Local LGBTQ+ leaders gathered June 27 at Washington Square Park, also known as Bughouse Square, to commemorate the 56th anniversary of the country’s first Pride march while renewing calls for permanent federal recognition of the historic site where it began.
The ceremony honored the June 27, 1970, march organized by members of the Chicago Gay Liberation Front to mark the first anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City.
Because Chicago’s march took place on a Saturday—one day before similar demonstrations in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco—it is widely recognized as the world’s first Pride march. Organizers are now working to secure a National Park Service historic marker recognizing Washington Square Park as the birthplace of the global Pride movement.
“We must not allow our history to be erased,” said Gary Chichester, one of the organizers of Chicago’s first Pride march whose name appears on the original parade permit.
Chichester said he hopes a National Park Service marker recognizing the site’s significance will be installed next year.
The 1970 march began with a rally at Washington Square Park before participants marched to the Water Tower and continued south along Michigan Avenue to what is now Daley Plaza. An estimated 150 people took part in the demonstration, laying the foundation for Pride celebrations now held around the world.
Chicago Park District Superintendent Carlos Ramirez-Rosa said Washington Square Park has long served as a gathering place for people seeking justice, from labor and civil rights organizers to LGBTQ+ activists.
“People came together to say that we are human beings deserving of those very same rights, that we are a community, that we are a family, and that we are part of the fabric of this city,” Ramirez-Rosa said. “Thanks to the people that marched half a century ago, and thanks to the people that continue to march today, our city, our state, our nation, and our world are a better place for everyone.”
Several speakers connected the campaign for a historic marker to broader concerns about preserving LGBTQ+ history amid ongoing political attacks on the community.
Robert Castillo, a longtime LGBTQ+ activist, said recognizing Washington Square Park is about ensuring future generations understand Chicago’s role in the movement.
“We refuse to let our hard-fought wins be taken away,” Castillo said. “We refuse to give up on our quest to see important sites in our fight for equality and liberation” receive the recognition they deserve.
Others who addressed the crowd included U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, Chicago Director of LGBTQ+ Affairs Antonio King, Equality Illinois CEO Channyn Lynne Parker, Center on Halsted CEO Joli Robinson, Reunion Project CEO Jeff Berry and former WGN broadcaster Dean Richards, who emceed the ceremony.
Windy City Times owner and co-founder Tracy Baim, who will serve as a community grand marshal in Sunday’s Chicago Pride Parade, closed her remarks by encouraging attendees to carry the spirit of Pride beyond the weekend’s celebrations.
“We’re going to be prideful and help at least one person, maybe a million people, understand that who they are and who they love is just okay and special,” Baim said.
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