Chicagoans raised a bisexual pride flag over Logan Square to kick off Bisexual Awareness Week.
Community members cheered and Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” played from a phone as the pink, purple and blue striped flag ascended the pole in Logan Square Park on Sept. 14.
Robert Castillo, a community activist who organized the ceremony with the Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago, reflected on the flag’s significance and the decades-long fight to include bisexual people within LGBTQ+ discussions.
“I remember going to some of the pride rallies that the Pride Parade used to have, … and every time a speaker would say ‘gay and lesbian,’ they would shout ‘and bisexual,’” Castillo recalled. “So today, … we’re saying ‘and bisexual’ loudly, proudly here in Logan Square.”
The event was a precursor to Bisexual Awareness Week, which is observed annually from Sept. 16-23 to celebrate the bisexual community’s experiences, culture and history while addressing issues like bisexual erasure and stigma.
Bisexual activist Mikey Oboza donated the flag for the ceremony, dedicating it to the late activist Ed Negron, who co-founded the Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago with him in 2010.
Negron was an army veteran and substance abuse counselor who died in 2021. He spent years serving Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community, including as a Windy City Times photographer and writer. In recognition of Negron’s contributions, the city dedicated an honorary street sign for him at Clark Street and Devon Avenue in 2022.
Oboza clutched a photo with Negron to his chest as he watched the bi flag wave in the breeze.
“We raise the flag for everybody, especially for Ed Negron,” Oboza said.
The bisexual flag was created by activist Michael Page in 1998. The pink stripe represents attraction to the same sex, the blue stripe symbolizes opposite-sex attraction and the purple stripe stands for attraction regardless of sex or gender.
After creating the bisexual flag, Page spoke with Navy veteran Monica Helms and inspired her to create the transgender pride flag.
“It’s amazing how we can confront biphobia and transphobia together and work together,” Oboza said.
Greg Newton, a board member for the Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago, said bisexual people “hide in plain sight and often get overlooked.” He said the ceremony was a step toward visibility.
“We need to make our voices heard. We need to be just as loud as everybody else,” Newton said.
This was the first time the bisexual pride flag has been raised over Logan Square, but it builds on a growing tradition in the 35th Ward of raising a Progress Pride flag every June to commemorate Pride Month.
That ceremony started in 2024 under former Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, who left office earlier this year to lead the Chicago Park District, and continued this year under new Ald. Anthony Quezada.
Quezada said the bisexual flag ceremony was about uplifting LGBTQ+ people in all areas of Chicago.
“Logan Square and the Northwest Side of Chicago—like every community—has a huge representation of our LGBTQIA+ community, and we want to take time to recognize our family members,” Quezada said.
The Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago will continue its work next month at its annual gala, which raises funds to support bisexual visibility and advocacy. The Hollywood glamor-themed party will happen Oct. 3 at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. Tickets cost $40 and are available online.