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

In an open letter, organizers stated, "While we are encouraged that the State of Illinois has, as of this writing, administered COVID-19 vaccine doses to over 1 million people, non-essential vaccinations are not scheduled to begin until June 2021, with an estimated completion in December 2021. We do not have a clear predictive model of national or international vaccination schedules.

"Because we are unwilling to jeopardize the safety of our exhibitors, public guests, or volunteer staff, we have unanimously voted to delay the show again, with a new proposed date of June 2022."

Last year, the June expo was cancelled, with a delay slated for June 2021.

Organizers are not planning a virtual fest for this year, either—but they are working on a series of digital programs called CAKEPOPS, which are check-ins with CAKE creators about topics of interest. They are also exploring ways to expand the Cupcake Award to give financial relief to emerging comics artists in Chicago and beyond.

In January 2020, CAKE organizers announced that the venue would take place at the Broadway Armory after being at Center on Halsted for several years, citing the armory's larger space and the Center's use of a controversial security force.