The Progress Pride Flag was raised over Downtown Chicago as city and county officials kicked off Pride Month.
Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to that board, hosted the fourth annual Pride Flag raising on June 3 in Daley Plaza. He was joined by Mayor Brandon Johnson, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and a handful of LGBTQ+ elected officials.
“Pride started not only as a celebration but as a protest against those who would deny us our right to be our authentic selves and love who we love,” Morrison said. “While we’ve made many strides, we must acknowledge that there are individuals around this country that are focused on repressing the LGBTQ+ community and putting us back in the closet.”
The officials used the Progress Pride Flag, which is a variation of the rainbow-striped flag that includes the pink-and-blue trans flag colors and black and brown stripes representing people of color.
Johnson said the flag-raising was symbolic of the city and county’s shared commitment to ensuring Chicago is a safe and welcoming place for all LGBTQ+ people. The city has ordered a separate Chicago-themed Pride Flag that it will raise later this month, he said.
“By raising the flags together today, downtown and at the very heart of our city, we are reaffirming this as a palace where all people are free to live how they wish, to love who they want and to be themselves in the most authentic voice,” Johnson said.
Preckwinkle took the moment to reflect on the LGBTQ+ community’s deep history in Chicago, including the 1981 founding of Howard Brown Health, the creation of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 1991 and the city’s role in pushing for marriage equality that was won for the state in 2013.
The flag “stands as a testament to the relentless advocacy here in Chicago and Cook County,” Preckwinkle said.
“I see a direct line from that historic advocacy to today’s efforts,” Preckwinkle said. “Our home has long been a haven for the LGBtQ+ communities, [and] it has taken decades and numerous passionate leaders to reach our current standing.”
Other LGBTQ+ leaders present for the flag-raising ceremony included Cook County commissioners Anthony Quezada and Maggie Trevor; Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Samantha Steele; and Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th Ward).