CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Cook County officials gathered at Daley Plaza Thursday morning to raise the Progress Pride flag in a ceremony marking the beginning of Pride Month and the county’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.
Among those on the stage during the flag-raising ceremony in Daley Plaza: the county’s first openly gay commissioner, Kevin Morrison; the first openly gay Latino commissioner, Anthony Quezada; and first openly lesbian board commissioner, Maggie Trevor.
“I’m honored to be here today to celebrate the beginning of Pride Month,” said Morrison, who represents Cook County’s 15th District. “Happy Pride, everyone.”
Morrison, identifying with the pronouns he/him/his, wore a rainbow tie and a rainbow ribbon on his lapel as he spoke during the ceremony.
“[The Progress Pride flag] celebrates the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and calls for a more inclusive society,” he said. “The flag explicitly includes black and brown stripes to portray marginalized LGBTQ+ communities of color, as well as blue and pink to highlight transgender and nonbinary members of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Four years after Morrison’s election victory — when Quezada and Trevor joined the Cook County board in the fall of 2022 — the Cook County Board of Commissioners became the legislative body with the highest percentage of LGBTQ+ representation in Illinois.
That didn’t last long, and Trevor said she’s ok with that.
“We held that title for just four months. I’m very proud that we held that title for just four months, because now with the nine LGBTQ+ alderpeople on City Council, they’re at 18%, so they’ve got us beat by four-tenths of a percent,” Trevor said.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle spoke at the event, as well. She said that slowly, but surely, in every level of government, there have been historic shifts toward inclusion.
“Every human being should feel safe, included, represented, and be free of harassment or discrimination — no matter who they are, what their gender is, or how they identify,” Preckwinkle said.
The county president acknowledged that there is much more to be done.
“Please know that you can count on Cook County as a partner in the work ahead and to remain committed to fostering a county where all LGBTQ+ individuals are welcomed, safe and celebrated,” she said.
Quezada said the county “is a beacon of hope for the country.”
Related
Related
Listen to our new podcast Courier Pigeon
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!