The Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ People (CCSLGBTQP) 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 our 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 raise awareness of the issues and injustices facing the community. Throughout this month and beyond, we should all work to promote equal justice and equal opportunity for all LGBTQ+ people.
In collaboration with the Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ People and the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC), this year’s pride picnic will be held on Tuesday, June 11 from 12pm – 2pm at the Behavioral Science Building (BSB) gazebo. We will also be celebrating our graduates during the picnic this year. This is a new change to the annual picnic as the Lavendar Graduation has evolved to be a more accessible, sustainable and intimate experience. Please also check out the 2024 Lavender Graduation Keynote Address via the GSC’s YouTube and be sure to like and subscribe.
Some Pride events throughout the city include:
- Andersonville Midsommarfest: June 7 – 9
- UIC Pride Picnic: June 11 from 12pm – 2pm, Behavioral Sciences Building (BSB) Gazebo
- IMD Pride Committee: Out at the Office: A Panel Discussion, June 12 from 11:30am – 1pm, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center [Register Here]
- Chicago Pride Fest: June 22 – 23
- The 5th Symposium for LGBTQ Studies & Music Education, UIC School of Theatre and Music, June 24 – 26
- Chicago Pride Parade: June 30
- Pride South Side: July 6
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 over 500 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States. Many include prohibiting gender-affirming healthcare to transgender youth. Please visit Lambda Legal or Transgender Law Center to learn more.
The CCSLGBTQP encourages all UIC community members to learn more about LGBTQ+ persons. We reinforce our commitment to greater inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals at UIC with the following resources:
- UIC Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC)
- 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 Chancellor’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ People’s mission is to promote the academic, cultural, professional and social welfare of the LGBTQ+ community at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
- All-Gender Restrooms
- UIC Bias Reporting Tool: Bias Reporting & Prevention
- UI Health LGBTQ+ Inclusive Care
- For Allies: Navigating Allyship