Pride Month for the LGBT communities kicked off on June 1 with the international theme, "Pride Links Us Together." The Chicago Pride Month calendar features close to one hundred different events scheduled for June Pride Month including workshops, choral concerts, athletic events, book signings, picnics, a street fest and the annual Pride Parade, to name a few.
The annual pride parades take place in cities across the United States, as well as worldwide. The parades commemorate the kick off of the modern day LGBT rights movement that started as a result of a gay bar raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in June 1969. The parades also celebrate the diversity of the LGBT communities. Over the years, the parades have reflected political and celebratory aspects.
The Chicago 43rd Annual Pride Parade is scheduled for Sunday June 24 at 12 Noon stepping off from a NEW corner, Broadway & Montrose, and down a NEW parade route this year. The parade will feature floats, decorated vehicles and marching contingents representing businesses, organizations, individuals and elected governmental officials. Hundreds of thousands of spectators attend the parade each year. For safety sake, as spectators have increased at the parade, the route has been lengthened by several blocks this year, thus adding more space for people to view the parade. The longer route has also added more elevated train stations for potential spectators to reach the parade route. There will also be six different cross over points on the parade route staffed by the Chicago Police officers to allow spectators to cross from one side of the parade route to another to balance out the crowd. The consumption of alcoholic beverages by spectators on the sidewalks or streets is prohibited. So the police department can issue costly tickets. Spectators are being urged to bring water and sun screen since parade day is often very hot.
NEW PARADE ROUTE: The parade starts at 12 Noon at a NEW corner this year, Broadway & Montrose and proceeds south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway, then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive. ATTACHED in two files are maps of the parade route featuring elevated train stop locations and the six cross-over streets.
Grand Marshal for this year's parade is Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. Before founding Freedom to Marry, Evan served as marriage project director for Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund, was co-counsel in the historic Hawaii marriage case that launched the ongoing global movement for the freedom to marry, and participated in numerous gay rights and HIV/AIDS cases.
Entries this year include students from Chicago Public Schools; sailors from Great Lakes representing their new on-base group; and close to 200 other businesses and organizations.
The parade begins at 12 Noon.
Parade Web site: www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org
