Come July, Chicagoans will celebrate the city's first pride celebration for transgender and gender-variant people.
Transgender Gender non-conforming Intersex Freedom (better known as T.G.I.F.) is scheduled for July 29 in Union Park and is believed to be the city's first transgender pride event.
According to KOKUMO, a local transgender activist and the lead organizer, the four-hour event will feature a speak-out, a keynote address, poetry, skits, a rally and a picnic.
"It's just a matter of giving voice to trans gender non-conforming intersex people, in particular youth of color," KOKUMO said.
The eventsponsored by KOKUMO's personal media project, KOKUMOMEDIAlists collaborating organizations as Dyke March, Affinity Community Services, Southwest Youth Collaborative, Center on Halsted, Broadway Youth Center, About Face Theater and others.
However, the event, while intended to supplement pride events that focus on gay and lesbian lives, is not exactly a pride event, she said. "It's actually becoming a festival," she said, adding that the event will be both celebratory and political. "I really feel a big part of it is empowering TGI people of color."
The group is currently raising funds for the event. They are planning a fundraiser in March, the details of which are yet to be announced.
Search Facebook at "T.G.I.F. (trans, gnc, and intersex freedom) Rally and Picnic."