CHICAGO, IL- Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Deputy Governor Sol Flores will be honored for their long-time dedication and leadership in making the lives of LGBTQ Illinoisans better on Friday, August 23, at the kick-off cocktail reception for Fahrenheit Chicago, the Equality Illinois Institute announced on Friday.
Happening August 23-25, 2019, in the historic Bronzeville and Hyde Park neighborhoods on Chicago's southside, Fahrenheit Chicago is the free end-of-summer LGBTQ festival that is a party with a purpose. Fahrenheit Chicago, which is produced by the Equality Illinois Institute with presenting sponsors Howard Brown Health and The Reva and David Logan Foundation, strives to celebrate the cultures of and highlight the community assets of Black and Latinx LGBTQ people in Chicago.
"Fahrenheit Chicago 3 brings people, power, and policy together" said Anthony Galloway, Director of Civic Engagement at Equality Illinois, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. "We hope all attendees at this year's festivities will leave with a deeper understanding of the many losses, sacrifices, and triumphs taken to arrive at this moment in history."
This year festival organizers are excited to also feature Dominique Jackson, breakout star of the hit FX series POSE; Black queer feminist activist Charlene Carruthers, founding national director of BYP 100; Illinois State Rep. Lamont J. Robinson; and other LGBTQ community leaders. Music will be curated throughout the weekend by Chicago DJ favorites Roy Kinsey, Rae Chardonnay, Kidd Kenn, Superman and Darryl Garcon; along with musical performances by feature artists Mikey Everything, Kidd Kenn, and Chanelle Truvillion.
Fahrenheit Chicago will kick off at Connect+ Gallery in Hyde Park from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, August 23, with a cocktail reception hosted by Equality Illinois Institute board chair Butch Trusty and Equality Illinois Institute board member Lynne Perryman. At the reception, Fahrenheit Chicago will honor champions who demonstrate remarkable vision, courage, and leadership in efforts to achieve full equality and inclusion of LGBTQ Illinoisans.
Civic Leadership Award honorees: Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and Illinois Deputy Governor Sol Flores
Lifetime Achievement Award honorees: Charles Nelson of Adodi and South Side Help Center and Pat McMcomb and Vera Washington of Executive Sweet
Rising Star Award honorees: Rae Chardonnay and Nick Alder from Party Noire
Community Service Award honorees: Tatyana Moaton of Howard Brown Health and Joel D. Jackson of the University of Chicago.
From 1-5 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, at the Promontory in Hyde Park, Fahrenheit Chicago will host "Beyond the Rhetoric" Flash Talks featuring Carruthers, Rep. Robinson, and other dignitaries and LGBTQ community activists. A day party will follow from 5-9 p.m. with Chicago's club promoters B. Blyss, Rails Marketing Group, All GirlsChi, TruBeach Entertainment, and David Dodd Events.
On Sunday, August 25, the weekend will culminate at the DuSable Museum of African American History with a series of events from 1-8 p.m. Events include a spiritual motivator brunch led by Powerhouse Church of Chicago and Senior Pastor Keith McQueen and a mini ball and drag show curated by legends and icons within the Midwest Ball scene led by Zoliy Miyake-Mugler, one of the founders of Fahrenheit Chicago. This year's event hosts will include Dominique Jackson, Otis Mack, Trina Tru Luv, and Mz. Ruff N Stuff.
Illinois business and the state's philanthropic community continue to provide robust support for Fahrenheit Chicago and the ongoing work of Equality Illinois Institute.
Presenting Sponsors: Howard Brown Health and The Reva and David Logan Foundation
Platinum Sponsors: Uber, B.BLYSS!, and Illinois Department of Public Health
Gold Sponsors: Illinois Lottery, Women Connection, OpenTV, PrEP4Love, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Start Talking. Stop HIV.
Silver Sponsors: South Side Help Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Bronze Sponsors: ACLU of Illinois, Capital One, Center on Halsted, SEIU Healthcare of Illinois and Indiana, Allstate, a Lamont J. Robinson Agency and University of Chicago's CI3 in Sexual and Reproductive Health, and TPAN
Annual Community Outreach Partner: MillerCoors and Breakthru Beverage
About Equality Illinois
At Equality Illinois we envision a fair and unified Illinois where everyone is treated equally with dignity and respect and where all people live freely regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. We work hard to promote legislation to protect the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning ( LGBTQ ) individuals; maintain the visibility of LGBTQ issues; oppose legislation which seeks to limit the civil rights of the LGBTQ community; and expand statewide grassroots support.
From an
Equality Illinois press release
