Miguel Ayala
Ayala was co-founder of the Whitney Young Pride GSA, the first in the Chicago area, and active in Chicago youth causes and mainstream political campai
Michael Bauer & Roger Simon
Bauer and Simon are a long-time couple active in a variety of GLBT, AIDS, political and Jewish causes.
Michael Bauer
Bauer is a political activist on the local and national scene.
Bill Bergfalk
Bergfalk has supported gay organizations since the 1970s as a volunteer and donor.
Caryn Berman & Laura Cuzzillo
Berman (left) and Cuzzillo have worked for decades on lesbian and AIDS issues.
Sam Bezanis
Bezanis has donated his design services to many gay, AIDS and mainstream civil-rights groups, including the ACLU.
Patrick Bova
Bova and partner Jim Darby have been together since 1963. They are activists working to overturn the military's gay ban, and support numerous gay caus
Phil Burgess & Jim Nutter
Nutter (left) and Burgess have been a couple since 1976; they donate and volunteer for a range of gay and AIDS groups.
Phil Burgess
Burgess donates and volunteers for a range of gay and AIDS groups.
Evette Cardona & Mona Noriega
Noriega and Cardona are one of Chicago's power couples, active on a wide range of GLBT and Latina issues, including thru Amigas Latinas.
Evette Cardona
Cardona is active in a wide range of GLBT and Latina issues.
Robert Castillo & John Pennycuff
Castillo and Pennycuff are partners in life and activism, seen at protests for Queer Nation, ACT UP, anti-violence, pro-marriage, and much more.
Robert Castillo
Castillo has been active for many years on a wide range of gay, AIDS and Latino issues.
Susan Catania
Catania served as a Republican state legislator and was among the first to back gay-rights protections.
Gary Chichester
Chichester has been a gay activist since the early 1970s, serving in vital leadership positions.
Tom Chiola
Chiola made history by becoming the first openly gay person elected to major office in Illinois, when he won a judge post in the mid 1990s.
Ann Christophersen
Christophersen is co-founder of Women & Children First Bookstore and a critical volunteer and supporter of LGBT and feminist causes.
Terry Cosgrove
Cosgrove is an openly gay man heading one of the top organizations working in the U.S. for a women's right to choose, Personal PAC of Illinois.
Susana Darwin
Darwin is a legal activist fighting on women's choice and LGBT issues.
Andrew Deppe & Stephen Weiser
Deppe and Weiser, partners since 1993, volunteer and support various LGBT and AIDS religious, sports and political causes.
Andrew Deppe
Deppe has been a founder, staff member and volunteer for many important AIDS ad LGBT groups.
Karen Dixon
Dixon is an attorney and political activist in Chicago.
Tim Drake
Long-time political activist Drake was the first openly gay candidate to win election in Illinois, as a 1980 John Anderson presidential delegate.
Murray Edelman
Edelman was an activist in Chicago in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including with the Chicago Gay Liberation movement.
Ferd Eggan
Eggan was a long-time Chicago and Los Angeles AIDS activist. He died in 2007.
Hannah Frisch
Frisch was active in University of Chicago Gay Liberation in the early '70s. She also attended meetings of Chicago Lesbian Liberation.
Vernita Gray
Gray has been active on gay rights since the late 1960s. She has been part of a wide range of groups and works on anti-violence issues.
Bill Greaves
In 1995 Greaves was appointed to the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations’ Advisory Council on LGBT Issues; in 2000 he became the Directo
Roland Hansen & Bill Bergfalk
Hansen (left) and Bergfalk have been partners since 1984, and both have supported gay organizations since the 1970s.
Roland Hansen
Hansen's volunteer work has included Gerber/Hart Library, the American Library Association GLBT Round Table, Windy City Athletic Association, and more
Jean Hardisty
Jean V. Hardisty, Ph.D., was a critical activist in Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s. She also founded Political Research Associates She died in 2015..
Greg Harris
Harris was elected to the Illinois General Assembly in 2006. He is a long-time Chicago-based activist on gay and AIDS issues.
Ted Hoerl
Hoerl is an Actor-Director/ Adjunct Professor of Acting CCPA at Roosevelt University. In the 1980s he owned Opal Station, a popular gay bar.
Mark Ishaug
Ishaug is President/CEO of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Art Johnston & Jose A. Pena
Johnston and Pena are co-owners of Sidetrack bar, which has been much-honored for its contributions to GLBT and AIDS charities.
Art Johnston
Johnston is co-owner of Sidetrack bar in Chicago, and a long-time activist on GLBT and AIDS issues.
Nancy Katz & Janine Denomme
Katz and Denomme were partners and both active on lesbian and gay issues. Katz is an associate judge, Denomme was director of the Horizons Youth Progr
Nancy Katz
Katz is an Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, sitting in Domestic Relations Division.
Bill Kelley & Chen Ooi
Kelley and Ooi were long-time partners and activists. Kelley has been fighting for gay rights since the 1960s. Kelley died in 2015.
