Officials in Chicago plan to make this year's Pride Parade even smaller, even after already saying they would reduce the number of floats and performances by about 37%.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) has proposed making the parade shorter by a few blocks, which would mean they would need 48 fewer officers. Block Club Chicago reported. Many people in the LGBTQ+ community are upset about this possibility.
Jin-Soo Huh, the chair of the LGBTQ+ advisory council to the mayor, said, 'We were obviously not thrilled to hear that. Even though it is only a proposal, our message is that this is a proposal that should have been done in consultation with the community. We're still calling on the Mayor's Office to restore the Pride Parade to its original form.'
Huh said he hadn't even been told about the reduced number of entries allowed in the parade and had to find out about it from a Block Club report.
'That really caught us off guard,' he said. 'As the mayor's council, we hope that anything major like this affecting the LGBTQ+ community is brought to our attention and that we're consulted about it. That's our main function.'
The Chicago Pride Parade is one of the biggest in the country. The changes, like starting at 11 a.m. instead of the usual noon,reportedly are because city officials are trying to make sure the event is safe and well-organized. It is not clear if the changes are because of a greater need for security due to the increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights across the country.
Despite the reasons, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's (D) LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is still working to keep the parade the way it was. Last week, 14 out of 20 members signed an open letter asking the city to allow more than 125 entries in the parade.
'The city of Chicago and the state of Illinois have made big progress for LGBTQ+ people,' the council members said.'We want the city of Chicago to work toward having the biggest, most visible, and most powerful Pride Parade in the country, especially when LGBTQ+ communities, especially trans youth, are facing dangerous attacks.'
'We're asking the mayor and the city of Chicago to stick to their principles of fairness and openness and work with the parade organizers, the advisory council, and the supporting organizations to bring back the Pride Parade and support the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago and beyond.'
However, according to the Windy City Times, the groups support the 11 a.m. start time, which is needed to better fit with CPD shift changes.
The letter also asked for other parades in the city to involve the community in any decisions about changes to these important events. Several local groups, along with the council members, signed the letter, including Equality Illinois, Brave Space Alliance, Pride Action Tank, Howard Brown Health, and the parade organizers.
