LGBT Hall of Fame’s 2024 honorees welcomed at induction celebration

The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame held its 33rd induction ceremony Oct. 1 at the Chicago History Museum,1601 N. Clark St. 

The class of 2024 was one of the largest yet, with 19 individuals, two organizations, and one friend of the community honored.

This year’s edition was also a varied one, with homegrown LGBT celebrities, media personalities, a minister and one former Chicago mayor included. The Hall of Fame also recognized the late Gloria “Mama” Allen and Demetrius “Dem” Hopkins while acknowledging the passing of Hall of Famers Chilli Pepper, Clarence M. Wood, Judge Patricia Logue and Ald. Mary Ann Smith.

The standing room only crowd was joined by Mayor Brandon Johnson during the reception, but not the ceremony. Musicians from Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles performed at the reception.

At the start of the awards ceremony, state Rep. Kelly Cassidy spoke glowingly of friends Chilli Pepper and Vernita Gray, then apologized for having to duck out to attend a party to watch the vice-presidential debates. 

Hall of Fame co-chair Tarrina Dikes then introduced presenter Kenn Gunn, the first deputy commissioner of the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. Hall of Fame Board Emeritus Gary Chichester, Anna DeShawn, Avery Young, Zahara Bassett, Pat McCombs, and Kathy Munzer also presented awards. 

The 2024 Inductees to the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame included:

Former Chicago Tribune classical music critic John Von Rhein, who was recognized for his role in establishing the city as a world-class cultural center through his columns and national and international writing, and his involvement with Rainbow Railroad.

Rev. Charles Straight, senior paster of the Faith United Methodist Church, for his persistent dedication to helping marginalized and underprivileged people in his over 35 years of service in the Christian ministry. Straight is a founding member of the first HIV ministry in a Black church in Chicago and is the president of The People’s Lobby Education Institute.

La Tony Alvarado Rivera, the executive director of the Chicago Freedom School, a nonprofit organization which equips young people and adult allies with tools for actionable change. As an 18-year-old high school senior, Rivera helped form the Coalition for Sexual Orientation, which is now known as the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance.

W. Robert Schultz III, who is the campaign manager for the Active Transportation Alliance and has been an active member in numerous LGBTQ+ community organizations, including the Lakeside Pride Musical Ensembles and Windy City Media Group. Schultz has also been affiliated with Northside Action for Justice, Illinois Institute for Public Health and Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago.

John Peller, president and CEO of AIDS Foundation of Chicago, is a leader across healthcare, policy, philanthropy, harm reduction and housing sectors. Under his leadership, AFC serves more than 8,000 individuals each year, including help with housing nearly 2,000 people.

Channyn Lynn Parker, the CEO of Brave Space Alliance, the first Black-led trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago’s South Side. She is also a dedicated leader and advocate within Chicago’s LGBTQ+ community. Parker is also recognized for a career in advocacy with landmark achievements at the Cook County Department of Corrections, as well as leading programs at the Broadway Youth Center, Howard Brown Heath and Chicago House.

Ken Mejia-Beal, for his dedication and advocacy in the Black LGBTQ+ community and his service on the Advisory Council at Equality Illinois and the board of directors for Youth Outlook. He also founded SNATCHED Radio, a podcast dedicated to informing listeners about the latest in policy, politics and current affairs within the LGBTQ+ Black and Brown communities.

Kenneth Martin-Ocasio, for his dedication to advancing the professional, social, economic and educational opportunities for marginalized individuals, particularly in the Latinx and LGBTQ+ communities. His advocacy includes his service as president of the DuPage Hispanic Task Force, co-chair of the Latino Consortium and as a longstanding board member of the Association of Latinos/as/xs Motivating Action (ALMA).

Daniel S. Berger, MD, for his lifetime work in health/medicine, civic involvement and leadership in the arts. Berger is the founder of Northstar Medical Center and has been a leader in HIV treatment research and a key contributor to the development of antiretroviral drug therapies for the past 30 years.

Bonsai Bermudez, as co-founder and executive artistic director of the Youth Empowerment Performance Project (YEPP), a program centering LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness. YEPP allows them to explore their history, investigate new ways to address their challenges and celebrate their strengths.

