Several thousand turn out for Chicago Dyke March

Several thousand turned out for the annual Chicago Dyke March, June 27. As is tradition, motorcycle riders kicked off the march, which started this year at the corner of Western and Division and headed west into Humboldt Park.

Under beautiful skies, some marchers celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court marriage decision while most focused on a range of social justice issues. Protest signs and chants addressed immigration reform, police targeting of transgender people, educational access, and prison reform. Some African Americans held signs to specifically remember the names of women killed in police shootings.

Unlike Chicago’s much larger Pride Parade, the Dyke March, organized by the Chicago Dyke March Collective, is not focused on corporate participation and is instead about grassroots activists. This year’s event was the largest in several years, lasting several blocks, and included the wide diversity of the LGBT community.

The collective calls itself “a grassroots mobilization and celebration of dyke, queer, bisexual, and transgender resilience.”

The Dyke March started in 1996 when members of the Lesbian Avengers brought the first Dyke March to Chicago. It was held in Lakeview, without any corporate sponsorship, to build dyke visibility and reclaim the word dyke.

More photo and editorial coverage to come.

Visit chicagodykemarch.wordpress.com/.

Photos by Tracy Baim

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ideoseries

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