Despite the summer heat, a small crowd of about 20 gathered to raise the Progress Pride Flag in Logan Square June 17.
Hosted by Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th Ward), the short program consisted of speeches from the alderman, Cook County Commissioner Anthony Quezeda and activist Robert Castillo, followed by the raising of the flag. Ramirez-Rosa said that, to his team’s knowledge, this was the first time the progress flag has been raised there.
Addressing the group, Ramirez-Rosa, an openly gay Latino, emphasized how Pride celebrations highlight more than just joy, but also queer resistance in the face of hate.
“We celebrate our pride, we celebrate our resistance, we celebrate our survival,” he said.
Organizer and Logan Square native Castillo spoke further about the importance of uplifting the community right now, especially trans youth navigating high school amid current backlash.
Castillo also talked about his own experience facing homophobia throughout his life in Chicago—he and his late partner, John Pennycuff, had rainbow flags burned, windows broken and even death threats sent to them. Despite the progress toward LGBTQ+ equality, he said, the community is still under attack today.
“It’s Pride month, but a lot of people have sacrificed and lost lives to get where we are,” he said.
To remember those lost, Castillo read from a short list of names of Chicago queer activists who’ve passed on. Some were former friends and organizing partners of Castillo, which allowed him to share some anecdotes about their lives.
Despite legislative pushback against the LGBTQ community, Castillo said the message he wanted to leave folks with was “You can’t ban queer joy”—a quote he was recently inspired by from a poster in the neighborhood.
The Logan Square park is especially meaningful to Quezeda, a gay Latino, who used to spend time there having picnics and hanging out, since parts of his family weren’t accepting of his queer identity.
Quezeda also spoke about the rise of fascist ideals with growing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment in the United States. He said the greatest antidote to these issues is the unity of the LGBTQ+ community and the power of individuals coming together to continue the fight for equality.
Putting up the Progress Pride Flag will hopefully serve as a message that queer youth today are all welcome in the neighborhood, he said.
“As we raise this flag today, I think about all the queer youth today, all the trans youth who may not find that safe space right now,” Quezeda said. “We can create that safe space in our public spaces.”