Politics
Chicago LGBTQ+ Elected Officials Celebrate Start of Pride Month With Flag-Raising Ceremony at Daley Plaza
Video: Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezada joins other elected officials on June 2, 2024, to mark the start of Pride Month.
LGBTQ+ elected officials and allies gathered Monday morning at Daley Plaza for a flag-raising ceremony to kick off the start of Pride Month.
“Celebrating Pride Month is more than just a festive occasion,” said Commissioner Anthony Quezada, the first openly gay Latino to serve on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.
“It’s a powerful testament of unity and solidarity,” Quezada continued. “It’s a time to reflect on the history of the LGBTQ movement, to acknowledge the struggles and sacrifices made and to celebrate the diversity that strengthens our communities.”
Other openly LGBTQ+ elected officials in attendance included Commissioner Kevin Morrison, Commissioner Maggie Trevor, Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele and Chicago Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward). They were joined by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
The Cook County Board of Commissioners and Board of Review has four openly LGBTQ+ elected officials, according to Morrison, the first openly gay member of the Board of Commissioners. There are nine openly LGBTQ+ alderpeople on Chicago’s City Council.
Speakers during the ceremony echoed a through line: Pride started as a protest and the fight for LGBTQ+ rights persists.
“As we have seen so much over the past few years, the progress that this flag represents is not necessarily linear,” said Trevor, the first openly lesbian member of the Board of Commissioners. “The only guarantee that we have to the rights that we have fought for is to remain vigilant against efforts to erode those rights.”
Cook County and Chicago has a rich history of LGBTQ+ activism, Preckwinkle said, specifically highlighting the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, the Windy City Times, the Legacy Project, and the creation of the Howard Brown Health Center and Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.
The Progress Pride flag raised Monday at Daley Plaza features rainbow-colored stripes along with black and brown stripes to symbolize marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color. The blue, pink and white stripes symbolize transgender and non-binary members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“This flag is a symbol of our love, of Chicago’s love,” said Manaa-Hoppenworth, the first queer Filipina to serve on City Council. “We are a beacon of hope. There are so many who have come to us who have said, ‘I don’t feel safe in my state, so I’m moving to Illinois, I’m moving to Chicago.’”
Contact Eunice Alpasan: @eunicealpasan | 773-509-5362 | [email protected]
