Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Million+ turn out for Chicago's Pride Parade
Video links below
2014-06-29

This article shared 496 times since Sun Jun 29, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

      More Photos


Marriage, youth and religion were but a few of the themes that were present in Chicago's 45th annual Pride Parade June 29.

According to Chicago Police, more than a million people attended and marched in the parade, which extended from Uptown, through Lakeview and ended in Lincoln Park at Diversey. Openly gay athlete and music artist Will Sheridan served as Grand Marshal.

Parade organizer Richard Pfeiffer said that the event transpired with few hitches. "We didn't see anything major. It was a celebratory day, seeing so many couples together in the parade, holding hands."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel led the parade, high-fiving the crowd along the way. Governor Pat Quinn did the same shortly after.

Numerous local politicians had entries. Legislators who played prominent roles in the fight for marriage equality in the state took part, among them state Reps. Greg Harris and Kelly Cassidy and State Sens. Heather Steans and John Cullerton. State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, draped in a Pride flag and "No Bruce Rauner" t-shirt, tossed beads to the crowd. County Clerk David Orr escorted David Wilk and Charlie Gurion, who were the first couple to wed in the Clerk's Office after a federal judge said that same-sex marriages could begin in Cook County last February.

Other politicians taking part included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle; U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Ald. Deb Mell, who marched with him; U.S. Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Mike Quigley; Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka; state Attorney General Lisa Madigan; Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (who is running for Comptroller); Sen. Mike Frerichs (who is running for state treasurer); there was a contingent for Rep. Tom Cross, who is also running for treasurer; Sheriff Tom Dart; City Clerk Susana Mendoza (as well as her opponent in the upcoming election, activist Marc Loveless); and Alds. Tom Tunney, James Cappleman, Scott Waguespack, Bob Fioretti, Joe Moore, Danny Solis and Roberto Maldanado. State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's office also had a large float. Debra Shore, openly lesbian commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, rode in a float with other district representatives.

Young people played an important part in this year's parade, as students and staff from Nettelhorst Elementary School marched close to the front of the parade. They walked around a buggy inscribed with, "Love as 'easy as ABC,'" and were followed by students from Chicago Waldorf School. The PFLAG contingent was strong and well supported with chants and cheers.

Crowds also warmly welcomed contingents of LGBT veterans; when members of American Veterans for Equal Rights passed by, carrying a large American flag, onlookers began to chant, "U.S.A."

Dozen of local churches and religious organizations took part as well. Some were just represented by a few members carrying placards; others had marching contingents or elaborate floats. Among those represented were Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, Temple Sholom, Dignity/Chicago, Congregation Or Chadash, Saint Clement Church, Achurch4me Metropolitan Community Church and Bethany United Church of Christ.

The plentiful number of churches stood in powerful contrast to the number of anti-gay protestors, of which there were about ten. They stood in their usual spot at Diversey Parkway and Pine Grove Avenue, surrounded by police and counter-protestors. Their placards this year contained not only anti-gay slogans, but slogans praising female subservience as well.

Many LGBT and friendly sports teams also took part, including the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bulls, plus roller derby women's teams, Chicago Gay Hockey Association, the Dragons gay rugby team, Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, and the Athletic Alliance of Chicago (their float broke down at the start).

There were lots of "dykes on bikes," with two continents, one from Dykes on Bikes, the other Organized Chaos. The bars were represented as well, including from Sidetrack, Roscoe's, Baton Show Lounge, and the new Phoenix nightclub.

Corporate America continued to enthusiastically partake in the Pride festivities. Among the companies represented were Sears, which celebrated gay weddings; BP, whose representatives wore colorful, Carnival-style balloons; Google, who clothed its Android mascots in wedding garb; American Airlines, represented once again by its miniature airliner; and Orbitz with a large balloon. Among the TV stations represented were WGN, whose iconic character, Bozo the Clown, was front and center on its float, and weatherman Tom Skilling was enthusiastically on board.

Among local and national organizations also taking part were Gay Liberation Network, Asians and Friends, Chicago Prime Timers, Gerber/Hart Library, Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, Equality Illinois, The Civil Rights Agenda, and Chicago Gay Men's Chorus. Lambda Legal and the ACLU, which both played critical roles in the marriage fight, had strong contingents, with Lambda featuring many of the couples who sued for the right to marry. There was also a unity float and contingent featuring several groups, among them Center on Halsted, Affinity and Test Positive Aware Network.

Members of Lakeside Pride Freedom Marching Band wore bright t-shirts reminding onlookers that they need new uniforms—the band is currently trying to raise $25,000 to get members new uniforms.

Police issued a statement that "there were only a handful of issues, including eight arrests, one of which was for criminal damage to a police vehicle." Video footage of that vandalism, which took place at the corner of Halsted and Aldine streets, was posted online.

Despite the police's low arrest figures, sirens and emergency vehicles were frequently seen and heard throughout the parade. Pfeiffer said most of the medical cases were heat-related. At one point, Chicago Fire Department officials were letting overheated marchers cool off in a fire hydrant that had been opened at Surf Street and Broadway.

Montrose Beach was closed in the early evening after two women were shot nearby, according to Chicago Sun-Times. The area has been for many years the location of the Montrose Rocks post-parade celebration, which had—officially, at least—been cancelled this year. Nevertheless, thousands of people gathered there anyway once the parade began to wind down.

Chicago Sun-Times reported that the shooting happened at about 6:04 p.m. in the 4500 block of North Simonds Drive, and that the women were taken to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Chicago Pride's post on the Aldine vandalism is at: chicago.gopride.com/news/article.cfm/articleid/59210721 .

Chicago Sun-Times' article is at: bit.ly/1nX3vkR .

Main gallery of additional photos, by Kat Fitgerald, at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .

