title
PROPOSED RESOLUTION
A RESOLUTION REMEMBERING LGBTQ HISTORY IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the month of June is recognized as LGBTQ Pride Month; and
WHEREAS, the LGBTQ community across the United States remembers and honors the legacy of LGBTQ people at The Stonewall Riots on the 50th Anniversary; and
WHEREAS, there is also a rich and important LGBTQ history in Cook County that must be remembered; and
WHEREAS, the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives located in Chicago is a vital partner in preserving and displaying the history and artifacts of local LGBTQ history; and
WHEREAS, Tracy Baim, long time publisher of Windy City Times and other LGBTQ publications, has been essential in documenting the lives, photographs, and news of the LGBTQ community for decades including in her book, Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community; and
WHEREAS, Victor Salvo created The Legacy Project and The Legacy Walk, an outdoor history exhibit in the Boystown neighborhood of Chicago to commemorate the lives and work of prominent LGBTQ people who contributions or identities were overlooked by most historic texts; and
WHEREAS, the Society of Human Rights, the first recognized gay rights organization in the United States, was founded in 1924 by Henry Gerber in Chicago, Illinois; and
WHEREAS, prior to the Stonewall Riots in New York, similar raids by law enforcement including Cook County Sheriff Richard Ogilvie, were conducted; and
WHEREAS, one of the most prominent examples was a raid of a well-known LGBTQ establishment called Fun Lounge, located in suburban Cook County, in which 109 patrons were arrested on April 25, 1964; and
WHEREAS, those arrested were paraded in front of newspaper photographers. The names and occupations of those arrested were printed on the front page of local newspaper even though charges of over 90 people were dropped because of insufficient evidence of any kind; and
WHEREAS, the controversial printing of names and occupations le...
Click here for full text