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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING COOK COUNTY’S CONTRIBUTION TO LGBTQ+ HISTORY
WHEREAS, Cook County and the Chicago area has had its share of contributions to the history of the LGBTQ+ community with amazing advocates such as Art Johnston and Robert Castillo; and
WHEREAS, Art Johnston and his partner José “Pep” Peña are nationally recognized LGBTQ+ civil rights leaders and the subject of an award-winning feature documentary, ART AND PEP, opened the iconic gay bar Sidetrack in 1982, and fueled a local civil rights movement that is still active today; and
WHEREAS, Johnston became an early member of Chicago’s Gay Athletic Association (later the Metropolitan Sports Association) serving on its board of directors between 1978 and 1991, and went on to help gain the league acceptance to the National Association of Amateur Gay Athletes; and
WHEREAS, Johnston was a co-founder of the Illinois Federation for Human Rights (now called Equality Illinois), whose primary mission is passage of state-level human rights legislation that includes equal protection for lesbian and gay Illinoisans; and
WHEREAS, Johnston was a pioneer in getting his suppliers to provide sponsorship for gay and lesbian athletic events, street fairs, community-based HIV and AIDS service providers, and other gay and lesbian organizations; and
WHEREAS, the late Ron Sable persuaded Johnston to become a founding board member of IMPACT, which served as the springboard for Johnston later to join with Jon-Henri Damski, Laurie Dittman, and Rick Garcia as the “Gang of Four” in organizing Gay and Lesbian Town Meetings, which was responsible for heightened lobbying efforts that in 1988 finally ushered in a historic Chicago ordinance banning discrimination because of sexual orientation and the 1993 passage of Cook County’s Human Rights Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, the late Jon-Henri Damski was a columnist for GayLife, Gay Chicago Magazine, Windy City Times, and Nightlines and Outlines, ultimately penning over 700 articles chronicling gay and lesbian life in Chicago, and his lobbying efforts were instrumental to the passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance and the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Rick Garcia was also fundamental in the passage of the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance and the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance, and was the founding executive director of Equality Illinois, a principal founder of the Illinois Federation for Human Rights, which has now become Chicago’s and Illinois’ chief organizational voice for sexual-minority rights, and one of the founders of the national Federation of Statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Political Organizations; and
WHEREAS, Laurie Dittman, former official of Independent Voters of Illinois - Independent Precinct Organization (IVI-IPO) IMPACT, and the Human Rights Campaign Fund, was a chief lobbyist during passage of city and county laws against sexual-orientation discrimination and went on to become a deputy city treasurer, becoming the highest ranking LGBTQ+ Chicago city official at the time; and
WHEREAS, Robert Castillo was active in advocating for passage of the Cook County Human Right Ordinance as a member of Queer Nation (QN) Chicago; and
WHEREAS, Castillo and QN members mounted a public campaign to ensure that Cook County pass a Human Rights Ordinance that provided protections based on sexual orientation; and
WHEREAS, Castillo organized public protests to maintain pressure on then Cook County Board President Richard Phelan to deliver on his campaign promise to pass a comprehensive Cook County Human Rights Ordinance; and
WHEREAS, Castillo and QN fought efforts to introduce a Cook County Ordinance that would only cover unincorporated Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Castillo, QN and LGBTQ+ advocates were successful in their efforts to pass a Cook County Human Rights Ordinance that covered the entire population of Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Castillo attended every Cook County Board Meeting from the introduction of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance until its passage; and
WHEREAS, Castillo was part of the first case involving sexual orientation under the Cook County Human Right Ordinance that included Castillo, his late husband John Pennycuff and fellow Queer Nation members Steve Kleinedler and Craig Teichen; and
WHEREAS, Castillo and the three plaintiffs who became known as the "Dancing Queens" were victorious in their case against a Harwood Heights bar who had stopped the men from dancing and had the four arrested; and
WHEREAS, Castillo has helped set in motion efforts to secure legal protections for LGBTQIA+ Cook County residents through his activism and advocacy; and
WHEREAS, Castillo has been honored for his 30+ years of LGBTQIA+ activism with induction into The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame in 2001 for his work with a variety of community organizations including ACT UP, ALMA, Ambience Pa'lante, City of Chicago Advisory Council on LGBT Issues, NEIU Gay Lesbian and Bisexual Alliance, LLEGO, People of Color Coalition; and
WHEREAS, Castillo, as a self-identified queer Latine, remains committed to the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ residents of Chicago and Cook County; and
WHEREAS, former Cook County Commissioner, and current Treasurer, Maria Pappas was instrumental to the 1993 passage of Cook County’s Human Rights Ordinance as she served as the primary sponsor for that amendment; and
WHEREAS, together Art Johnston and Robert Castillo, in conjunction with the entire network of advocates and allies, have fundamentally changed the legal landscape for the LGBTQ+ community in Cook County and the Chicago area; and
WHEREAS, Cook County remains indebted to their work as the county maintains itself as a leader for LGBTQ+ rights across the state and country;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board of Commissioners does hereby offer its deep appreciation and recognition of Art Johnston and Robert Castillo for their many contributions advancing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution are presented to Art Johnston and Robert Castillo in recognition of their contributions to Cook County.
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