Have A Gay Day, a nonprofit dedicated to support the LGBT community through activism, education and light-hearted humor, recently moved to Key Bank Tower located in the heart of central Dayton.
In 2011, fourteen-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, a gay teen from Amherst, New York, known for his activism against homophobia and his videos on YouTube to help victims of homophobic bullying, hung himself on September 18. His death inspired the creation of a Facebook page in his honor, a motion that inspired Michael Knote, founder and president of Have A Gay Day.
“Realizing that teen suicide and discrimination of LGBT individuals was a huge issue nationally and globally, I set out to start a Facebook page where there was only happiness, joy and, of course, lots of rainbows,” Knote said about his decision to make a Facebook page dedicated in positivity on Feb. 25 2012.
The Facebook page grew in popularity since 2012 with its humorous posts and examples of LGBT activism. The page now boasts over 600,000 likes internationally. Just a year after its conception on July 16, 2013, Have A Gay Day received their 501c(3) tax determination from the IRS and registered with the State of Ohio as a non-profit organization.
Have A Gay Day’s mission is to ‘Create a safe environment for the purpose of Equality, Education, and Support of the LGBT community and their Allies.’
“To achieve this we have a number of programs we offer as well as work with several local and national organizations that have missions that align with ours,” Knote said. “We support everyone regardless of gender identity, race, national heritage, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or political affiliation.”
Knote said he didn’t think it would be as successful as it is now.
“When I first started Have A Gay Day, it was a fun happy place. It started as an escape from all the sadness on social media about teen suicide and self-harm. I did not see us having a physical location. I didn’t foresee the massive amount of support we have and being able to expand our vision nationally and hopefully globally,” Knote said.
Most recently, Have A Gay Day with support from donors funded the billboard campaign on Interstate 75 depicting facts and images in support of gay and transgender, including Trans*Lifeline, a crisis hotline staffed by transgender people for transgender people. An act that will soon be repeated in Indiana in protest of the religious freedom laws being used to deny LGBT people goods and services.
“Local media as well as several national online media outlets covered it.” Knote said, “We had 13 images covering quite a few topics, including Trans* suicide, LGBT youth homelessness, bullying, HIV awareness and adoption.”
Have A Gay Day’s billboard campaign has created a lot of conversation, according to Knote.
“Marriage equality is the most known issue in the US with regards to the LGBT community but it certainly is not the only one,” Knote said.
Recently, the organization moved into an office at 10 W. Second St. also known as Key Bank Tower.
“This was made possible by our generous Facebook followers and other supporters buying T-Shirts and donating directly to us,” Knote said. “We just got the last bit of furniture and have finally got things mostly organized. We are planning on having an open house in the coming weeks so that members of the community can come visit us.”
Knote said they plan to be staffed 24/7.
“We have several volunteers in the Dayton area already willing to work with us on our talk line, Prism, and also answering messages on our Facebook,” Knote said.
Prism is a ‘warm-line’ created by Have A Gay Day to give LGBT individuals who are not in immediate harm to have someone to turn and talk to, who are facing anxiety, depression and other issues.
Since occupying the space, Knote had received visits from numerous members of local gay support groups including members of Sinclair’s Brite Signal Alliance.
“Having office space provides us with a greater reach. Now that we have a dedicated space, we will be able to host our own board meetings, have community organization meetings, and provide a place for members of the community to visit us if they need help with an issue or come volunteer with us,” Knote said.
He pointed out that the office is a ‘Safe Space’. A safe space is “a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express, without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.”
Recently, Knote joined alongside Brite Signal Alliance during a small rally countering a message that marriage should remain between a woman and a man.
“As we grow as an organization and become more known we will be working more and more with local organizations to help improve the local community,” he said.
Knote has also had the opportunity to be involved with Sinclair’s Love Wins, initiative funded by Sinclair’ Diversity Grant in support of LGBT students.
“Most recently, we were at the Love Wins ‘Real Gay Agenda’ panel discussion. Prior to that we held a candlelight Vigil for Leelah Alcorn and we were at the Greater Dayton LGBT Center’s ‘Bowling for Pride,’” Knote said.
Along the way, Have A Gay Day has visited the meetings of Dayton chapter PFLAG, GLSEN and the Greater Dayton LGBT Center.
“Whenever you do something that challenges the status quo there is bound to be someone who gets upset. We have had people post hateful comments on our Facebook page and message us hateful things, but we don’t let it slow us down,” Knote said. “It just motivates us more to help educate people on the issues that matter to us.”
Those interested in volunteering with Have A Gay Day or visiting their office can contact Have A Gay Day at (937) 684-8114 or email contact@haveagayday.org
James Duty
Reporter