Aurora's first gay pride parade 'to celebrate everyone'

Already a city of diversity, Aurora is about to host a new event designed to acknowledge, include and welcome people of all identities.

It's the city's first gay pride parade, set to step off at noon Sunday, June 17, from Benton Avenue and River Street.

If you go

What: Inaugural Aurora Pride Parade
When: Noon Sunday, June 17
Where: Route starts at Benton Avenue and River Street; heads east on River; turns north on Broadway; turns west on Downer Place; ends and Downer and River
Who: Hosted by Indivisible Aurora featuring 60 units such as local LGBTQ groups, Gay-Straight Alliances, businesses, politicians and faith groups
Cost: Free; all are welcome
Info: aurorapride.org

The purpose of the parade is "to celebrate everyone," said Chuck Adams, founder of Indivisible Aurora, which got city permission in March to host the new event.

"We want to validate and celebrate and affirm the LGBTQ community in Aurora and the Western suburbs," Adams said, "and to help people who are struggling with their identity to understand that it will get better."

Featuring 60 units in what's promised to be a G-rated environment, the event will allow gay-straight alliances, LGBTQ groups, bands, businesses, dancers, politicians, faith organizations and anyone with pride in their identity to put it on display. In that way, pride parades tend to reflect the communities in which they take place, so organizers say Aurora's will be family-friendly and inclusive.

"It's going to be the kind of thing where you can bring anybody -- from teens to your grandma to your 6-year-old," said Gwyn Ciesla, an Indivisible Aurora board member and one of the organizers of the parade. "We're reaching out to everybody and saying that every individual is a member of the community, no matter what our differences are."

Gaining approval for the parade required a debate in front of the city's government operations committee, in which opponents voiced concerns about logistics, safety, financing, nudity, the potential for unlawful behavior and the fact the event is scheduled for Father's Day.

Supporters convinced two of the three government operations committee members to vote in favor of the event, and when the third abstained, the event got the go-ahead.

Since then, Adams said Indivisible Aurora has been fundraising through a GoFundMe page. The page so far has raised $8,455.

"What's really nice is that we have received Facebook messages and emails and donations from Aurorans all around the country … who have said to us, 'I left Aurora years ago because I never felt accepted. I'm coming back home for this parade,'" Adams said. "There's nothing prouder."

Participating parade units are set to include the Lakeside Pride LGBT marching band from Chicago, an LGBTQ alliance from the Aurora Police Department, gay-straight alliances from Aurora-area high schools and colleges, and groups from SciTech Hands On Museum, the Aurora Public Library, the Fox Valley Park District, a synagogue and 10 churches.

"We're really excited to have all of them add to the festive atmosphere that we're trying to convey here," Adams said.

One of the participating churches is New England Congregational Church United Church of Christ, which Senior Minister Gary McCann says already welcomes many lesbian and gay members with professionally led support groups for high school students who are questioning their sexual or gender identity as well as families and friends of people in the LGBT community.

Wearing matching shirts and marching behind a rainbow banner with the words "Jesus didn't exclude anyone; neither do we," will be about 85 church members who all "want to support this community," McCann said.

As her home city celebrates its first pride parade, Ciesla will, too. Although she's researched several pride fests as she's helped plan Aurora's first, she has never attended.

"As an LGBT person, you'd think so," she said. "But I haven't."

She said that further underscores the need for a suburban celebration of pride.

"It's a long time coming," Ciesla said about the parade. "I was surprised to find out that there hadn't been anything in a city this size before."

The parade route makes a "U" shape in downtown, heading east on Benton from River Street, then turning north on Broadway and west on Downer Place to end where Downer meets River Street. At least 11 businesses, listed on the parade website as "Pride Stops" are offering specials on parade day, including cheap pizza, drink deals, buy-one-get-one pastries, discounted apparel and $1-per-minute chair massages.

The route of about a half-mile isn't far, but it's enough to make Aurora's gay pride evident, organizers say. If the event goes well, Indivisible Aurora may try to expand next year to include more of a festival environment.

Column: Aurora's inaugural Pride Parade is ground-breaking and also a homecoming

It was more than 20 years ago — in 1997 — that I wrote a column about a local couple who had divorced after the husband came out as gay.

