Letter writing campaign spreads pride and holiday cheer

Somewhere in Ohio, someone named Raven will be getting a greeting of holiday cheer.

The letter’s author, Johanna Osharow of Vernon Hills, was among dozens gathered at Buffalo Grove’s Original Bagel & Bialy Thursday writing letters to members of the LGBTQ community.

Fortified by deli sandwiches and desserts, the guests sat in groups at tables and filled out their cards, adorning them with designs and decorating them with stickers with such slogans as, “You’re perfect.”

Guiding the effort was Carolyn Pinta, whose Pinta Pride Project has made the Buffalo Grove pride parade an annual tradition.

Pinta said the idea for the letter-writing campaign was spawned four years ago by a Facebook group focused on the idea that LGBTQ people all around the world who met on the page could not go home for the holidays. So they began sending each other holiday cards.

“That first year, we sent about 2,100 cards. That was four years ago. Last year, we sent more than 50,000 cards,” she said.

Pinta said the cards could contain such messages as “Happy Holidays. My name is so and so. I am your ally from Illinois. It can be that simple.”

Osharow said she had people in Indiana, New Mexico, Iowa and Florida on her list.

“I'm going to talk to all the people on my cards about my own daughter who is a member of the queer community and about the (Gay Straight Alliance) that I run for the middle school that I work out of,” Osharow said.

Karen Krosnick of Buffalo Grove, the parent of a transgender high school student, said there are people who don’t support their children in their journey.

“These cards show that there are people out there that do support,” she said.

Local officials were on hand, including Buffalo Grove Village President Eric Smith and village Trustees Joanne Johnson and David Weidenfeld.

“We’re happy to support it, and we love our diversity in this community, so we’re proud of that,” Smith said.