Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

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

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Longtime LGBTQ activist Julie Valloni dies
by Carrie Maxwell, Windy City Times
2021-04-06

This article shared 3586 times since Tue Apr 6, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Longtime LGBTQ activist Julie Valloni died March 28 in Rockford, Illinois due to complications from a hip fracture. She was 80.

Valloni was born July 12, 1940 and grew up in Chicago where she graduated from Austin High School. She attended DePaul University for two years in the 1950s and years later began working as a legal secretary for Schwartzberg, Barnett and Cohen for seven years. Valloni left that law firm for a legal secretary job at Jenner and Block, where she worked for almost 20 years.

Among the many things Valloni did for the LGBTQ community was as co-chair the Chicago contingent to the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Her co-chair was Victor Salvo, who later founded the Legacy Project. She also co-chaired what was then called the Gay and Lesbian Parents Group that met at Horizons (now Center on Halsted) in the 1980s, with Mike Menefee. She also led Chicago 35, a group for lesbians aged 35 and older, for a number of years.

Valloni loved to travel and embarked on trips to every continent, as well as the base camp on Mount Everest. Other activities that she enjoyed included snorkeling and participating in the annual Hussle Up the Hancock, a 1,632-stair climb to raise money for the Respiratory Health Association, on behalf of Jenner and Block.

Like many gay and lesbian people in her generation, Valloni had to stay closeted outside her close family and friends circles. She met her daughter Karen's teacher Sister Frances Celine Leahy during a parent-teacher conference at the local Catholic school she attended. They fell in love and were together for 28 years until Leahy's death in 1999.

Valloni is survived by her daughter Karen (Al) Romero and their son James Romero, brother Ralph (Cathy)Sorice, many nieces and nephews and countless chosen family members and friends.

"Julie was a warm and unassuming activist with no agenda whatsoever—beyond sharing and celebrating the dignity and humanity of all LGBTQ people," said Salvo. "She and her lover, Sr. Frances, were an utter joy to work with. They were both great soundboards with no shortage of encouragement to share. The March on Washington was my first attempt at anything approaching 'community leadership.' That intimidating challenge was made possible because I had a partner who saw only the best in every situation and every person. I went to Julie to 'recharge my batteries.' Activists like Julie Valloni are all too rare. Her passing leaves a hole in my heart and an echo in my memories. I am still trying to process it."

"Julie was a fantastic, outspoken, wonderful woman," said Menefee. "She was an incredible asset to the Gay and Lesbian Parent's Group and I will always remember the outings we did with our children, and later grandchildren, to places like Cantigny Park and the Shrine Circus in the Chicago suburbs. I was always thrilled to work with her and have her in my life."

"Julie was as sweet as could be, but beneath her wonderful smile and unpretentious charm was a soul absolutely dedicated to the cause," said former Horizons Executive Director Bruce Koff. "I initially mistook her boundless faith and optimism for naivete but I quickly saw that these were simply manifestations of her remarkable tenacity and determination. As co-director of the Gay and Lesbian Parents Group, she gave LGBTQ parents in those early days a critical voice and a vital place to connect, find support and share resources. Julie was a pioneer whom we could rely on to get the job done, and I will always be grateful to her."

"When I first started at Jenner in 1997 Julie was my assistant," said longtime friend and Jenner and Block partner Gail H. Morse. "She was invaluable in learning the ropes at this new firm, generous with her insights and would always meet me with a smile and a cheery greeting. It was not until I settled in and we talked more that I learned of Julie's advocacy for LGBT civil rights, her role in organizing Chicagoans to support and attend the March on Washington and her work on issues involving the lesbian community in Chicago. Our stories are so powerful and hers as a trailblazing lesbian had me in awe of her strength, integrity in standing up for what is right and what she accomplished in her quiet way. We build community with our history one story at a time. Those stories reflecting action are the bricks paving the road for the future. Julie powerfully paved the road to a better world for the LGBT communities in Chicago and nationally."

The visitation and memorial service will take place Saturday, May 15, at 1 p.m. at Shopiere Congregational Church, 5328 E. Church St., Beloit, WI 53511.


This article shared 3586 times since Tue Apr 6, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

PASSAGES Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty 2024-03-14
- Dorothy Elizabeth McGroarty, 82, of The Breakers at Edgewater Beach, and a former resident of Andersonville, passed away Feb. 16 surrounded by her loving family. Born in Dearborn, Michigan, Dorothy was raised on Chicago's South and ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Bryan Dean Wilson 2024-03-14
- Bryan Dean Wilson, 64, of Chicago, passed away March 11. Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Bryan graduated from Washington High school in Cedar Rapids before earning his B.S. in Biology from Mount Mercy University, also in ...


Gay News

PASSAGES: Former Chicago Commission on Human Relations chair Clarence Wood 2024-03-13
- LGBTQ ally and former Chicago Commission on Human Relations (CCHR) Chair and Commissioner Clarence N. Wood died March 5. He was 83. Wood was born April 14, 1940, in Alabama. While primarily raised in Alabama, Wood ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77 2024-03-12
- On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner 2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Charles R. Tobin 2024-03-03
- Charles R. Tobin, 81, peacefully passed away on Dec. 23, 2023, in the company of his husband, after living with Lewey body dementia for several years. Charlie was born and raised in the Fernwood neighborhood on ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Trailblazing judge and attorney Patricia M. Logue passes away 2024-02-26
- The Honorable Patricia Logue ("Pat" to her friends, Trish" to her family) was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ community. Pat's legacy includes numerous landmark cases she litigated over her ...


Gay News

Oklahoma non-binary student dies after being assaulted 2024-02-21
- Officials acknowledged there are unresolved questions about a 16-year-old non-binary Oklahoma student who died one day after a fight in a high school bathroom, NBC News noted. Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, ...


Gay News

GLAAD remembers Cecilia Gentili, transgender Latina, actress, activist, health care activist, journalist 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (New York, NY - February 6, 2024) GLAAD, the world's largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, is responding to the death of transgender actress and advocate Cecilia Gentili and elevating voices of transgender and political leaders honoring ...


Gay News

More information emerges about death on Atlantis gay cruise 2024-02-04
By Lu Calzada - Further details have emerged following the death of a Chicago man on a Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas Atlantis cruise targeted towards gay men. Following a Reddit post by the man's sister — which has ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Imperial Court's Scott Archer remembered as selfless, devoted 2024-02-04
By Alec Karam - As the old saying goes, we all have an angel on one shoulder, and a devil on the other. Well, Scott Archer was all angel, his best friend Herman Coen believes. "Everybody wanted to talk to Scott, because Scott was Scott," ...


Gay News

Broadway star Chita Rivera dies at 91 2024-01-30
- Chita Rivera—a Broadway legend with more than seven decades of credits—has died at age 91 after a short illness, People Magazine reported. "It is with immense personal sorrow that I announce the death of the beloved ...


Gay News

PASSSAGES Chef Michael Thomas Zito 2024-01-02
- Chef Michael Thomas Zito, 55, ("Chef Bear Italia" and "Big Chef") passed away December 12, 2023, unexpectedly at home in Chicago's Belmont Gardens neighborhood. Born in Kentucky to Pentecostal missionaries from New York, Mike began cooking ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

PASSAGES Paris Johnson 2023-12-29
- Paris Johnson, 29, of Chicago's West Loop neighborhood, passed away unexpectedly Nov. 28. He would have celebrated his 30th birthday Dec. 20. Born into a military family in Sacramento, California, Paris moved often in his youth, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.