Since 2022, Downers Grove Mayor Robert Barnett has issued a Pride proclamation at the beginning of June to mark Pride Month in the village.
This year was the first time the mayor and village council received pushback from anyone regarding this proclamation. But Barnett and supporters of the proclamation did not back down.
Only a handful of people spoke out against the proclamation and called for its end at the May 5 village council meeting. Most of the meeting attendees that night were supportive of the LGBTQ+ community and the Pride Proclamation.
Commissioner Chris Gilmartin was critical of individuals who demanding that Barnett not issue the Pride Proclamation. In a subsequent statement to this publication, Gilmartin said, “This proclamation is a simple statement that our LGBTQ+ residents are part of who we are as a village. I am proud of the Mayor for issuing it, and proud of this community for standing behind it. I look forward to the day when a Pride Proclamation feels unnecessary, because LGBTQ+ people belonging in this village will be so settled it goes without saying. Until then, we need to continue to proclaim our support.”
Downers Grove Commissioners Tammy Sarver and Martin Tully also verbally criticized opponents of the proclamation at the meeting.
Barnett said at the meeting, “I can’t make anybody be nice. But I can sit here week after week and say what I think is right, and highlight the behaviors I think we should all try and embrace and all find in ourselves.”
In a public statement issued May 11 , he said, “I want to be clear that I will be proclaiming June 2026 as Pride Month in the Village of Downers Grove. I write every proclamation myself. I choose the words carefully, and I do not take the responsibility lightly … They represent my thoughts and values as mayor, expressed on behalf of the Downers Grove community.”
Before Barnett issued the Pride Proclamation at the June 2 Village Council meeting he said, “Neutrality, personal Christian beliefs, sports in school, medical questions are all beyond the scope of this body. Suggesting bad behavior or hateful rhetoric among members of a certain group in our community are somehow factors that should compel me to not issue a proclamation. They are not. None of that justifies mistreatment, disregard or diminishment of anyone because of who they are.”
Barnett added that based on the behaviors of some members of the community in recent weeks the proclamation is needed now more than ever. He also said he is not neutral regarding the Pride Proclamation.
Then Barnett read the Pride Proclamation which spoke about the “discrimination and mistreatment” of the LGBTQ+ community “that no one should ever face.”
The Proclamation further stated that the “Village of Downers Grove supports the rights of every individual to experience equality of treatment and freedom from discrimination” because it is “antithetical to the values of our Nation, our State and our Village … and values our diverse population of both residents and businesses and their guests, recognizing that in such diversity lies one of our community’s greatest strengths … as long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled for some Americans, all Americans are negatively affected … the intrinsic human dignity of each person must always be respected in word, in action and in law and in Downers Grove, we strive to build and sustain a culture of hope, love, understanding, and respect of our common humanity.”
EQuality Downers Grove Officer Jodi Harap said in a statement to this publication that her organization “was overjoyed to see the Downers Grove community rally around its LGBTQ+ residents and their families during the recent Village Council meetings, but we were not surprised. The vast majority of the community, including Mayor Barnett and the Village Council, has been overwhelmingly supportive, as evidenced by the 1077 community members who attended PrideFest this year. We are grateful to live in such an incredible community governed by leaders who prioritize kindness, acceptance, and the moral courage to stand up for what is right.”
“As a resident of Downers Grove, my wife Jenny and I are believers in people coming together to make the world a better place,” said EQDG past Chair Kathryn Deiss in a statement to this publication. “When the Downers Grove Village Mayor and Council members voiced this same sentiment when speaking about the importance of celebrating Pride in our Village, it proved to me that speaking respectfully to one another, listening and seeking to understand one another are values that are shared. I also know it meant everything to the youth I work with as a volunteer. There is not a problem in Downers Grove—there are good people here who see that seeking to unite all of us for the common good raises us above fear and assumptions.
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