On Saturday, June 28, 2008, FRIDA members took part in the 2008 Chicago Dyke March in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. Pilsen is well known as one of the most heavily Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, and many of the folks who live in Pilsen also happen to be immigrants. Dyke March has traditionally been held in the Andersonville, known as an active center of LGBTQ activity. This year, however, in a move to bring greater attention to social justice issues, the organizers held the march in Pilsen.
One of our FRIDA members, Aerin Jung, has been heavily involved with the Dyke March and has pushed to have greater accessibility for people with disabilities. Her activism resulted in several access improvements, including paper fliers with the march chants and accessible bathrooms, an interpreter for the end-of-march festivities in Harrison Park, and plywood boards to place over ruts in the road. Thank you Aerin and the Dyke March organizers for these improvements! We also hear that the Dyke March attempted to secure a personal assistant to work the event, but sadly the PAs who were contacted refused to work an event they classified as a “lesbian thing.” They wanted to work, but not for people who might be queer. This is a sad snapshot of the need to raise LGBTQ friendliness in the disability community and those who support us, like PAs.
The FRIDAs who did attend, however, had a blast representing for the disability community in support of our LGBTQ members and allies! Those who attended included Aerin Jung, Axeen, Monica Heffner, Mary Delgado, Dan, Emylee, Nestor, Lluvia and Sol, Maggy Guzzo, Amber Smock and other friends and allies. This is the first time FRIDA has ever gone and next year, we hope to see many more of our disability rights colleagues at events like these, because in Chicago there is very little to support our LGBTQ friends with disabilities.
Here are some photos from the event (as many as Amber could take before the battery on her camera died). Descriptions are below each photo.
The Gay Liberation Network shows off its huge blue sign stating that lesbians and gays support immigrant rights. Pilsen is known for being a center of immigration activism.
The middle “woman” sign on the FRIDA flag gets a wheechair to sit in, courtesy of a friendly parade artist.
People flood in to the bank parking lot at 18th and Halsted. Sunscreen and umbrellas were out against the sunny day.
As the crowd mills around chatting, Emylee people watches while Monica has an icy treat. Several paleta cart men were drawn to the event, selling ice cream and popsicles.
Monica and Nestor hold the FRIDA flag while waiting to march.
Marchers mill as they get ready to set off down 18th Street in East Pilsen.
Mary shows off her teal colored queer love sign that someone from the parade drew on her wrist.
Nestor and Maggy hold the FRIDA sign in Pilsen just west of the railroad tracks, with the marchers as a backdrop. Emylee and Sol are at the right. Dan is just behind Maggy holding her bike.
Mary and Dan roll in the parade in the foreground. In the background, Maggy is in the red t-shirt talking to Monica in the brown FRIDA t-shirt.
A view of the hundreds of marchers ahead of us. We were somewhere at the two-thirds mark.
Nestor and Amber carry the FRIDA sign through Pilsen. Emylee is just behind Amber’s shoulder.
A nice overhead shot showing Mary and Dan marching, with Maggy and Monica in the background.
Papi Chulo, a drag king from Mexico, performs a song in Spanish at Harrison Park, as neighbors watch from their windows across the street. The ASL interpreter is in the pink shirt by the speakers.
Dykes on bikes salute the crowd entering Harrison Park by revving their engines—LOUDLY.
