Chicago's June Pride Month kicked off this year with dozens of same sex couples getting legally married at several events around the city and state. In addition, throughout the month of June, there are close to one hundred different events in Chicago celebrating Pride Month, with the Annual Pride Parade being the largest.
The Chicago 45th Annual Pride parade is scheduled for Sunday June 29 at noon. The parade will start at the corner of Broadway and Montrose, proceeding south on Broadway; then south on Halsted; then east on Belmont; then south on Broadway; then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive, in Lincoln Park. The parade will feature floats, decorated vehicles, marching bands and walkers, representing community businesses, organizations and elected government officials.
Pride parades are staged in over 125 cities worldwide with more than 65 of them in the United States and at least 12 taking place on the last weekend of June each year.
Several cities including New York, San Francisco, Miami, San Diego Long Beach, etc. schedule more than one Grand Marsha each year.
PRIDEChicago has scheduled a Grand Marshal, Will Sheridan, with a possible second grand marshal to be announced.
Sheridan is a former Villanova University basketball player, who also played professional basketball internationally. He is a former nightlife/music scene writer for Source Magazine and current performing artist ( new wave mix of dance, hip-hop and pop ). His new album and video was released Spring. He came out in a lengthy ESPN story titled: "Will Sheridan: I'm Proud of Who I Am." An appearance on "Outside the Lines" catapulted him into the public eye. He and his partner started a non profit that finds, funds and supports orphans who have aged out of government and church assistance in Kenya. He does speaking engagements at colleges and youth groups speaking about his life as an openly gay athlete and music artist, and also works closely with Athlete Ally, GLSEN, Out Music efforts and the Pride Network.
The theme for this year's Pride Celebrations, suggested by InterPride ( the international association of pride groups ) is "Reflections of Pride" ( Stonewall 45 ). An alternate theme is simply, "Reflections of Pride." However, each year, parade entries, as well as groups sponsoring Pride Month events, have the option of using the international theme, an alternate theme or a theme or slogan of their own choice. The Stonewall 45 part of the theme refers to the Stonewall Inn in New York City where on June 27, 1969 police raided a gay bar. The patrons of the bar fought the police, kicking off a week of demonstrations and the birth of the modern day LGBT rights movement.
The City of Chicago has also been reminding potential attendees at city parades that an ordinance passed last year increased the fines for public drinking and public urination within two hundred feet of a parade route. Fines now range from $500 to $1000. According to a recent press report and the Chicago Police Department, police officers will be targeting public drinking along the Pride Parade route ( June 29 ); in the Halsted Street nightlife district after the parade; and also around Pride Fest ( June 21-22 ), the weekend before the parade.
Barricades line the entire parade route. So, only parade entries, parade marshals, police officers and other city representatives are allowed on the street, inside the barricades, with the exception of credentialed representatives from the print, broadcast and online media, etc. To have access to the street, in front of the barricades, members of the media must have press credentials ( ie.: a badge worn around the neck ). To be placed on the media list to receive credentials on parade day, e mail us your company name, your representative( s ) name( s ) and their cell phone number( s ) to: PrideChgo@aol.com
On parade morning, Sunday June 29, media can pick up the credentials at the Parade check-in table at the corner of Broadway & Montrose, where the parade starts, during the hours of 9 AM to 11:30 AM. The parade begins at noon.
