Mon. June 1, 2026
CHICAGO, ILL. -
By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com
Elected officials and community members gathered in Logan Square on Monday to kick off Pride Month with the third annual Progress Pride flag-raising ceremony. This was one of several throughout the City of Chicago including at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago.
The event drew several local leaders, including U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, Cook County Board Commissioners Tara Stamps and Jessica Vásquez, and Ald. Anthony Quezada. They were joined by Antonio King, the city of Chicago’s first director of LGBTQ affairs, and Robert Castillo, a Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee, along with neighborhood resident and drag queen Dulce Divine.
During the ceremony, speakers emphasized the ongoing struggle for civil rights beyond the annual June celebrations.
"Queer people are queer everyday and not just during Pride Month," Quezada said. "We need to be on the streets to demand queer equal rights."
Ramirez recalled the neighborhood's long history of activism, connecting the day's event to past community movements.
"I remember protests for housing, immigration and LGBTQ rights in Logan Square," Ramirez said. "Happy Pride Month, Logan Square! Love is love is love is love."
Stamps urged attendees to maintain solidarity across different communities, telling the crowd to "be your bass ass self" and adding, "We must want for each other what we want for ourselves."
King highlighted the historical roots of the modern LGBTQ movement, pointing to the foundational roles played by transgender activists of color.
"I represent all the LGBTQ citizens," King said. "We do have Black and Brown ancestors, Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who started our Stonewall riots. And we have champions who represent us when we're not there."
The event also served as a moment of remembrance for local leaders who passed away.
"I have queer joy," Castillo said. "During Pride Month, I remember advocates who are no longer with us, Lori Cannon, Rick Garcia, Saundra Johnson and Alicia Amador."
Following the ceremony, Castillo reflected on the history of the Logan Square event, which began as a grassroots effort just two years ago.
"Back in 2024, I approached then-Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa about the possibility of raising a Progress Pride flag for the first time 'officially,' and he was surprised it hadn't been done," Castillo said. "I was so proud to have helped make it happen and spoke at the inaugural Progress Pride flag raising."
Castillo noted that the event has quickly become a neighborhood tradition, evolving to ensure more identities within the community are recognized.
"Ald. Anthony Quezada, Cook County Commissioner Jessica Vásquez and I carried on the tradition in 2025," Castillo said. "What I do remember from both earlier flag raisings was my suggestion a Bisexual Pride flag be attached so that the Progress Pride flag be truly representative of our entire community."
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