Message from the Co-Chairs
Remembering back to that first Gay Pride Parade causes a flurry of emotions to flood over me. It was in the 70s, just pre-disco, and I hardly knew any gay people, women or men. But I’d been invited to the parade by someone who was involved with a participating car. I rode in that car with eight or so other people. I remember feeling acknowledged, accepted, and a little self-conscious. Yet, when I looked up at folks hanging out windows cheering and clapping and celebrating, blending with the four-deep people on the street, the excitement and joy of being a part of this expanded world was overwhelming. It’s an emotional confirmation that some people are never graced to have if they live in small towns or conservative countries.
We all have a story.
This month, Michael Williams, now a board member but also a Spectrum “graduate, “ reflects with warmth and tenderness about his first Gay Pride Parade in the company of other Spectrum youth. Rob Ward accompanied a gaggle of Spectrum attendees and with knowing leadership fostered their first experiences. It was a tradition with Rob and one, I think, that he took great pleasure in providing.
As OPALGA members, we can be proud to have created and supported the kind of positive experiences so many of the youth have now had the opportunity to encounter. How different it is today from those times some of us went through in our “coming out” years. Shame and fear prevented many from knowing that they were part of a larger community and that they were not a “diagnosis” or did not need to be splintered from their faith.
Let’s start the celebration in June. This year, we can keep the party going through July 13, when the 11th Annual OPAL Gala will take place. Join us for each and every expression of pride and celebration that we have.
Note: OPALGA is again teaming up with the Oak Park Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in the PRIDEChicago Annual Parade on June 24. The Big “O” float will once again travel up Halsted and down Broadway in celebration of the Oak Park area LGBT community. If you would like to participate in the parade, please call The OPALGA Center at (708) 848-0273 for more information.