There were no real names used back then, although the woman regretted the story having to be “this complicated, this secretive” — and expressed hope some day the stigma associated with homosexuality would be reduced so both could come out of the closet.

In the meantime, I wrote, just call them Mary and Tom. And don’t try to figure out who they are.

I shake my head in amazement as I read that old story. It’s a similar reaction I get when I think back to the wall of anonymity we ran into a few years later when Beacon-News reporters tried to do a comprehensive series on gays and lesbians living and working in the Fox Valley. Few wanted to use their names, no one wanted to be photographed. And the project, not for lack of trying, was eventually scrapped.

How drastically things have changed … in our culture and particularly in our community.

When Aurora’s inaugural Pride Parade steps off at noon on Sunday, sponsors will include ComEd, as well as other large and small businesses, health and professional groups, even local churches.

And there will be around 60 marching units — including floats, a band, dancers and other musical entertainment, fire trucks and antique cars — which is the maximum suggested by the city to keep the event within a manageable two-hour time range.

What surprised parade organizer Gwyn Ciesla the most, she told me, was not so much the 150 to 200 employees from area Target stores who will be marching, but the fact there will be more than a dozen churches or Christian organizations taking part, as well as a synagogue.

That number, said Ciesla, “far outstripped my wildest dreams.”

Not that this parade has been without controversy. Supporters have maintained it will be a G-rated family affair, but some members of Aurora’s faith community expressed concerns about what a gay pride parade would entail. And there were also critics upset it would be held on Father’s Day, which is also the last day of the Blues on the Fox festival.

But Chuck Adams, who has lived here 15 years and co-founded Indivisible Aurora with wife Kimberly as part of a national progressive movement after the 2016 presidential election, insists “I would not change a thing” in how it all came together.

The controversy, said Adams, “lifted the profile” of the event, not only attracting media but local, state and national allies. And once the story broke, “the fundraising began.”

Getting so many churches involved, Adams added, “has been a singular pleasure to me,” in light of the early opposition from the faith community.

Several church leaders told me on Tuesday that, while they support the rights of any group to hold a parade as long as rules are followed, they remain disappointed and concerned about the way the city so enthusiastically endorsed this event.

Mayor Richard Irvin, the city’s first African-American mayor, certainly did just that, even referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in February when urging officials to approve the parade permit. And on Tuesday night at the City Council meeting, Irvin presented a proclamation to parade organizers, declaring June as Pride Month in Aurora and specifically singling out the Sunday parade.

When Indivisible Aurora came up with the idea of a pride parade outside Chicago it wasn’t so much why Aurora but why not Aurora, the second largest city in the state and certainly one that has not only morphed from its blue-collar industrial roots to a more diverse and artistic community, it has passionately embraced that new identity.

Ciesla gives plenty of credit to the city for its cooperation, particularly the police department, which “has worked closely with us on safety and security issues.”

Officials indicated there will be more security at this event, not just because of possible protesters but in response to last summer’s violence in Charlottesville that put more cities on higher alert.

While there may be some Chicago folks who show up on Sunday, this first-ever suburban pride parade — there have been others downstate — is definitely “a Fox Valley and western suburbs event,” Ciesla said.

At one time, organizers considered adding a festival to the day but decided on just one event for this inaugural year so we could “knock it out of the park,” she noted.

There will also be plenty of shops and food vendors open for business, and Adams encourages people to come not just for the parade but to “hang out all day, eat breakfast or lunch and see what else is going on downtown.”

Ciesla, who has lived here for 12 years, says she’s hearing from plenty of older Fox Valley LGBT residents who have had a “foot out of the closet for a decade or more recently,” and who insist this event is “long overdue and can’t believe they lived long enough to see it.”

Ciesla said she was also encouraged by those who showed up in support at the council meeting. It was not so much the LGBT audience that touched her but the “parents of children who are exploring their sexuality or who say they don’t know what their kid is yet.”

“It is different,” she said, “than it used to be.”

An understatement, to be sure. Which is why I have no doubt there will be those who, not that long ago refused to give us their names or faces, will proudly show up at this parade … no longer concerned about being quoted or photographed.

Adams says he’s heard from more than a dozen transplanted Aurorans from all over the country — Florida, California, Kansas, Arizona — who left this city because they never felt as if they fit in.

