On June 26, 2016 more than one million people lined the streets of the north side of Chicago to watch the 47th annual Pride Parade. The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest has been involved in the Parade for the past eight years, and this year we remained steadfast in our support of the LGBT community at home in Chicago and the Midwest, and abroad.
As in previous years, the Israeli Consulate partnered with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to create a float that shows the connection between Israel and the United States. Tel Aviv, Israel’s City That Never Sleeps, is home to the largest Pride Parade in the region, and draws visitors from across the Middle East and around the world.
This year the parade held a moment of silence for the 49 people killed in the Orlando shooting. Even before the Orlando events, steps were taken to scale down the event and make it safer and cause less traffic and congestion.
The Mayor of Chicago, the Governor of Illinois, the Speaker of the House, Illinois Attorney General and almost all of the other prominent politicians in the state took part in the festivities. The parade entries represent community organizations, business, governmental officials and individual community members. The parade featured 160 registered entries (down from 215 last year), including floats, decorated vehicles, performance groups, a marching band and walking contingents. Monica Raymund, "Chicago Fire" star, was the Grand Marshal of the parade.
Chicago Pride has grown to be one of the largest and most well-known Pride events in the world. Pride has come to symbolize several things: the long history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer dignity, the freedom of all people to meaningfully and proudly express their sexual and gender identities, and the commitment of LGBT people to combating oppression.
