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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 led to the firing of many of those that were in teaching and school administrative roles; and
WHEREAS, this raid was a galvanizing moment for LGBTQ people in Cook County to organize politically against those fighting for their right to live openly; and
WHEREAS, in 1968, the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations hosted a conference in Chicago where they drafted the “Homosexual Bill of Rights”, which included basic tenants of LGBTQ people being able to live their lives without fear of harassment or retribution; and
WHEREAS, Jim Flint became the first openly LGBTQ person to run for the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1987; and
WHEREAS, in 1993 the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed an amendment to the Human Rights Ordinance that included sexual orientation as a group protected from discrimination; and
WHEREAS, the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center was founded by Cook County Health and Rush University Medical Center in 1998 and has pioneered treatment and care for HIV/AIDS; and
WHEREAS, there are countless other examples of battles fought by the LGBTQ community in Cook County and paths paved by LGBTQ people willing to stand up for their community; and
WHEREAS, all of this history has shaped the LGBTQ community in Cook County and led to advancements of living lives openly and authentically; and
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the Cook County Board of Commissioners do hereby honor the LGBTQ community during Pride Month and remember the history of the LGBTQ community in Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we honor the great contributions that LGBTQ people have done across Cook County; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of this resolution are presented to the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, Tracy Baim, Victor Salvo and Jim Flint.
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