What do history-makers Jane Addams and Billie Jean King, actress Alexandra Billings and Mayors Harold Washington and Richard M. Daley have in common? They were all inducted into the Chicago Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Hall of Fame between 1991 and 2015. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.
Through July 3, an exhibit featuring all inductees and their celebrated accomplishments is on display in Congress Corridor at Harold Washington Library Center.
The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring the distinguished legacies of the LGBT community. By stressing the important contributions of a population often at risk for discrimination and prejudice, it also functions as a standard bearer for human rights for the fair treatment of all Chicago residents. In June 1991, Chicago became the first major city in the country to formally recognize these contributions when Mayor Richard M. Daley hosted the inaugural induction ceremony.
Inductees fall into one of three categories: individual, organization or friend of the community. In 2015, 12 new inductees joined the Hall of Fame. The exhibit features members of the Chicago LBGT Hall of Fame from 1991 through 2015. Pictured is Emmanuel Garcia, acknowledged for among other things, his work as a Latino LGBTQ journalist.
