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

The event marks the 50th year as the largest legal organization fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV — and looks to the next 50 years of our movement for justice and equality.

Lambda Legal is proud to honor nationally recognized journalist, human rights activist and Chicago native Tracy Baim. For four decades, Tracy has provided a voice to LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities. Tracy co-founded The Windy Citty Times, a publication that has served to cover every local and national news issue impacting the LGBTQ+ community and — from the earliest days of the epidemic — every living with HIV. Tracy's journalism has documented and propelled the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement forward. From highlighting our issues, telling our stories, and leveraging our collective power, Tracy has moved our communities closer to justice and equality.

The Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration, one of Lambda Legal's signature events for the LGBTQ+ community, will return to the Art Institute of Chicago on Friday, May 19th. This year's co-chairs were recently announced, and will help inspire local, corporate, and grassroots support for Lambda Legal.

"We represent 50 years of unprecedented legal victories that have moved our communities closer to the promise of legal and lived equality," said Lambda Legal Board Member, Diane Bell. "Our annual Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration is an opportunity to remind Chicago's LGBTQ+ community that for five decades, our team has worked tirelessly to represent love in the face of hate. To represent the values of a free and equal democracy. To represent cases that reflect the priorities of our past, tackle the most pressing problems of the present day, and set the precedent for our future. Our work represents a promise to the community — the vision of all who came before, those who fight today, and everyone who wants a better tomorrow."

The 2023 Bon Foster Co-Chairs are:

Terrence Chappell & Dan Nisbet

Terrence Chappell is the Founder and Principal of Chappell Communications Group, a digital marketing agency that specializes in social media. He is a regular contributor to Chicago television discussing pertinent news and cultural topics around social media. He has been published in Teen Vogue, The Advocate, Reader, and more.

Dan Nisbet, Vice President of Development at Feeding America, has provided fundraising leadership and consulting support to human services, education, healthcare, civic, cultural, and faith-based organizations throughout the United States and internationally for more than 20 years. They both currently reside on Chicago's North Side.

Diane Bell

Diane Bell is a partner at Ice Miller. She focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions and growth investments, with an emphasis on private equity transactions. Diane also serves on Lambda Legal's Board of Directors as a member of the executive committee and lives with her family in Oak Park.

More Information on the Bon Foster Celebration

The Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration raises more than $500,000 for Lambda Legal every year and is named after Robert Bonvoulier "Bon" Foster, a Chicago attorney and civil rights leader who died in 1991 from complications from AIDS. Bon left a significant gift to Lambda Legal to open the regional office in Chicago. For more information or to purchase tickets to this year's event, please go to www.lambdalegal.org/bonfoster.