About 200 people attended Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's fourth annual pride celebration and awards ceremony at the Center on Halsted on June 25. The State's Attorney's Office Community Outreach & Special Events Unit presented the event.
Alvarez and members of the office's LGBT Advisory Council presented awards to the Honorable Sebastian Patti, presiding judge of the Circuit court of Cook County, and Camilla Taylor, senior staff attorney and national marriage project director in the Midwest regional office of Lambda Legal. Along with Patti's and Taylor's awards, Alvarez's office also honored the legal interns working for marriage equality at Lambda Legal and Equality Illinois with scholarships.
Patti is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility and a faculty member of the Illinois Judicial Conference. He also serves on the Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Sexual Orientation Awareness in the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Housing Court Advisory Committee. Patti, presiding judge of the Domestic Violence Division, was first appointed to the bench in 1995 and elected in 1996.
Taylor currently represents same-sex couples in Lambda Legal's marriage equality lawsuit in Illinois and was the lead counsel in Lambda Legal's successful 2009 marriage equality lawsuit in Iowa.
Cook County LGBTQ/Hate Crimes Specialist Alicia Oeser kicked off the event by introducing WGN News entertainment reporter Dean Richards, who was the evening's master of ceremonies.
Ray Koenig, chairperson of the Cook County State's Attorney's office LGBT advisory council and attorney at Clark Hill Law Office provided words of welcome. In his remarks, Koenig noted that Alvarez was the first Cook County State's Attorney to hold pride celebrations.
Following Koenig's words of welcome, Lesbian and Gay Bar Association member Jeremy Gottschalk presented the Lambda Legal and Equality Illinois interns with their plaques and scholarship awards.
Then Walgreens pharmacist Glen Pietrandoni, R. Ph. AAHIVE, spoke about being a past recipient of this award as well as Walgreen's commitment to the LGBT community.
In Alvarez's keynote speech she spoke about the work that her office has done to advance LGBT equality county-wide including refusing to defend the 16-year-old ban on marriage equality after two marriage equality lawsuits were filed against the Cook County State's Attorney's office.
"My goals is to ensure that at the end of this long struggle fairness and equality prevails for all and that all families in Illinois are granted the respect and legal recognition that they most certainly deserve. It's hard to believe that in 21st century America anyone should have to sit in the back of that proverbial bus," said Alvarez.
Richards introduced Patti and Taylor and presented them with their Pride Celebration Awards. In his acceptance speech, Patti noted that he never thought he would see the day where marriage equality would be argued before the Supreme Court. He also thanked his partner in life and two members of his staff for their unwavering support.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor noted one of the couples who is a part of her lawsuit, James Darby and Patrick Bova (who were in the audience that evening). Then Taylor spoke about the march towards equality that began with the Declaration of Independence over 200 years ago.
Walgreens was the evening's sponsor. Khari Parker & Friends Jazz Band provided live entertainment and guests noshed on creations by Jewell Events Catering.