Amalia Black, an outspoken advocate for transgender rights. During her important tenure at Howard Brown Health, she served as both PrEP Navigator and volunteer and community engagement specialist.

Daniel L. Dever, for his lifetime commitment in the LGBTQ+ community, including his role as former director of development at Howard Brown Heath and service on the planning committee for the AIDS Run & Walk. Dever became the director of development at Children’s Place Association, a Chicago nonprofit that opened a home for young children living with HIV/AIDS.

John “Miss Foozie” Foos, a noted fundraiser and entertainer who has been a welcoming fixture in the LGBTQ+ community since 1997. Miss Foozie has been performing and emceeing at hundreds of area events, and has helped raise money for such charities as the American Red Cross, the Lupus Foundation and the Dos Espiritus Latinos HIV/AIDS program.

Timothy K. Frye, as the longtime co-coordinator of the Chicago Pride Parade with his late husband and LGBT Hall of Fame inductee Richard Pfeiffer. Following Pfeiffer’s death in 2019 and a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic, Frye restarted the Pride Parade tradition in 2022 as lead coordinator of Chicago Pride.

The late Demetrius “Dem” Hopkins, who was a staunch advocate for people experiencing homelessness and an important figure in the local bar and punk rock scene. Hopkins is remembered for opening the nightclub Oz, one of the first bars in Chicago to give punk and new wave musicians a place to perform in the city. After closing the club, he enrolled in law school at the University of Illinois at Chicago and interned for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (now the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness) doing pro bono legal work for people living with HIV/AIDS. Hopkins served on the board of directors of the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, partnering with Riot Fest in raising over $300,000. Hopkins’ award was accepted by Michael Nemeche.

Antonio King, for his advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community in his capacity as the LGBTQ+ health and outreach liaison at the Chicago Department of Public Health. His impact includes an extensive involvement in community organizations include service as a founding member of the Chicago Black Men’s Gay Caucus and program director at Howard Brown Health.

Gloria “Mama” Allen, inducted posthumously, was a trailblazing advocate and founder for her nationally acclaimed “Charm School” at the Center on Halsted. The school served young unhoused transgender people in their teens and early twenties, and offered lessons on table manners, dating and etiquette, safe sex, dealing with substance abuse, healthy relationships and job interview comportment. Her school inspired a play by Philip Dawkins, Charm, which premiered at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and ran Off-Broadway in 2017. Allen was also the subject of a documentary, Mama Gloria, which premiered at the 2020 Chicago International Film Festival.

Sean Lewis, Chicago’s first out gay news anchor and a high-profile broadcast journalist, has covered important issues for the entire city for WGN-TV. His advocacy in the newsroom led to WGN-TV’s Pride: Stories of Chicago’s Very Own, while his advocacy outside of the newsroom has supported organizations like Chicago House, Equality Illinois, The Legacy Project, Test Positive Aware Network and Brave Space Alliance.

Lori Lightfoot, mayor of Chicago from 2019-2023, is the first out LGBTQ+ mayor in the city’s history and the first out lesbian Black woman to serve as mayor of a major American city. Before Lightfoot became mayor, she helped write the first Cook County Human Rights Ordinance as a pro bono project at the law firm of Mayer Brown and Platt. She was also an early supporter of Lambda Legal’s Midwest office and the Victory Fund.

The two organizations honored the LGBT Hall of Fame for 2024 were:

STUD4LIFE, a grassroots non-profit organization committed to mentoring and supporting underserved juveniles, particularly those from the LGBTQ+ community of the South Side of Chicago. Their efforts include protest organization, security and community events, all driven by a mission of inclusivity, justice, and service.

WACT (Women of all Cultures/Colors Together), a social organization created in 1993 by four women of different cultures, which has provided a welcoming space where women who love women of all backgrounds can connect, share and support one another.

The Friend of the Community Award went to Sol Flores, a distinguished community leader and social activist with a rich history of public service. As the founding executive director of La Casa Norte, she and her organization have helped thousands of young people and families emerge from homelessness.

See www.chicagolgbthalloffame.org.