NOW Awards to Deborah Mell and Hedy Ratner

Ald. Dick Mell is pictured here with his openly lesbian daughter, Deborah Mell, at the Chicago NOW annual Women Who Dared event, where the younger Mell received an award for her activism work on same-sex marriage. Longtime women’s business advocate Hedy Ratner was also honored.

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Chicago NOW hosted its annual fundraiser, Women Who Dared, Sept. 30. This year’s honorees for their outstanding contributions to the feminist movement were Hedy Ratner, a long-time women’s business advocate, and Deborah Mell, openly lesbian activist. Mell was arrested earlier this year in protests for same-sex marriage rights. She is the daughter of Ald. Dick Mell and sister-in-law to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Despite their differences on the marriage issue, the governor and his family attended the event. Mell’s dad does back same-sex marriage. See www.chicagonow.org.

Pictured Deborah Mell and Hedy Ratner; Ald. Dick Mell, Deborah Mell, Ald. Tom Tunney and state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz;Gov. Rod Blagojevich and his wife, Patricia, with their two daughters, Amy, and Anne, the newest addition to the family, born April 5, 2003;The governor with Rep. Sara Feigenholtz. Photos by Mel Ferrand