UIC celebrates Pride Month
The Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ People celebrates Pride Month in June.
Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City on June 28, 1969. At a time when police raids on LGBTQ+ bars were common, the patrons at the Stonewall Inn and other bars fought back when the police became violent. Transgender activists like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, were at the forefront of the fight. The Stonewall Rebellion sparked national activism and is considered the catalyst for advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States.
Pride Month honors the diversity of LGBTQ+ people and provides opportunities for the community and allies to come together. Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community held its first annual Gay Liberation March on June 27, 1970. This march, which came to be known as the Pride Parade, encouraged people to fight homophobia, to come out and to raise awareness of the issues and injustices facing the community. Throughout this month and beyond, it’s important to promote equal justice and equal opportunity for LGBTQ+ people.
Some Pride events throughout the city include:
- Andersonville Midsommarfest: June 9-11.
- Chicago Pride Fest: June 17-18.
- UIC Pride Picnic: Wednesday, June 21, BSB Gazebo (Please RSVP).
- Pride in the Park: June 23-24.
- Chicago Pride Parade: June 25.
- Pride South Side: July 1.
Purchase your UIC Pride T-shirt or flag from the UIC Bookstores to show your support. Although many things have improved for LGBTQ+ people, it is important to remember that the community still faces discrimination and violence. The ACLU is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States; many include prohibiting gender-affirming health care to transgender youth. Please visit Lambda Legal or Transgender Law Center to learn more.
UIC reinforces its commitment to greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals with the following resources:
- UIC Gender and Sexuality Center.
- The GSC promotes deeply engaged and life-affirming thinking, learning and action with students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. Through programs, initiatives, events and workshops, the GSC creates a more inclusive campus and catalyzes positive social change in the world. Underlying the center’s work is an understanding of intersecting identities and the multiple layers of diversity within LGBTQIA+ identities.
- UIC Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer People.
- Established in 1991, the committee’s mission is to promote the academic, cultural, professional and social welfare of the LGBTQ+ community at the University of Illinois Chicago.
- All-gender restrooms.
- UIC Bias Reporting Tool.
- UI Health LGBTQ+ Inclusive Care.
- Navigating Allyship.
