Illinois’ LGBTQ+ judges association, the Alliance of Illinois Judges (AIJ) are among this year’s Chicago Pride Parade Community Grand Marshals.
AIJ was chosen alongside author, Press Forward Chicago Executive Director and Windy City Times Co-Founder/Owner Tracy Baim and longtime LGBTQ+ advocates/activists Evette Cardona and Mona Noriega
These honorees were chosen through a community nomination process and, according to the Chicago Pride Parade website, “reflect the spirit of this year’s theme, Free to Be Proud—honoring those who have paved the way while affirming the ongoing pursuit of freedom, visibility and justice for all.”
In 2009, the then 15 LGBTQ+ Judges of the Circuit Court of Cook County formed the AIJ with a focus on LGBTQ+ issues that affect the judiciary. Since then, the AIJ has expanded to include almost 200 LGBTQ+ and ally members of the judiciary, both active and retired, throughout the state. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Cecilia Horan, AIJ’s immediate past president, said “that growth reflects increasing visibility and acceptance within the judiciary and legal community.”
AIJ President and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Jill Rose Quinn (the first out trans elected official in the state of Illinois) said the organization provides a place for judges who support LGBTQ+ rights in the courtroom to gather, share ideas and network with others. She added that they also make themselves available as resource to the judiciary and the local and statewide legal community.
Quinn said the AIJ has had increased prominence with judges statewide and at their biennial educational conference they host a social event attended by hundreds of judges at all levels and from all over the state.
“On Transgender Day of Remembrance this past November, the AIJ proudly sponsored a different kind of event for the transgender community,” said Quinn. “Our event not only recognized those lost to violence and hate crimes during the previous year, but focused on what legal, health and social services were still available to that community despite cutbacks and outright hostility from the Federal Government. It was a positive step to help the community.”
Horan said the organization “creates community among judges and that sense of connection matters deeply.” She added that in some parts of Illinois there are judges who don’t personally know any LGBTQ+ people and/or don’t realize they serve members of the LGBTQ+ community. Horan said, “By being visible, collegial and engaged with other members of the judiciary, we help break down assumptions and create opportunities for genuine understanding by judges across the state.”
Additionally, Horan said the AIJ is “incredibly proud” of Quinn and her leadership because it “represents an important milestone not only for our organization, but for the judiciary and the broader legal profession.”
The AIJ has marched in Chicago’s Pride Parade for years to enhance their visibility within the LGBTQ+ community. Horan, who nominated the organization to serve as a Grand Marshal this year, said their continued participation in Chicago’s Pride Parade is one of the many ways they help foster public trust and confidence in the judiciary. She added that this helps them show that judges reflect the communities they serve as well as their roles as parents, spouses, friends, neighbors, mentors and public servants.
When they were chosen Horan said, “There was an immediate buzz of excitement throughout the organization.” She added that they have rented a trolley and many of the organization’s founders will march with them.
Quinn said, “Like the name of the event, this Grand Marshal honor fills me with pride, for living out my truth, for working hard for social change and for the great people of Chicago and Cook County. Visibility is key. If people can see me, they can be me. Visibility carries real risk, In many places, transgender people, have a target on their backs. When people see an openly transgender person serving on the bench, they know they can live their lives openly and authentically and they can thrive.”
“I’m excited and feel a sense of gratitude and humility over being chosen for this Grand Marshal honor,” said Horan. “The selection is particularly meaningful at this moment in time because judges are increasingly under attack. Judicial decisions are often viewed through political or ideological lenses rather than as the product of an independent legal system. In that environment, maintaining public trust and confidence in the judiciary becomes even more important.”
Horan added that AIJ members’ visibility and connections to the communities in which they serve garners public trust in how they do their jobs. She said this is a way for the public to see judges as “real people” with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives and helps reinforce the confidence in the courts and that they belong to everyone.
For Quinn, Free to Be Proud means to be “protected by the judiciary every day. It is the unstated, implicit and clear goal of every order we sign and every rule we issue.”
Horan said the Free to Be Proud theme “means creating a world in which people do not feel they must hide who they are in order to succeed professionally, participate in public life or be treated with dignity and respect. Many of us spent portions of our careers believing that being openly LGBTQ+ could limit opportunities or acceptance.
“Our organization’s visibility helps demonstrate that authenticity and professionalism are not in conflict. We hope that seeing openly LGBTQ+ judges serving throughout Illinois encourages others, whether in law, public service, business, education or elsewhere, to feel that they, too, belong, exactly as they are.”
As for the other Community Grand Marshals, both Quinn and Horan said they are honored to march alongside Baim, Cardona and Noriega. Quinn calls them “heroes and role models. I thank the universe that blessed us with them.” Horan said they are “legends, trailblazersand advocates whose work helped create the world we now live in. Organizations like ours would not exist without the courage and leadership of people like them. Their decades of advocacy, journalism, organizing, and public service paved the way for greater visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ+ people across Illinois and beyond.”
AIJ past president, current member and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary Cay Marubio said, “For 17 years, our organization has served the community by ensuring that LGBTQ+ individuals see their lives reflected and respected on the bench. True judicial independence relies on having jurists who are free to uphold fairness and equity under the law without fear or favor.”
“What I appreciate most about the Alliance is its commitment to inclusivity and belonging,” said AIJ Board Director and Cook County Circuit Court Judge Ankur Srivastava. “Even though I do not personally identify as LGBTQ+, I am grateful for the opportunity to stand in solidarity with my friends and colleagues in support of equality, dignity and justice for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Being selected as a Grand Marshal for this year’s Pride Parade is especially meaningful to our membership because it commemorates the notion that we are a nation governed by the rule of law. Even during challenging and uncertain times, our courts have consistently upheld the fundamental principle that every person is entitled to equal justice. Pride is, in many ways, a celebration of the progress that has been made toward that promise—as well as a recognition of the work that remains to be done.”
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