The Chicago Pride Parade
By: Rebecca Johnson
Even as the hot sun burned their skin, people were way too busy cheering and celebrating what was happening in front of them to worry about the heat. They were celebrating the Chicago Pride Parade, a tradition that has been going on for 56 years.
The parade is a significant part of both gay and Illinois history, as it has served as an important opportunity for people to advocate for gay rights and is one of the oldest Pride events.
The parade isn’t solely about gay rights. Over the years, the crowd has grown to thousands of people. As it is televised and has the internet to broaden the crowds even more, the parade celebrates cultures, resilience within the community and political issues too. .
“I actually really like it,” a parade attendee who introduced herself as Abigail said. “I don’t think anything could be added to it.”
With the parade being a decades-old tradition for Chicago, when it started, the crowd was minuscule compared to the thousands of people it pulls in today. Back then, it started with around 100 to 150 people and now has obviously grown to a lot more people over the years.
“It’s important to basically gather up as a group, or more so as a community,” Abigail said.
The Pride parade is a non-funded organization with people paying to volunteer to walk in the parade. Since around one million people show up, the revenue also comes from floats that are used by brand sponsors, big businesses that are intertwined within Chicago, radio stations covering the event, the use of public transportation and even people visiting the parks nearby. While there are local brands who benefit from all of the people in the area, many worldwide sponsorships are seen on floats, with a few examples being Nerds, Ulta and sports teams.
“I think it was really fun,” said Fernando, a resident of suburban Aurora. “They were playing music, and Chappell Roan specifically was my favorite part. It’s my first one in Chicago,”
“I went to the Aurora one last year which was also pretty fun, but there were a lot of guys with Bibles and stuff who were yelling at us.” said Fernando.
In LGBTQ+ history, drag queens usually, if not always, can be found at Pride parades or gay events in general. To be a drag queen is to dress up femininely with exaggerated clothing, wigs and makeup. There is a male equivalent, a drag king, who dresses up in masculine clothes and exaggerated makeup.
While June is mostly known for spreading awareness about pride and the LGBTQ+ community, many might not know that July is also for spreading awareness, specifically for the disabled part of this community. People can continue to celebrate by celebrating Disability Pride Month throughout July.
