Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

'All of this is historic' : Chicago Pride Parade returns after two-year hiatus
More photos to come
by Kayleigh Padar
2022-06-27

This article shared 2864 times since Mon Jun 27, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


A month of celebrations culminated in the return of Chicago' Pride Parade on June 26, marking the first march of the decade after two years of cancellations due to the pandemic.

Weather-wise, the day was perfect, with sunny skies and the temperature around 80 degrees. However, the U.S. Supreme Court's recent overturning of Roe v. Wade cast a pall over the festivities.

The 51st annual parade kicked off at noon near Montrose Avenue and Broadway. About 150 different floats, decorated vehicles and performance groups began moving along the traditional parade route toward Diversey Avenue and Cannon Drive. Those marching in the parade represent community organizations, businesses, schools, churches government officials, political candidates and individual community members. Just a few of the marchers/floats in the parade included Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Illinois state Sen. Mike Simmons, Equality Illinois, Scouts for Equality, AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights), Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, Steve Quick Jewelry, Sidetrack, and the local sports teams the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bulls. There was also a banner honoring original parade organizer Rich Pfeiffer, who passed away in 2019; his husband, Tim Frye, has taken over as the event organizer.

Legacy grand marshals included the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame, the Illinois Holocaust Museum, Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, the Chicago Gender Society and activist Gary Chichester.

Simmons—the first openly gay member of the Illinois Senate—told Windy City Times before the event, "All of this is historic. As we emerge from a lockdown, I think people are energized and excited."

"The LGBTQ+ community is not one that's born into ourselves, we're not raised in the same neighborhoods or attending the same houses of worship," said Equality Illinois Chief Executive Officer Brian C. Johnson. "We have to create our own our own spaces together and COVID has been so hard because we haven't had that opportunity, so I've been loving all the pride events because I've missed being in the physical presence of my queer community."

Marchers with Center on Halsted were led by a drum line of young people, many of whom are experiencing homelessness, said the organization's Chief Executive Officer Modesto Tico Valle.

"In some ways, I'm glad that they put elected officials and some of the corporations up front and then they leave us organizations to be with each other, to celebrate community and unite in our movement," Valle said.

The parade annually commemorates the June 28, 1969 Stonewall rebellion when patrons of a New York City bar fought back during a police raid, which were frequent at the time. Street demonstrations continued for days and gave rise to the formation of gay liberation groups.

"Pride is celebration and protest," Johnson said. "It's a way to come together and honor our community and a way to remind ourselves we're going to stand up against the tools of oppression and stigma and shame that are used to keep us in the shadows."

Johnson explained Equality Illinois' theme for the parade aims to remind onlookers that "queer rights and the rights of so many other communities are overlapping."

"We want to help people make the connection between our liberation and the liberation of so many other communities, many of whom share identity with queer people," Johnson said.

Just days before the parade, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion. In a concurring opinion, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas argued the U.S. Supreme Court should "reconsider" past rulings granting rights for contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage, POLITCO reported.

"In some years, there's been lots to celebrate, especially in Illinois which has been a pro-choice and pro-LGBTQ+ state, but now we're seeing a lot of us suddenly at risk," said outgoing Illinois state Rep. Greg Harris, the first openly gay and HIV-positive state leader in the General Assembly.

"I'm thinking about how we can harness all the energy of the huge crowd coming out for the parade and put it into fighting for those rights and electing people who are going to protect us and not try to turn back the clock," Harris added.

Simmons agreed with Harris and pointed out that no one has witnessed a situation in the U.S. like the Roe v. Wade decision, in which rights were suddenly taken away from millions of people.

"I think the community is fired up and I suspect they'll be channeling their energies towards marching and going to protests and voting, hopefully in record numbers," Simmons said. "And just being authentic and proud, which is what pride is all about. It's about LGBTQ+ people being in public spaces and being joyful and being themselves robustly."

In light of continued threats to the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals, from court rulings to the swell of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation passed across the country this year, Simmons, Harris, Johnson and Valle each emphasized the importance of voting in the June 28 primaries.

"The most important thing everyone can do at this time is vote," Valle said. "Go to vote and check on your elders and those who have mobility concerns and help them vote. Our lives are really at stake here and we can't be complacent assuming our votes don't count because they do."