Bill Kelley
Kelley was among Chicago's longest-serving and most important gay activists, having worked since the 1960s to secure gay rights. He died in 2015.
Julie Kruse
Kruse is a former Illinois lobbyist on a range of women's, LGBT and progressive causes. She is now based in Washington, D.C.
Pat Logue
Logue is an attorney with a long career working on LGBT and AIDS causes. She is now a judge.
Amy Maggio
Maggio has worked and volunteered for AIDS and gay organizations in Chicago since the 1980s.
Larry McKeon
McKeon had a long public service career, from serving as a police officer in Los Angeles, to being the state's first openly gay, HIV-positive rep.
Deb Mell & Christin Baker
Mell and Baker are active in gay-rights and political causes. Mell runs unchallenges for a state rep post in the 2008 general election.
Deb Mell
Mell is expected to become the state's first openly lesbian representative the fall of 2008. She runs unchallenged in the election.
Jill Metz
Metz has practiced law since 1978, with many gay clients. She has volunteered with numerous gay organizations.
Carlos Mock & Bill Rattan
Mock and Rattan are partner who donate time and money to many gay, AIDS and Latino causes.
Carlos Mock
Mock is a writer and activist, donating his time and money to many gay, AIDS and Latino causes.
Mary Morten
Morten has worked on a diverse range of projects in the feminist and LGBT communities.
David Munar
Munar is an executive with AIDS Foundation of Chicago and a long-time volunteer for gay and AIDS groups, including Association of Latin men in Action.
Sharon Mylrea
Mylrea is a former board member of Lesbian Community Cancer Project who supports gay political and health causes.
Yasmin Nair
Nair is an academic, activist and writer, and was a member of Queer to the Left.
Charlotte Newfeld
Newfeld is an ally of the community, having support numerous gay-rights efforts and gay candidates for office.
Mona Noriega
Noriega has been active on GLBT and Latina political and cultural issues since the 1970s.
Don Nowotny & Carl McDowell
Carl McDowell (left) and Don Nowotny are a long-time couple active on gay political issues.
Don Nowotny
Don Nowotny is active on gay political issues.
Achy Obejas
Obejas is the award-winning author of Days of Awe, Memory Mambo, and We Came all the Way from Cuba So You Could Dress Like This?. She was born in Hava
Renae Ogletree
Ogletree has been active on a range of youth, LGBT, AIDS and other causes in Chicago since the 1980s.
John Pennycuff
Pennycuff has been seen around town marching and protesting for a wide range of gay and AIDS issues.
Lisa Pickens
Pickens is a co-founder of Affinity, a group for African-American lesbians, and is active on a variety of LGBT causes.
Jim Pickett
Picket is an HIV-positive activist and athlete. He is director of public policy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Victor Salvo
Salvo is a designer by trade, and an activist in his down time, having been a key part of Chicago's political and AIDS activism.
Nan Schaffer & Karen Dixon
Schaffer and Dixon are political activists and philanthropists in Chicago.
Nan Schaffer
Schaffer is a political activist and philanthropist in Chicago.
Patrick Sheahan
Sheahean was president of the Center on Halsted's board during its critical campaign to build a new community center.
Debra Shore & Kathleen Gillespie
Cathy Gillespie (left) and partner Deb Shore are active in a variety of gay organizations.
Debra Shore
Shore became the first open lesbian elected to countywide office in Illinois, as a commissioner for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Max Smith
Max Smith has been a gay activist since the 1970s, including on media, health and political issues.
Coco Soodek & Roxanne Saylor
Soodek (left) and Saylor are active in supporting GLBT political, cultural and health causes.
Coco Soodek
Soodek is a partner with the law firm Bryan Cave and has supported numerous gay and lesbian causes.
David Stienecker
David Stienecker was a critical 1960s and early 1970s Chicago activist who fought back against police harassment.
Tom Tunney
Tunney is Chicago's first openly gay alderman, and so much more. As a business owner he has given much to the GLBT and mainstream Chicago communities.
Steve Wakefield
Wakefield spend many years in Chicago working for and heading up various gay and AIDS agencies.
Donna Weems
Weems is a cultural and political activist and long-time Chicagoan who recently retired to Mexico.
Terri Worman
Terri Worman works on gay political and seniors issues.
Terri Worman & Paula Basta
Basta and partner Terri Worman work on gay political and seniors issues. Basta's involvement includes Equality Illinois.
Mark Zubro
Mark Richard Zubro has published 20 books in two mystery series set in Chicago, and he’s still writing. One Lambda-winning series features a gay cou
Jose Zuniga
Zuniga was one of the first victims of 'don't ask, don't tell,' the military's gay ban.

Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community, the book is edited by Tracy Baim and features the contributions of more than 20 prominent historians and journalists. It is published by Surrey Books, an Agate imprint, and is hard cover, 224 pages, 4-color, with nearly 400 photos.
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