COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- LGBTQ+ organizations in some central Ohio counties say they are facing hurdles spurred by a lack of small business support and targeted social media posts by a local conservative group. Delaware Ohio Pride (DOP), the organizers behind the city of Delaware's Pride festival , said some local entrepreneurs who previously backed the organization have cut off support and no longer offer their businesses as event space since President Donald Trump's reelection. Longtime advocate warns of Ohio deaths if federal HIV funding is cut "Finding places that will agree to let us host events in their space has become near impossible," the group said. "Our events committee has been working nonstop to find more ways to hold events for our community. We have plenty of ideas, we just need businesses willing to be our safe spaces." Amanda Quinn and Tia Jones, co-chairs of the organization, detailed one incident to NBC4 in which DOP was completing the exact date and time for a scheduled event when the business stopped all communication. The organization's "texts and emails went unanswered and this all seemed to coincidentally coincide with the elections results," Quinn and Jones said. Amanda Quinn, Tia Jones and other Delaware Ohio Pride organizers alongside drag performers after last year's festival. (Courtesy Photo/Delaware Ohio Pride) DOP hasn't named which exact businesses they are referring to but are pointing residents to their "Rainbow Business Roster" for a Rolodex of storefronts and services that do support the organization and have been vetted as LGBTQ+ friendly. The organization, which has previously hosted educational events and drag shows, is navigating a lack of business support while also reorganizing internally, including the onboarding of several new board members who were brought on after long-time members stepped down last year. Now, Quinn and Jones said DOP is prioritizing transparency while remaining dedicated to Delaware's LGBTQ+ community. Ohio group asks U.S. Supreme Court to allow student opt-outs for LGBTQ+ lessons "We as an organization are still working diligently to follow in the footsteps of our founding members while also trying to find our place and set our own goals and expectations," the co-chairs said. "We are actively planning our festival, which is held the first Saturday in June every year. As for our drag events, it's still to-be-determined as we continue our search for new event locations." Marysville Pride Fest, the city of Marysville's annual Pride festival hosted by the Union County Rainbow Coalition, told NBC4 it has also experienced sponsorship challenges. However, organizers said issues date to 2023, when a group named the Union County Faith Family Coalition began targeting drag performances and businesses hosting Pride events. Organizers cited Walking Distance Brewing as an example. The brewery permanently closed in February, and hosted Pride events that were meant to further inclusion for Marysville's LGBTQ+ community. However, owner Teddy Valinski said on social media last June that Walking Distance faced a "year of slander and harassment" from the Faith Family Coalition. Members of the coalition began taking to social media during the summer of 2023 to denounce the brewery's drag queen shows, hurling unfounded accusations of pedophilia and grooming. Valinski said Walking Distance's sales dipped after the posts garnered traction on social media, writing that the brewery will "never know exactly how much business we lost due to the slander." Consequently, many local sponsors withdrew their support from the Marysville Pride Fest, the organizers said. Still, the Rainbow Coalition is forging ahead with the Pride fest in June and noted they've recently garnered an increase in vendor participation. Olentangy schools defends LGBTQ+ anti-bullying policies in federal court "In the face of adversity, community support has blossomed," the organizers said. "Despite the financial hurdles, we are determined to continue our advocacy for marginalized communities, fueled by this unwavering community solidarity." The Rainbow Alliance of Fairfield County faced similar targeting last September when a group called the Fairfield County Conservatives spoke out in protest of a LGBTQ+ event hosted in downtown Lancaster. The debate culminated in a city council meeting where the conservative group argued the event featured an "obscene" drag show, but the city's top prosecutor said the performance was legally permissible and protected by the First Amendment. Fairfield County Conservatives members later called on city council to adopt a measure prohibiting "adult cabaret performances" similar to a bill proposed at the Ohio Statehouse that opponents say would amount to a ban of drag queens in public. LGBTQ+ business owners in Lancaster said they saw a boost in sales when their shops were named to a list shared on social media by members of the conservative group. The entrepreneurs said the reverse happened when the group posted the list as part of an alleged boycott against businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community. Bellefontaine, a Logan County city, was originally supposed to be the first in the state to vote in 2023 on whether to ban drag performances in public, after a queen named Blond Vanity was featured riding a jet ski in the city's Christmas parade. The Ohio Supreme Court later ruled that the proposed ordinance, which also used the "adult cabaret performance" wording, would not appear on the ballot given it was submitted fraudulently. ...read more read less