Pride Without Prejudice march June 27 to protest “racism, police violence”

Pride Without Prejudice is a Chicago-based organization hoping to 'take back' Pride celebrations from corporations and politicians pandering to the community.

It has called previous iterations of the Chicago Pride Parade, this year to be held on Oct. 3, as a “vapid, corporation-drenched spectacle.”

The group says they intend to “bring back the original message of Pride, to honor those in our history who fought for our rights to live in our truths as queer people in this community.”

Pride Without Prejudice marched last year, with the added benefit of not having to compete with the pandemic-cancelled million-attended annual Parade through Uptown, Lakeview, and the southern end of Lincoln Park.

“We must continue amplifying these voices in our community and pushing out the message of inclusivity,” the group says of this year's march.

This year's event will take place on Sunday, June 27 at noon with the location to be announced.

Last year, the event took place on June 28 and blocked traffic through the Lakeview neighborhood.

In October of 2020, the group hosted the Chicago Trans Visibility March in Washington Park.

“We will have a participatory march which centers Black and brown, queer and trans voices, so often shunted to the side, will be prominent,” Pride Without Prejudice explained.

“We will unapologetically highlight issues of racism, police violence, and the obscene amount of money spent on a militarized police, and a military that polices the world. In so doing, we will be honoring the rich but largely forgotten history of the Stonewall Rebellion and the movement that followed it.”

Related: Chicago Pride Parade a no-go for June, set to step-off in October 2021