Rick Garcia, a longtime Chicago LGBTQ+ activist and political organizer, died Jan. 12, close friends confirmed with Windy City Times.
Garcia was a central figure in LGBTQ+ advocacy across Chicago and Illinois for decades and is best known as the founding executive director of Equality Illinois, the statewide organization that has played a leading role in advancing LGBTQ+ civil rights legislation, including Illinois’s marriage equality law.
Before his statewide work, Garcia was deeply involved in Chicago’s municipal LGBTQ+ organizing. He was among the leaders of the Gay and Lesbian Town Meeting, a community organization formed to spearhead passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance, which the City Council approved in December 1988. The group disbanded after the ordinance passed.
Garcia moved from St. Louis to Chicago in 1986 and went on to become one of the city’s most influential behind-the-scenes political strategists, known for his blunt style, deep relationships and focus on winning concrete policy change.
This is a breaking story. Windy City Times will publish a full obituary following additional reporting and interviews.