All of them, he told me, indicate they plan to return to Aurora for this parade.

“They feel like they can finally come home.”

Aurora Pride Parade 2018: Parking, Route, More

AURORA, IL — Aurora is going to see its very first gay pride parade this June. The Inaugural Pride Parade, hosted by Indivisible Aurora, is the first of its kind in the town and is sure to be a great time.

"This is unique in that it's the first of its kind in the western suburbs, and it's long overdue in a city of Aurora's size and diversity," organizer Gwyn Ciesla said, according to the Aurora Beacon-News. "Other communities have begun planning their own celebrations, such as Bolingbrook, and we couldn't be more pleased."

The June 17 parade starts at noon. They'll march off at South River Street and West Benton Street, crossing the Fox. They'll circle back on West Downer Place, ending at South River Street.

Ciesla said one major reason for the parade is so Aurora's LGBTQ community doesn't have to travel far to show their pride. "The broad motivation for this event is to show support for the LGBTQ membersof our community, but our particular focus is LGBTQ youth," Ciesla said, the Beacon-News reports. "While many have supportive families and schools, not all are so lucky."

Scott Mackay and Danielle Tufano of 95.9 the River are emceeing the event, and tons of local business are offering specials all day.

Parade Route:

• Start at South River Street and West Benton Street
• Go southeast on West Benton Street
• Go northeast on South Broadway
• Go northwest on West Downer Place
• End at South River Street and West Downer Place

See the map below to for parade route, parking, restrooms and local stores, via Indivisible Aurora.

There will also be free HIV status checks provided by Open Door Health Center of Illinois, according to the parade website.

This free event is open to everybody, so whether you're gay, straight, trans, bisexual—it doesn't matter—you will be accepted and welcome.

Aurora Prepping For First Ever Pride Parade This Month

CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Municipal officials and activist groups in Aurora are finalizing preparations for what will be the City’s first ever Pride Parade this month.

The Treadwell Coffee shop on Downer Place is one of several Aurora businesses and organizations that will be Pride stops during what organizers say will be a family friendly Pride Parade June 17th, organized to celebrate the LGBT community. 

That's where WBBM got Aurora Pride Parade co-chair Kimberly Adams to sit still long enough to say the family-friendly event on  Sunday June 17th will be wonderful, and yes it’s a lot of work.

Adams says it’s been a whirlwind of activites, working with participating groups and —yes, she says—preparing for people who may demonstrate against the event.

Aurora Police won’t discuss specific plans, but say they will make sure paticipants and attendees will have an enjoyable and safe experience.City spokesman Clayton Muhammad says officials are prepared, just as they are for the other big events that take place in downtown Aurora, like festivals, parades, music events and more. He says the city's entire Public safety team is involved.

'It's long overdue': Indivisible Aurora hosts the city's first Pride Parade on June 17

It’ll be a sea of rainbows when the inaugural Aurora Pride Parade steps off at 12 p.m. June 17 in downtown Aurora.

“This is unique in that it's the first of its kind in the western suburbs, and it's long overdue in a city of Aurora's size and diversity,” said organizer Gwyn Ciesla. “Other communities have begun planning their own celebrations, such as Bolingbrook, and we couldn't be more pleased.”

The City of Lights’ first pride parade was officially approved in March and is hosted by Indivisible Aurora.

“The genesis of the inaugural Aurora Pride Parade was in discussions around commemorating the first anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub tragedy,” said Ciesla, who is director of Indivisible Aurora’s LGBTQ and Alliance team. “There was discussion between a few Indivisible Aurora board members, myself included, and a unanimous vote of those present at a full member meeting. Then I filed the paperwork, and planning began.”

The parade is designed to be welcoming to everyone.

“The broad motivation for this event is to show support for the LGBTQ members of our community, but our particular focus is LGBTQ youth,” Ciesla said. “While many have supportive families and schools, not all are so lucky.”

While support can be found in big cities, suburbs may not always have such resources.

“Young people simply face challenges reaching Chicago,” Ciesla said. “Something closer to home is not only more convenient, but reinforces the feeling that their community embraces them.”

The parade lineup starts at 10 a.m.

