Mayor Emanuel has issued a proclamation naming June as "Pride Month in Chicago."
The Chicago June Pride Month Calendar features dozens of events appealing to a broad spectrum of people.
Choral concerts, book signings, athletic events, festivals and the Chicago 43rd Annual Pride Parade on June 24 at 12 Noon are a few of the events scheduled this year.
The 48-page Pride Guide booklet published by PRIDEChicago contains a map of the NEW parade route and NEW line up area, as well as other Pride related information. The booklet will be distributed in the metro Chicago area over the Memorial Day weekend. Photos of past Pride Parades, a list of registered parade entries, and a copy of the June Pride Month Calendar of events is also included in the booklet.
Updated Pride Month and parade information will be posted on PRIDEChicago's web site: chicagopridecalendar.org on a daily basis from now throughout June Pride Month.
The grand marshal for this year's Chicago 43rd Annual Pride Parade is marriage activist, Evan Wolfson.
Evan is 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.
He earned a B.A. in history from Yale College in 1978, served as a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in Togo, West Africa, and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1983. Citing his national leadership on marriage and his appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court in "Boy Scouts of America v. James Dale," the National Law Journal in 2000 named Evan one of "the 100 most influential lawyers in America." In 2004, Evan was named one of the "Time 100," Time magazines's list of "the 100 most influential people in the world." Evan's book, "Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right To Mary," was published by Simon & Schuster in July 2004.
After New York State legalized same sex marriage last year, Evan and his partner Cheng He were married in New York City. Evan and Cheng will be riding in a convertible near the front of the parade.
Addenda: FYI: There is an informative article in the New York Times (Oct. 21, 2011) that says that Evan is widely considered to be a key architect of the movement to legalize same-sex marriage. The story is about the life and marriage of Evan Wolfson and Cheng He including their early lives and comments from their family members.
For more information: www.ChicagoPrideCalendar.org PrideChgo@aol.com 773-348-8243.
