chicago dyke march in uptown
photo credit // alex sennello
Chicago, IL -
Dyke March Chicago took place in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood Saturday as queer women gathered at 3:00 p.m. in Margate Park. The event followed a tradition of changing neighborhoods every two years in order to highlight gender and sexual diversity in areas not traditionally thought of being queer.
The Chicago Dyke March Collective, which held its first march on the anniversary of Stonewall fifteen years ago, prides itself on organizing a holistic queer event that focus on queer women, people of color, and trans* individuals all while remaining absent of corporate and political involvement.
Unlike the Chicago Pride Parade, Dyke March takes place on the sidewalk, there are no floats, no politicians, no gogo dancers, and only a nominal amount of drinking. Instead of corporate sponsors and representation, the collective chooses to "affirm nonprofits," as organizer Nebula LI explained, "the people who are doing the real work."
In concurrence with the Collective's theme of returning the focus of pride month to the queer community in its purest essence, the event is run exclusively by personal donations, there is no charge to carry banners during the march, everyone is welcome to participate, and the march looks more like a protest than a parade.
Participants reported distinct differences between Dyke March, which Nebula described by saying that "Gay Pride is just that, gay pride", citing a feeling of white cisgender male dominance within Chicago's pride festivities.
The march attendance was estimated to be near 1,000 people.
After the march's conclusion, participants returned to Margate Park to enjoy the great weather, eat some food, and listen to music and spoken word performances.
Related: Additional coverage and photos by Kate Sosin, Windy City Times
The Chicago Dyke March Collective, which held its first march on the anniversary of Stonewall fifteen years ago, prides itself on organizing a holistic queer event that focus on queer women, people of color, and trans* individuals all while remaining absent of corporate and political involvement.
Unlike the Chicago Pride Parade, Dyke March takes place on the sidewalk, there are no floats, no politicians, no gogo dancers, and only a nominal amount of drinking. Instead of corporate sponsors and representation, the collective chooses to "affirm nonprofits," as organizer Nebula LI explained, "the people who are doing the real work."
In concurrence with the Collective's theme of returning the focus of pride month to the queer community in its purest essence, the event is run exclusively by personal donations, there is no charge to carry banners during the march, everyone is welcome to participate, and the march looks more like a protest than a parade.
Participants reported distinct differences between Dyke March, which Nebula described by saying that "Gay Pride is just that, gay pride", citing a feeling of white cisgender male dominance within Chicago's pride festivities.
The march attendance was estimated to be near 1,000 people.
After the march's conclusion, participants returned to Margate Park to enjoy the great weather, eat some food, and listen to music and spoken word performances.
Related: Additional coverage and photos by Kate Sosin, Windy City Times