Harris also suggested supporting local organizations, getting involved in campaigns and participating in demonstrations in order to "stand together" against injustice.

Valle emphasized that the spirit of pride doesn't end when the parade disperses and the glitter is swept from the streets.

"We celebrate pride every single day," Valle said. "Every day, someone is coming out. Every day, someone is beaten because of their identity. Every day, someone is thrown out of their home because they identify as queer. So, our work is not over and we must continue to be vigilant and unite as one as we move forward in our struggle."

—With Andrew Davis


This article shared 2864 times since Mon Jun 27, 2022
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees 2024-03-07
- Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted to host trans youth & family summit 2024-02-19
- Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., has announced that its Trans Youth & Family Summit 2024 will take place March 16. This year marks the sixth annual event, which partners between Youth Services' Pride Youth ...


Gay News

Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret Valentine's Day Feb. 17 2024-02-16
--From a press release - Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret puts their own spin on Valentine's Day with a show celebrating things done and sacrificed for love - not just romantic love, but love for pets, friends, family and art. Join the ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


Gay News

Chicago Fire FC announces 2024 theme nights; Pride Night will be June 1 2024-01-19
--From a press release - CHICAGO (Jan. 18, 2024) — Chicago Fire FC announced the club's theme nights for select home matches during the 2024 regular season, driven by Carvana. The Club's 2024 calendar features 11 theme nights, including the return ...


Gay News

WORLD Austria proposal, conferences, Pride marches, tennis player, Gay Games 2023-11-03
- In Austria, a historic proposal by the country's Ministry of Justice sees 33 million euros (approximately $35 million U.S.) set aside to compensate those who were persecuted or convicted of consensual same-sex acts—although critics say th ...


Gay News

NHL reverses decision to ban Pride Tape, allowing players to show support for LGBTQ+s 2023-10-24
--From a press release - (New York, NY - October 24, 2023) Today the National Hockey League (NHL) reversed its decision to ban Pride Tape and other displays of support for LGBTQ people on the ice, stating: "After consultation with the ...


Gay News

THEATER Company of 'Wolves': Redtwist's Dusty Brown on gay Riding Hood retelling, Grindr, gender identity 2023-10-16
- It's all about Pride in 2023-24 at Redtwist Theatre. The 19th season for this North Side black-box theater includes three very different productions, starting with Wolves, called a "gory, gay reimagining of 'Little Red Riding Hood.'" ...


Gay News

NHL bans Pride Tape from hockey games and practices 2023-10-11
- The National Hockey League (NHL) has designated that athletes will no longer be able to show support to the LGBTQ+ community while playing, according to Out, which cited Outsports. The league has issued a ban of ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH George Harris reflects on his late husband and Dallas activism 2023-10-10
- Special to Windy City Times. To mark Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of Dallas Voice and the LGBT History Project. When George Harris and Jack Evans became the first couple to legally marry in ...


Gay News

Illinois colleges make list of most unsafe places for LGBTQ+ youth 2023-10-05
- Campus Pride has released its list of the worst places for LGBTQ+ youth—and several Illinois colleges and universities are on it. According to a press release, "the Worst List identifies the 'absolute worst, most unsafe campuses ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH Putting an end to the myths of Stonewall 2023-10-02
- Special to Windy City Times. In recognition of Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of the LGBT History Project and Philadelphia Gay News. For years, people have debated what actually happened that night in June ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Sex Education' star, Rotten Tomatoes, Jessica Lange, Queer/Art 2023-09-08
Video below - Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa officially came out during an interview with Elle UK, according to Out. "I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it ...


Gay News

Brave Space Alliance holds Post Pride Mixer 2023-08-30
- On Aug. 27, Brave Space Alliance held its Post Pride Mixer at popular lesbian-owned bar Nobody's Darling. The social gathering celebrated past accomplishments while looking forward to new horizons for both the service organization and the ...


Gay News

UIC among nation's top 30 campuses for LGBTQ+ students 2023-08-25
--From a press release - The University of Illinois Chicago has been named one of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students, according to Campus Pride, a national organization serving LGBTQ+ and ally student leaders and campus organizations in ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.