On the evening of April 30, a full room of LGBTQ+ activists, allies and supporters, among them Mayor Brandon Johnson, welcomed Antonio King as the first and only Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs in the nation.
A number of Chicago queer activists attended the relatively low-key event, which took place at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St. King, who was appointed in the specifically created position about three months ago, said he was somewhat embarrassed by all the attention and insisted on keeping the evening light.
A well-known figure in queer spaces and events, King was the longtime LGBTQ+ Health and Outreach Liaison at the Chicago Department of Public Health, where his work often went beyond healthcare into housing, safety and quality-of-life issues affecting LGBTQ+ residents.
The new position puts King inside the mayor’s office, giving LGBTQ+ policy and co-ordination a permanent executive-level presence in City Hall. King has said that he plans to utilize resources from multiple city departments, with a focus on queer youth and the elderly.
Johnson cracked the room up when he said, “If I had any doubt if I was in the gayest crowd in the city of Chicago, Antonio’s wardrobe put that to rest.”
When King finally got to the podium, he spoke about his mother’s excitement at his new position. She told her sisters, “Girl, they’re paying Antonio to be gay!”
The host committee for the event included Rev. Don Abram; Zahara Bassett; Kim L. Hunt; Roderick K. Hawkins; Jim Harvey; Shelton Watson; Dr. Maya Green, MD; Pastor Charles Straight; David Dodd; Anna DeShawn; Alden Bell; Dr. Keith R. Green, MD; Joli Robinson; Channyn Lynn-Parker; Mary Morton; Phyllis Johnson; Willie Lewis; Ken Beach; Dr. Travis Gayles, MD; Adam L. McMath; and several others.
Photos by Vern Hester
