Editor’s Note
This story was last updated at 6 p.m. on Feb. 3. This event and related entertainment are currently in flux as the organizers seek another venue after the Buckeye Imagination Museum, “concluded [they] are no longer the facility who will host this event.”
We will update reporting as more information emerges.
Interested parties should follow the Love on a Mission Facebook page for updates.
MANSFIELD — Mansfield’s LGBTQ+ youth support group is looking for a new venue for its first queer prom, scheduled for Feb. 10.
Deena Hamilton, Love on a Mission founder, said the original host space Buckeye Imagination Museum received complaints from multiple community leaders and customers about the event on Friday.
“If we can’t find a venue at the last moment, this event will be rescheduled, but not canceled,” she said.
“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while, and now that our numbers have grown, it seemed like a good time.”
The prom’s theme, “A Star is Born,” is meant to encourage attendees to be themselves.
“Some of our kids are homeschooled and don’t have a prom to go to, and others might not feel comfortable bringing a same-sex partner,” Hamilton said.
The queer prom invites any LGBTQIA+ teens ages 12 to 18 and their friends. Hamilton said allies are also welcome to attend. Formal attire is encouraged but not required.
The original venue was Buckeye Imagination Museum, but Hamilton said the board needs a new venue due to phone complaints toward the museum.
Hamilton said the Love on a Mission board is organizing dinner for the prom’s guests as well as self-care baskets to send home.
“We want all the kids to feel special and feel loved,” she said. “We’ll have all the prom things, a photo booth and professional photographer.”
The event had originally scheduled three drag performers but Hamilton said she isn’t sure if they will attend after backlash from community members.
“If I can find another venue that is OK with it, they will still be there,” she said.
Hamilton said she hopes to make the queer prom an annual event. As of Jan. 29, 26 teens had registered to attend. The event will be capped at 50 attendees.
Teens interested can register for free online.
Any individuals or businesses wanting to sponsor the event can email info@loveonamission.com or mail checks to P.O. Box 2541, Mansfield OH 44906.
Individuals can also donate online or offer items for the self-care baskets.
Love on a Mission meets at 223 W. First St. every Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. Any LGBTQ+ youth in central Ohio are invited to the meetings. Attendees of the queer prom do not need to be involved in Love on a Mission to attend.
