A new 5K race in Chicago is putting transgender joy and resilience at the center of community action.
Brave Space Alliance’s Dignity Dash, set for Aug. 17, will bring runners together at the AIDS Garden Chicago, 541 N. Fairbanks Court, to honor trans lives and raise support for the South Side organization’s programs. The event was announced during Brave Space Alliance’s inaugural fundraising soirée on May 15.
“The Dignity Dash is more than a race—it’s a powerful statement of solidarity and visibility,” said Channyn Lynne Parker, CEO of Brave Space Alliance. “In a time when trans lives are under attack across the country, this event affirms our existence, celebrates our resilience and galvanizes our community to run toward liberation together.”
Participants can sign up individually or as part of a team, and they are encouraged to run in honor of a transgender person in their lives or those the community has lost. Organizers expect to raise more than $150,000 to fund Brave Space Alliance’s programs, including housing assistance, wellness services, mutual aid and more.
For Troy Taylor, the new development manager at Brave Space Alliance and the event’s lead organizers, the 5K is about building connections while challenging the limitations placed on trans people in sports and public space.
“What makes it really different is we are running with purpose, pride, remembrance and celebration of trans and gender-nonconforming individuals here in Chicago,” Taylor said.
The AIDS Garden Chicago was selected as the location for the race given its status as a “beautiful and momentous place in Chicago’s queer history,” Taylor said.
He also said the event emphasizes the importance of creating space for trans people in sports.
“We don’t really have those opportunities to be out and authentic as ourselves in the realm of sports,” Taylor said. “So this is a unique experience for anyone to come out to this 5K and run for our community and with our community.”
The event will be followed by a “Belmont Rocks Revival,” which will be a community gathering that pays homage to the former queer gathering space that existed on the same stretch of Lake Michigan’s shoreline. The post-race event will include speakers and other community activities.
“The Belmont Rocks was a historical meeting place for queer people to congregate and be out and proud,” Taylor said. “We’re bringing that back in 2025, during a time that almost parallels the need for safety and sanctity in the community that was felt back then.”
To get involved, Taylor encouraged people to register for the race and help spread the word.
“You all better start training and get your running shoes, because we’re ready to race for our community,” Taylor said.