The question is as old as the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame (GLHF) itself, but never has it been asked with such gravity: Should the City of Chicago keep its ties to the Hall of Fame it started, or is it time for two to split?
Long celebrated as the nation's only government-run LGBT hall of fame, GLHF has honored local LGBT heroes annually, establishing itself as a symbol for many of the city's commitment to its gay residents.
However, city budget cuts stripped the organization of financial support in July, leading some to question if the GLHF should terminate its connection to the Chicago Commission on Human Relations' Advisory Council on LGBT Issues.
The council, which could dissolve its GLHF committee by majority vote, debated the issue at its meeting Aug. 17. Failing to come to an immediate decision, members tabled the conversation until their next meeting on Sept. 21.
"I don't know what the sense of urgency is," said Israel Wright, an organizer of GLHF. "I want to get through this year. … To make a liberation right at this moment, I don't know what we're ready to do that."
Wright and others were sent scrambling to raise thousands for the GLHF induction ceremony on Nov. 9 in the wake of news that funds and staff support had been pulled.
Since, many have wondered aloud if the city is reaping undue credit while LGBT community members do all the heavy lifting.
"The city benefits from it, but they don't put a dime into it," Rick Garcia, a veteran activist and GLHF inductee, told Windy City Times in July. Garcia said that even before the July announcement, he felt that the city got more out of its association with the GLHF than it put into the relationship.
However, William Kelley, who sits on the Advisory Council, said GLHF's connection with the city is important.
"It's prestigious to say we are a municipally sponsored Hall of Fame," he said. "The city, in the end, was contributing substantial amounts."
Kelley hopes that if the GLHF keeps its municipal connection, money might be available for the organization once the economy improves.
The GLHF has historically funded much of its work through private donations and two annual fundraisers. Anticipating hard economic times and possible cuts, GLHF established a 501(c)(3), Friends of the Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for fundraising purposes in 2009.
If the GLHF splits with the council, the new organization will likely take on all of that fundraising.
However, the split could also free up GLHF to raise more money.
"There are limitations on what it can do because of its association with the city," said Bill Greaves, director of the LGBT Advisory Council.
Greaves said that all possibilities must be discussed and that his main concern will be what allows the GLHF "to flourish."
The GLHF funding was pulled along with other city heritage events, which include the city's salute to LGBT veterans and its annual Pride Reception. The cuts have resulted in grumblings from some that Mayor Emanuel is less supportive of the LGBT community than Richard M. Daley was.
Still, the issue may boil down to a shift in priorities, and not necessarily a pull of support. While social and cultural events have been cut, Greaves confirmed he is being encouraged to focus more on policy issues as of late. Those include anti-discrimination language in leases and contracts and the implementation of a police policy on treatment of transgender people.
Kit Duffy, who was Chicago's first liaison to the LGBT community, said that shift could be a good thing.
"I would see the liaison position as a policy position," she said. "The perfect person for that position is Bill Greaves."
In the meantime, the city seal sits atop the the GLHF website. Whether or not that seal will appear on induction ceremony programs in November remains to be seen.