More photos by Tracy Baim at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .

Even more photos by Matt Simonette at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .

Videos by Tracy Baim/Windy City Times:

1. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 1 www.youtube.com/watch .

2. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 2 www.youtube.com/watch .

3. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 3 www.youtube.com/watch .

4. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 4 www.youtube.com/watch .

5. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 5 www.youtube.com/watch .

6. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 6 www.youtube.com/watch .

7. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 7 www.youtube.com/watch .

8. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 8 www.youtube.com/watch .

9. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 9 www.youtube.com/watch .

10. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 10 www.youtube.com/watch .

11. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 11 www.youtube.com/watch .

12. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 12 www.youtube.com/watch .

13. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 13 www.youtube.com/watch .

14. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 14 www.youtube.com/watch .

15. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 15 www.youtube.com/watch .

16. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 16 www.youtube.com/watch .

17. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 17 www.youtube.com/watch .

18. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 18 www.youtube.com/watch .

19. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 19 www.youtube.com/watch .

20. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 20 www.youtube.com/watch .

21. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 21 www.youtube.com/watch .

22. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 22 www.youtube.com/watch .

23. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 23 www.youtube.com/watch .

24. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 24 www.youtube.com/watch .

25. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 25 www.youtube.com/watch .

26. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 26 www.youtube.com/watch .

27. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 27 www.youtube.com/watch .

28. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 28 www.youtube.com/watch .

29. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 29 www.youtube.com/watch .

30. Windy City Times 2014 Pride Parade Part 30 www.youtube.com/watch .



1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.


This article shared 496 times since Sun Jun 29, 2014
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees 2024-03-07
- Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted to host trans youth & family summit 2024-02-19
- Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., has announced that its Trans Youth & Family Summit 2024 will take place March 16. This year marks the sixth annual event, which partners between Youth Services' Pride Youth ...


Gay News

Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret Valentine's Day Feb. 17 2024-02-16
--From a press release - Lakeside Pride Wilde Cabaret puts their own spin on Valentine's Day with a show celebrating things done and sacrificed for love - not just romantic love, but love for pets, friends, family and art. Join the ...


Gay News

GLAAD, NFL host third annual pre-Super Bowl event 'A Night of Pride' 2024-02-08
- On Feb. 7, LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD, along with The National Football League (NFL), hosted the third annual "A Night of Pride" at Caesar's Palace in Super Bowl LVIII's host city of Las Vegas, a press ...


Gay News

Chicago Fire FC announces 2024 theme nights; Pride Night will be June 1 2024-01-19
--From a press release - CHICAGO (Jan. 18, 2024) — Chicago Fire FC announced the club's theme nights for select home matches during the 2024 regular season, driven by Carvana. The Club's 2024 calendar features 11 theme nights, including the return ...


Gay News

WORLD Austria proposal, conferences, Pride marches, tennis player, Gay Games 2023-11-03
- In Austria, a historic proposal by the country's Ministry of Justice sees 33 million euros (approximately $35 million U.S.) set aside to compensate those who were persecuted or convicted of consensual same-sex acts—although critics say th ...


Gay News

NHL reverses decision to ban Pride Tape, allowing players to show support for LGBTQ+s 2023-10-24
--From a press release - (New York, NY - October 24, 2023) Today the National Hockey League (NHL) reversed its decision to ban Pride Tape and other displays of support for LGBTQ people on the ice, stating: "After consultation with the ...


Gay News

THEATER Company of 'Wolves': Redtwist's Dusty Brown on gay Riding Hood retelling, Grindr, gender identity 2023-10-16
- It's all about Pride in 2023-24 at Redtwist Theatre. The 19th season for this North Side black-box theater includes three very different productions, starting with Wolves, called a "gory, gay reimagining of 'Little Red Riding Hood.'" ...


Gay News

NHL bans Pride Tape from hockey games and practices 2023-10-11
- The National Hockey League (NHL) has designated that athletes will no longer be able to show support to the LGBTQ+ community while playing, according to Out, which cited Outsports. The league has issued a ban of ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH George Harris reflects on his late husband and Dallas activism 2023-10-10
- Special to Windy City Times. To mark Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of Dallas Voice and the LGBT History Project. When George Harris and Jack Evans became the first couple to legally marry in ...


Gay News

Illinois colleges make list of most unsafe places for LGBTQ+ youth 2023-10-05
- Campus Pride has released its list of the worst places for LGBTQ+ youth—and several Illinois colleges and universities are on it. According to a press release, "the Worst List identifies the 'absolute worst, most unsafe campuses ...


Gay News

GAY HISTORY MONTH Putting an end to the myths of Stonewall 2023-10-02
- Special to Windy City Times. In recognition of Gay History Month, this article appears courtesy of the LGBT History Project and Philadelphia Gay News. For years, people have debated what actually happened that night in June ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ 'Sex Education' star, Rotten Tomatoes, Jessica Lange, Queer/Art 2023-09-08
Video below - Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa officially came out during an interview with Elle UK, according to Out. "I remember being at Manchester Pride, going through the streets with all my boys, shaking my cha-chas, living it ...


Gay News

Brave Space Alliance holds Post Pride Mixer 2023-08-30
- On Aug. 27, Brave Space Alliance held its Post Pride Mixer at popular lesbian-owned bar Nobody's Darling. The social gathering celebrated past accomplishments while looking forward to new horizons for both the service organization and the ...


Gay News

UIC among nation's top 30 campuses for LGBTQ+ students 2023-08-25
--From a press release - The University of Illinois Chicago has been named one of the top 30 colleges and universities for LGBTQ+ students, according to Campus Pride, a national organization serving LGBTQ+ and ally student leaders and campus organizations in ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.