who has recently emerged as an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community and defender of people’s rights to gather without fear of being a target of hatred.

“We’re here to celebrate the upcoming Pride on the Plaza event and to not fear it,” Haught said.

“All concerns from the community about past events held by different organizers have been heard and addressed, and I want to assure city government and the citizens of Wheeling that myself, the organizers FCP (the Friendlier City Project) and all involved will work tirelessly to make sure the event is a beautiful celebration of part of our society with a very family friendly atmosphere.”

Haught said Wheeling has a chance to truly earn the moniker “The Friendly City” by having a violence-free event that is safe for everyone.

“I encourage people from all walks of life to come to Market Plaza on June 10 for Pride on the Plaza,” he said. “We can start to tear down the stigmas that have plagued our society and have prevented so many from living the full life that should be available to them because of the fear of persecution from hateful bigots. We can show our brothers and sisters that they can live their lives with less fear because their community supports them.”

Haught said this is an issue of freedom, not of decency, noting that troublesome occurrences in the past were isolated events.

“We can show the rest of the country that at ground level, we are more united than some would have you believe,” Haught said. “It is never the intention to expose children to anything that would destroy their innocence, but to show them a world where it’s OK to be who you are and love who you love.”

Mikaya Green, co-founder of the Friendlier City Project, and Ellery McGregor, a key event coordinator for the Pride on the Plaza event in celebration of Pride Month, also spoke.

Green said the group’s mission is to help build, foster and support the local LGBTQIA community in Wheeling and to ensure that the values of the local peer community are heard and reflected in citywide decisions and events.

“We feel that as Wheeling’s youth grows up and decides whether or not to remain here, having an inclusive community is key to making the city a place where they and everyone else would want to live,” Green said. “We’ve come to realize that some people view simply being queer as a political statement, which makes controversies such as this inevitable.”

Yet, Green said they have received a huge amount of support in Wheeling.

“We would like to be clear that our event will be family friendly and G-Rated,” she said.

Green urged anyone with questions about Pride on the Plaza to email thefriendliercityproject@gmail.com.