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THE ROAD to VICTORY a Timeline of Historic Moments in LGBTQ Elected History in the Chicago Area

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THE ROAD to VICTORY a Timeline of Historic Moments in LGBTQ Elected History in the Chicago Area 12 March 27, 2019 WINDY CITY TIMES THE ROAD TO VICTORY A timeline of historic moments in LGBTQ elected history in the Chicago area Tim Drake Tom Chiola Sebastian Patti Nancy Katz Sherry Pethers Marc Loveless Larry McKeon Joanne Trapani Tom Tunney Debra Shore 1980: Tim activist Chuck 1994: Tom of openly when a north- 1997: Joanne mayor. Also that as an associate re-election 2006: Debra Drake was the Renslow ran Chiola became LGBTQ judges side district Trapani became year, an openly judge of the campaigns ever Shore made first openly gay as an Edward the first openly in the country, elected him to the first open gay man, Ray Cook County since. history by being Chicagoan to Kennedy gay person according to the House of lesbian elected Johnson, won a Circuit Court. the first open win an election, delegate. to win major the Alliance of Representatives. to office in trustee post in 2004: Sherry lesbian elected as convention public office in Illinois Judges. Illinois, as a Oak Park. Pethers became to a countywide delegate for 1993: Marc Illinois, when 1996: member of 2003: Tom the first open seat as a John Anderson’s Loveless, he won a seat 1996: Larry Sebastian Patti the Oak Park Tunney was lesbian elected commissioner of presidential an African- on the bench McKeon became became a judge, Village Board, 1999: Nancy appointed to a judgeship the Metropolitan bid. Drake was American gay of the Cook the state’s first and in 2009 he and in 2001 Katz was the the city’s first when she won Water a Republican man, won a County Circuit openly gay took his seat as she became first open openly gay a tight race in Reclamation activist at local school Court. Cook (and openly the first openly Village Board lesbian judge in alderman, Cook County. District. the time. Gay council post. County has one HIV-positive) gay appellate president—the the state, after and he has businessman of the highest state legislator, court justice. state’s first being appointed run successful and Democratic concentrations openly lesbian JUDICIAL PRIDE BEHIND THE LAVENDER DOOR There is a large and historic concentration of openly LGBTQ people who have Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865): Rumors Lilia Delgado: While served or who are currently serving on the bench in Illinois. Charter members abound about the orientation of the 16th not fully out of the of the LGBTQ group Alliance of Illinois Judges are: Hon. Eileen Brewer (Ret); president of the U.S. But some historians closet, Delgado Hon. Cheryl D. Cesario (Ret); Hon. Tom Chiola (Ret.); Hon. Sophia H. Hall; believe he was either gay or bisexual. (See was known in the Hon. Nancy J. Katz (Ret.); Hon. Stuart Katz; Hon. Norene Love (Ret); C.A. Tripp’s 2005 book, The Intimate World community. Mayor Hon. Mike McHale; Hon. Sandra R. Otaka (deceased); Hon. Sebastian T. of Abraham Lincoln.) Harold Washington Patti; Hon. Sherry Pethers (Ret); Hon. Mary Colleen Roberts; Hon. James Pearl M. Hart (1890– knew she was gay Snyder (first openly gay president of the Illinois Judges Association);Hon. 1975): Studs Terkel when he appointed Colleen Sheehan; and Hon. Lori M Wolfson (Ret). Also of note: In 2012, managed one of her her to the city’s Cable Mary M. Rowland was sworn in as Federal Magistrate Judge, U.S. District failed attempts for Commission. She ran Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She is one of very few out LGBT a City Council seat for Cook County Board people to be appointed to serve as a federal judge in the country. (she ran in 1947 and of Commissioners in 1951), then she twice 1987, coming within 5,000 votes of one of Above: Hon. ran unsuccessfully for the ten seats (at the time, Chicago board Mary M. Rowland. judge. She is in the seats were elected citywide). Below (L-R): Chicago LGBT Hall of Hon. James Fame. Judy Rice, who Snyder; Hon. Eddie Rosewell (1927– is now a Cook Norene Love; 1999): The Cook County County judge, Hon. Mike treasurer’s career ended was the Chicago McHale. in disgrace when he city treasurer hired a former window 2000–2006, but washer to a high-level came out after Photo credits Main section: Loveless photo by John Gress; Patti photo by Lisa Howe-Ebright; Katz photo courtesy job—a closeted man she served. of Katz; Tunney photo by Matt Simonette; Shore photo by Tracy Baim; Mell photo courtesy of campaign; Cassidy who paid a public price. photo by Kate Sosin; Cappleman photo by Matt Simonette; Yingling photo courtesy of Illinois House Democrats; Ramirez-Rosa and Robinson photos by Matt Simonette; Morrison photo by AJ Kane; Garcia photo by Robert Kusel Photography; Hadden