All Rise was the theme of this year’s annual Lambda Legal Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration May 15 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The Bon Foster Civil Rights Celebration was named after the late gay Chicago attorney, civil rights activist, and LAGBAC principal founder Robert Bonvoulier “Bon” Foster who died in 1991 due to complications from his AIDS diagnosis. Foster donated a large sum of money to Lambda Legal to specifically open a regional office in Chicago.
Chicago-born social entrepreneur, community organizer, E3 Radio founder Queer News Podcast host Anna DeShawn served as the event emcee.
“For five decades, Lambda Legal has fought fearlessly for love and freedom in the face of hate and discrimination,” said DeShawn. “Through impact litigation, policy reforms and public education, Lambda Legal has relentlessly pursued legal and lived equality for LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV. The current administration poses a serious crisis to this fight. Lambda Legal is fighting the battles to get us to that freedom.”
Former Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Director and newly appointed Chief Legal Officer Douglas Curtis said the “work I’m privileged to lead nationally was in a major way built here in the Midwest, and I’m very, very proud to be part of that.”
Curtis spoke about the “visionary” Bon Foster and the legacy he left. He added that the Midwest office has expanded over the past few years with three new attorney positions.
“We rise because the court is in session,” said Curtis. “We rise because the moment demands it.”
Lambda Legal Deputy Legal Director for Litigation Camilla Taylor announced a new attorney position for the Midwest Regional Office that will be named in honor of the late Lambda Legal Midwest Regional Office Co-Founder Judge Patricia M. Logue, alongside Logue’s widow Marcia Festen.
Taylor said the new attorney position, which is funded by the McDougal Family Foundation, the Alphawood Foundation Chicago and the estate of Phil Hannema, is separate from the three Curtis spoke about and will be named “The Honorable Patricia M. Logue Attorney.”
“Pat was a brilliant lawyer, a trailblazing jurist and a hero to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Taylor. “While at Lambda Legal, Pat litigated landmark cases that transformed the lives of LGBTQ+ people nationwide. Pat was a pioneer in fighting for the rights of students to form student groups to be out and proud and to advocate for themselves.”
Taylor also spoke about other landmark cases Logue was involved with which included Nabozny v. Podlesny and Lawrence v. Texas.
Festen said she is grateful to Lambda Legal for what they did for Logue after she was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimer’s disease and had to step down as a judge.
After Logue’s diagnosis, Lambda Legal’s Chicago team “suggested that Pat spend a few days a week at the office with them,” Festen recalled. Logue was able to “engage in ideas she loved with people she knew and admired. She sat in on meetings. She talked about cases. Sometimes, her brilliant mind contributed in the discussion.”
Festen added that Logue “would be deeply moved” by this honor “and so am I, and so are my children.”
Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings said he wore an American flag designed tie because it means “liberty and justice for all” and he is “tired of people taking away our liberty and our justice using our flag as an excuse. Fundamentally, this is what Lambda Legal has been about for 53 years. We fight for freedom. We’ve led the fight for freedom in many ways.”
Jennings said Lambda Legal’s five year plan, which began in 2025, is called “Rising Together” because, “We will not back down. We will not be bullied. We will not be scared. We will rise together to meet the moment.”
The five year plan has three parts—“stop bad laws” (litigation), “pass good laws” (policy) and “change public opinion” (public education) especially regarding trans issues.
Jennings highlighted the ways the organization is working to stop bad laws in the wake of the attacks on the LGBTQ+ community since 2022, with 2,446 anti-LGBTQ laws introduced in all 50 states, resulting in over 250 of them becoming law in 27 states.
Every GOP-controlled state has signed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation into law in recent years. Jennings said currently Lambda Legal is litigating 62 cases in 24 states and territories.
He also spoke about the seven lawsuits Lambda Legal has filed since President Donald Trump took office a second time. Jennings said that Lambda Legal has won 18 out of 20 cases against Trump during his two terms.
As for their work to pass “good laws,” Jennings said they are collaborating with 20 pro-equality state legislators and governors, including Illinois, which represent 42% of the U.S. population to pass pro-LGBTQ+ laws.
Jennings said their public education work is currently focused on trans people because they are “misunderstood, maligned and marginalized by right-wing bigots” and had launched a Mother’s Day focused Letters of Love All Rise for Trans Youth ad campaign in recent weeks which was shown during his remarks.
Abbott Laboratories Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Vice President Erica Battaglia, City Colleges of Chicago Associate General Counsel and LAGBAC Board Member Christopher Jensen and Westpoint Financial financial advisor Michael Mock served as the event co-chairs.
DJ Ricky Sixx spun tunes as guests mingled during the reception after the program. The reception also featured artists from Alisa Maxime Studio (coordinators Sara Solorio and Madeline Weber and artists Rae Crisp, Amber Francisco, Maya Krueger and Honey Nitson) doing live custom watercolor fashion portraits of the attendees who requested them.
Over $750,000 was raised via ticket sales, sponsorships and donations during the event.
