Alderman and City Council LGBTQ+ Caucus Chair Lamont Robinson (4th Ward) got the chance of a lifetime this past May when he was invited by Mayor Brandon Johnson to be among the 46-member delegation to travel to the Vatican for an audience with Pope Leo XIV.
The meeting took place on May 28. Robinson was the only out LGBTQ+ person in the delegation.
Before Robinson made his decision he called his spiritual advisor, Pastor Charles Straight (a Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee) who told him he could not pass up this “once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Robinson said he is grateful that he listened to Straight’s advice. Among the delegation representing Chicago were Johnson, Alds. Jason Ervin (28th Ward) and Julia Ramirez (12th), City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin and various faith, labor and business leaders.
“As someone who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, attended Catholic elementary and high school and has proudly lived my life as an openly gay Black man, standing face to face with the first American Pope, who also calls Chicago home, was deeply emotional,” said Robinson. “I kept thinking about how our lives had crossed similar streets in Chicago, how those neighborhoods shaped both of us and how those experiences influence our commitment to serving others.
“I got the chance to thank Pope Leo for acknowledging the LGBTQ+ community, tell him how grateful I was that he understands the issues that are affecting the area I represent in the South Side of Chicago, that I was a Catholic school kid who went to Saint Dorothy’s and Mt. Carmel, which he recognized, and asked him to pray over me which he did. Pope Leo told me to ‘keep being a blessing to the City of Chicago,’ and those words became something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Robinson recalled an overwhelming sense of gratitude as he made the trip back to Chicago.
“Experiences like that remind you that leadership is never just about you,” he said. “Every opportunity carries the hopes of the people and communities that helped you get there. It renewed my commitment to serve with humility.”
Robinson is baptized in the African Episcopal tradition and said that the Catholic tradition and the Black church share values like compassion, dignity, justice and service. He added that his experiences with these two branches of the Christian faith “have played an important role in shaping my life … and those values guide my work every day as a public servant.”
Robinson’s desire to serve others began in the Chatham neighborhood where he was born and raised. “It was a neighborhood where Black excellence wasn’t the exception, it was the expectation,” he said.
When Robinson attended Clark Atlanta University, he found the “space to grow into the person I was meant to be.” He added that even though his Chatham community gave him confidence, resilience and pride, he still felt he had to hide his gay identity.
“By my sophomore year, I knew I was ready to live authentically, and I came out to my mother,” said Robinson. “Her love never changed. That moment taught me that authenticity isn’t something you arrive at overnight. It’s something you choose every day. From that point forward, I committed myself to living honestly and leading with integrity.”
In 2017, Robinson decided that the most effective way to give back was as a public servant so he sought out the Democratic nomination for Illinois House of Representatives 5th District. He ran unopposed in the following year’s general election and became the first out LGBTQ+ Black person elected to the Illinois state legislature.
“Whenever you’re first, you’re breaking barriers that weren’t designed to be broken. You’re opening doors while also carrying the weight of expectations, criticism and sometimes misunderstanding. There are moments when it feels lonely. But if you stay focused on why you’re there, it becomes incredibly rewarding.”
Robinson took office as an alderperson in May 2023 and is one of nine out LGBTQ+ members on the Chicago City Council. The Windy City has the largest out LGBTQ+ municipal legislative caucus in the United States. Robinson was voted as chair in Nov. 2024 and calls it “one of my greatest privileges.”
“Representation matters,” he said. “When young people see someone who looks like them serving in leadership, it reminds them that there is a place for them in public service and that they don’t have to choose between who they are and what they can accomplish.”
This year’s Pride Month was a call to action as well as a celebration and remembrance, given recent hostilities toward the LGBTQ+ community, Robinson said.
“History reminds us that progress has never been permanent,” he explained. “It has always required people willing to stand up, organize and lead. That’s why I’m hopeful. Every generation has been asked to defend equality in its own way. This is our generation’s moment. We cannot become discouraged. We have to continue building coalitions, protecting vulnerable communities and reminding people that equality is not a special privilege. It’s a fundamental human right.”
