Brutus Buckeye is back in the Columbus Pride Parade, and he’ll be joined by some winged friends from Bowling Green.

Freddie and Frieda Falcon, Bowling Green State University’s mascots, will march in today’s parade. It will be the first time that the pair will march in the Columbus event.

“Freddie and Frieda’s appearance demonstrates the university’s support for diversity, inclusion, and respect,” Chris Bullins, BGSU associate dean of students, said in a statement.

University spokesman Dave Kielmeyer said alumni contacted BGSU officials Thursday, after Ohio State University announced that Brutus’ appearance had been canceled because of safety concerns. Bowling Green jumped at the chance to send its ambassadors.

“Given the discussions and the incident in Orlando, as an institution we think it's important for us to show our support for the LGBTQ community,” Mr. Kielmeyer said.

Ohio State received significant criticism on social media for its decision to pull its mascot from the event. The school announced Thursday that Brutus would appear at the parade, as would Rufus the Bobcat from Ohio University.

Mr. Kielmeyer said BGSU would not be sending Freddie and Frieda if they had safety concerns.

University of Toledo spokesman Meghan Cunningham said Toledo’s mascots, Rocky and Rocksy, are not headed to Columbus. She said they had previously committed to attending a youth event today at Smith Park.

“Diversity has long been a core value of the University of Toledo, and we celebrate individuals regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. Especially this week, the thoughts of all at the University of Toledo are with the entire LGBTQ community and their loved ones in Orlando, Columbus, and across the country,” she said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.

First Published June 18, 2016, 4:00 a.m.