photo by Ryan Edmund; Lightfoot photo by Matt Simonette. Judicial section: Official court photos. Lavender Door section: Hart image courtesy of Chicago History Museum Archives; PR photo of Rosewell; Rice photo by Tracy Baim. Horseshoes section: Bergeron photo by Romaine; Sable photo by Lisa Howe-Ebright; Nepon photo from the GayLife archives; Ford and Flint photos from the Gay Chicago archives. All other photos from These lists are not meant to be comprehensive, but rather highlight certain significant the Windy City Times archives. elections and “firsts” in area history. WINDY CITY TIMES March 27, 2019 13 More than 100 openly LGBTQ people have run for office to major posts in Illinois, from judicial seats to city councils and county, state and federal offices. While those efforts started decades ago, the onset of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s really kick-started the regional LGBTQ movement into action on a variety of fronts, not just in health-care advocacy, but in politics and beyond. But who were the first to break down the closet doors and take their seats at the table? Here are the highlights. Raymond Lopez Greg Harris Marge Paul Kelly Cassidy Sam Yingling Lamont Robinson Deb Mell Mark Tendam James Carlos Kevin Morrison Cappleman Ramirez-Rosa 2006: Openly gay majority the 33rd Ward 2017 she was openly gay elected alderman City Council in LGBTQ person to 2018: gay, HIV-positive leader of the aldermanic seat elected city clerk elected official. of the 46th the same cycle: win a major non- Marcelino activist Greg state House of vacated by her in the same Ward. Raymond Lopez judicial elected Garcia became Harris, who was Representatives. father, Dick election where (15th) and post in Illinois 2011: Kelly 2012: Sam the first appointed to Mell. She won four LGBTQ Carlos Ramirez- when he won for Cassidy was Yingling won LGBTQ person complete Larry re-election in candidates won Rosa (35th); 5th district state 2009: Open first appointed a suburban of color McKeon’s term 2015 and is in a for city council. they are the first representative. lesbian Deb to a state seat for state elected to the in the General runoff April 2. Latino/x out Mell won a state representative representative Metropolitan Assembly, was LGBTQs on the representative 2009: Mark post, and she in the 62nd 2018: Kevin Water later elected City Council. post, serving 2009: Marge Tendam won has won re- district. Morrison Reclamation District. and continues until 2013, Paul was elected election to election every became the first to serve, when she was as an open the Evanston cycle since. 2015: Two 2018: Lamont openly LGBTQ 2019: Maria Hadden unseated making history appointed by lesbian alderman City Council, openly gay men Robinson member of the longtime incumbent 49th Ward in 2019 as the Mayor Rahm in suburban becoming the 2011: James won seats on became the first Cook County alderman Joe Moore to be the first first openly Emanuel to fill Berwyn. In suburb’s first Cappleman was the Chicago African-American Board. openly LGBTQ African-American elected to Chicago’s City Council and ONLY IN HORSESHOES first African- American Your can’t win if you don’t run … and a few bold LGBTQ people paved the way for what would be the first openly LGBTQ person to win in Illinois. LGBTQ woman elected to a 1971: Michael Bergeron, later founder of The Chicago Gay nonjudicial Crusader newspaper, ran for at-large delegate to the Democratic post in National Convention. Illinois. 1974: Radical gays Don “Red Devil” Goldman and Nancy Davis ran for alderman in the 44th and 43rd wards, respectively. 2019: The fact that Lori Lightfoot, 1977: Gary Nepon, at age 28, ran for 13th District state an openly LGBTQ African-American representative. woman, even made it to a runoff 1979: Grant Ford (who passed away this year), publisher of for mayor was historic and hardly GayLife newspaper, ran for 44th Ward alderman. predictable decades ago. But now, 1987: Baton Show Lounge owner Jim Flint ran a widely covered she may make more history as the race for Cook County Board, when city seats ran citywide. first openly LGBTQ person to win 1987 and 1991: Dr. Ron Sable came within a few dozen votes of election as unseating incumbent 44th Ward alderman Bernie Hansen in his mayor of first race, but lost by a wider margin in 1991; he died in 1993 From left: Michael Bergeron (above); Dr. Ron Sable (below); Gary Nepon; Grant Chicago, of AIDS complications. Ford; Jim Flint. the nation’s third-largest city. A joint project by the Chicago Reader and Windy City Times For more details, see Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City’s Gay Community, edited by Tracy Baim Equality Illinois builds a better Illinois by advancing equal treatment and social justice through education, advocacy, and protection of the rights of the LGBTQ community.
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