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Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Buffalo Grove Pride Parade 2025 ‘We need all of this, it's not just one person, it's all the people'
The midday Buffalo Grove Pride Parade on Sunday, June 1 featured 100 parade entries in Buffalo Grove. The weather was breezy, sunny and in the 60-degree range for a parade with the theme, 'Pride is Natural.' BG Pride and the Pinta Pride Project presented the seventh annual parade, which originated with Molly Pinta, thanks to the mentoring assistance of her parents, Bob and Carolyn Pinta. The Pinta family, formerly of Buffalo Grove, now resides in Prairie View. 'The positive energy that is here amongst the world we are currently living in is inspiring,' Bob Pinta said at the top of the parade route. Before the parade, Carolyn Pinta also said, 'Today, we win. 'They can do all these things they're doing, but look around, we win,' Molly's mother said. 'Love wins.' Parade entries included floats, cheerleaders, balloons galore, color guards, marching band music, houses of worship, and sports cars decorated with rainbows of color. 'We've made many friends here,' said Chris Woodard of Mundelein, co-founder of the Mundelein LGBT Alliance and Allies, who noted the astounding growth of the parade and spectator attendance. 'I don't know how you could have more beautiful of a celebration,' Woodard said. Many Lake County candidate hopefuls and elected officials were present, including Kristal Larson of Hainesville, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center of Lake County. Larson is the Avon Township clerk and serves as the first openly transgender elected official in Lake County. Larson grew up in Round Lake and graduated from Mundelein's Carmel Catholic High School in 1993. To Pioneer Press, Larson said, 'We need all of this, it's not just one person, it's all the people.' U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-10th) of Highland Park and Buffalo Grove Village President Eric Smith were also among elected officials participating in the parade. 'On a day where you see folks from across Lake County, and even other counties gathering in Buffalo Grove supporting each other, supporting Pride,' Schneider said, 'we, as a country, we remain divided, but we can't let those who want to separate us and divide us, win, we have to unite the country together.' Eric Smith told Pioneer Press, 'Buffalo Grove is smart with heart and we have a very diverse community that we embrace very much.' Highwood Pride was also present with a large group of attendees. Robyn Bauer, Highwood alderperson with Highwood Pride, spoke of recent events of adversity confronting the LGBTQ+ community. Kindness is key, Bauer agreed. 'We all are exhausted from all of the nastiness that's going on all around us,' Bauer said. 'We all care about each other.'
Chicago Tribune
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Hundreds rally in Lake County in support of transgender rights; ‘We just want to be treated like human beings'
Lake County was home to a number of demonstrations on Sunday marking the Transgender Day of Visibility. Several organizations partnered to present the peaceful demonstrations, including the LGBTQ+ Center Lake County of Grayslake, BG Pride of Buffalo Grove, Highwood Pride, Waukegan Friends and PFLAG Grayslake/Round Lake. Gurnee, Libertyville and Mundelein were also among the rally locations, with more than 400 people combined participating at the Lake County venues. Attending the rally in Deerfield was a priority for Kristal Larson of Hainesville, the Avon Township clerk and first transgender elected official in Lake County, who also serves as executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center Lake County. 'We are worried about what's happening here in Deerfield,' Larson said, referring to recent events which put Deerfield into the national spotlight with a transgender-related locker room complaint aired by the parent of a girl enrolled at Shepard Middle School. A transgender student using the girls' locker room had the Deerfield parent accusing school staff of forcing her daughter and students to change clothes along with their transgender classmate. 'Deerfield's a community in pain right now for the queer community, especially for the transgender community and the families,' Larson said. 'We've seen a lot of turmoil happen here recently and people are hurting, whether it's from what's going on at the national level, all the way down to here now at the local level. People are concerned. 'This is where we need to be right now,' Larson said. 'This is where the community needs us the most right now.' Robyn Whiteman of Lincolnshire stood near a Deerfield intersection as passing motorists honked their horns in support of the demonstration. More than one Deerfield police car patrolled the vicinity, and one pedestrian across Waukegan Road was heard shouting insults at demonstrators. 'We support trans rights and what's been happening at Shepard,' Whiteman said. 'I'm going to support youth and adults to let them be who they are.' Milo Shapiro of Deerfield, who was also among the rally participants, said, 'I want to feel safe in our country because our country is kind of going down the rails, which is unfortunate. But I want to be able to feel safe, and I want to be able to have a community, and this community is just incredible.' In Highwood, an estimated 100 people turned out for a demonstration at Mural Park at Waukegan and Walker avenues. 'Why am I here?' Harmony Lee of Highwood said. 'Because I love trans people.' Alex Sebastian Versage held a sign that read, 'Please Don't Turn Your Back on Us.' 'We exist. We're here. We're human. We are your neighbors. We're your family. We're your friends. We're loving, caring human beings,' Versage said. 'We just want to be treated like human beings.' DR Smith, president of Highwood Pride, called the Highwood rally, 'a beautiful demonstration of love and support for the transgender community.'
