Starr De Los Santos is stepping into leadership of Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council with the goal of strengthening the body’s connections with the community.
De Los Santos was appointed chair after outgoing chair Jin-Soo Huh stepped down in February. Her rise to leadership coincides with six new members joining the council and Antonio King recently taking office as Chicago’s first director of LGBTQ+ affairs.
As chair of the advisory council, De Los Santos plans to make the body more accessible to LGBTQ+ people by bringing its members out into the communities they represent. Part of that effort includes hosting its quarterly meetings outside of City Hall and in LGBTQ+ gathering spaces across the city.
The next meeting, set for Sept. 16, will be hosted at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St.
“This is really a reset for the council,” De Los Santos told Windy City Times.
De Los Santos is the associate director of coalitions at Women Employed, where she organizes people around equitable pay, paid leave and other workers’ rights. She’s also a member of the Illinois Women’s Institute for Leadership Training Academy’s 2026 class and completed the Victory Institute’s training for LGBTQ+ leaders last year.
In March, De Los Santos co-emceed Chicago’s latest No Kings rally alongside Huh.
De Los Santos is now beginning her second term on the advisory council after previously serving three years, including one as secretary.
One of her biggest priorities as chair is raising the council’s visibility by attending community events, collaborating with LGBTQ+ organizations and highlighting the council’s members and their work.
“I want people to know who we are and that we are a resource to the city of Chicago,” De Los Santos said.
The six new members were selected by a subcommittee that reviewed applications and considered gaps in existing representation, De Los Santos said. That included diversity in race and ethnicity, gender, LGBTQ+ identity and area of work.
“We were very intentional to really analyze the voices that we were missing from certain communities,” De Los Santos said.
More than 90 people applied to join the council, so members are exploring ways for those who weren’t appointed to still plug into its work by joining subcommittees, volunteering or participating in other projects, De Los Santos said.
The current iteration of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Council was established in 2020 to review and recommend policies while serving as a liaison between the city and queer communities. Similar councils have existed throughout Chicago’s history, beginning in 1985 when Mayor Harold Washington created the first Committee on Gay and Lesbian Issues.
Now, with a director of LGBTQ+ affairs working within the mayor’s office, the council has a dedicated point person within city government.
King said he views himself as a resource to the LGBTQ+ Advisory Council, using his director role to connect members with city departments, community organizations and other resources needed for their work.
Recommendations from the advisory body will also inform one of King’s first tasks as director: developing the city’s LGBTQ+ policy plan.
“It’s very important that the council not only advise but see the results of their advice coming to fruition through the mayor’s office and through myself,” King said.
He noted that the advisory council itself pushed for Mayor Brandon Johnson to establish a director of LGBTQ+ affairs.
“Their advice not only informs my work; their advice got this position created,” King said.