“We should have approximately 60 units in the parade, varying between floats, vehicles or groups of walkers,” Ciesla said. “Wear sunscreen, and bring your friends and family. Everyone is welcome.”

The parade route starts at South River Street and West Benton Street and continues southeast on West Benton Street to northeast on South Broadway to northwest on West Downer Place, ending on South River Street and West Downer Place.

“It's expected to meet or exceed crowd sizes for other Aurora parades,” Ciesla said. “It will absolutely be family-friendly. My kids will be there.”

Scott Mackay and Danielle Tufano, weekday morning show hosts at radio’s 95.9 The River, will emceeing the parade.

Some local businesses will be offering Pride specials all day, including Leland Legends Pub and Grill, Rocktown Adventures, Tecalitlan Restaurant, La Mina Mexican Grill, Doughballs Pizza Palace, Zen Loft Wellness Center, Balavi Salon Signature, The Web Tavern, Gillerson’s Grubbery, Wyckwood House Market and La Central Bakery. There also will be food trucks on South Stolp Avenue, between West Benton Street and East Galena Boulevard.

Free HIV status checks will be provided by Open Door Health Center of Illinois, 1 E. Benton St.

Indivisible Aurora is a community advocacy group founded in February 2017.

“Indivisible Aurora is focused on issues that will make a concrete difference in the lives of Aurorans, particularly those who are members of marginalized communities,” Ciesla said. “This is evinced by our three largest efforts to date, which have been supporting immigrants, the Pride Parade, and working toward ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.”

Aurora Pride T-shirts will be available for purchase on a first-come, first served basis at the parade for $15.

Inaugural Aurora Pride Parade

When: 12 p.m. June 17

Where: downtown Aurora

Admission: free

Information: www.aurorapride.org

Jen Banowetz is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

6 CITIES THROWING THEIR FIRST-EVER PRIDE CELEBRATIONS IN 2018

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Aurora, Illinois 

June 17
On Father’s Day, Illinois’ second-largest city will throw its first-ever Pride parade, and this one did face some opposition. Organizers filled out their permit paperwork back in November, but were held up until early 2018 by a small religious group voicing small religious objections. 

“They were using a lot of coded language, I think basically they were afraid it was going to be some sort of debauched bacchanalia,” says parade coordinator Gwyn Ciesla, the organizer who applied for the parade permit.

The real tea is that Aurora’s celebration is in fact predicated on being “G-rated” -- Ciesla says the organizers want the celebration to center student groups from middle schools and high schools. They also expect about one-sixth of the marchers to come from churches and synagogues. Attendance predictions range from 5,000 to as high as 9,000. In accordance with modern American tradition, they are attempting to cover this via a GoFundMe. 

“It’ll reflect the Aurora community in that, in addition to being youth-focused, it’ll be pretty ethnically and religiously diverse,” Ciesla says. “We have a large Latinx population and also a large Muslim population, so it’ll be a rainbow in that sense, too.” 

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Indivisible Aurora Celebrates Pride Night with the Chicago Red Stars

We're planning a special night just for you with our friends at the Chicago Red Stars. Come join us as we cheer on the Red Stars on May 26th at Toyota Park! 

BUY TICKETS, HERE: https://www.fevo.com/…/Indivisible-Aurora-Celebrates-Pride-…

When you purchase, you'll receive your very own referral link to share with your friends and family. Anyone that buys from your link will automatically be seated with you. For every ticket purchased, $5.00 will be donated to Indivisible Aurora to support Aurora's Inaugural Pride Parade.

To pre-purchase parking passes and save time on game day please call 773-698-6804. 

If you have any questions please contact Abbi Williamson at awilliamson@chicagoredstars.com or 773-698-6804.

Join the Chicago Sky for their annual Pride Night on June 1st!

Enter 'AURORAILPRIDE' when searching for ticket, by clicking here!

All ticket sales through this link will include a donation to support the Aurora Pride Parade!

For questions, contact Jordan at 312-994-5963 or jmendelson@chicagosky.net.

Buy an Aurora Pride parade T-Shirt for $15

Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Yetee for our wonderful Aurora Pride Parade 2018 t-shirts!

If you are interested in getting an Aurora Pride shirt, we will be selling them at the Pride Parade for $15.

Want a shirt before the Parade? Visit our table at First Fridays in Downtown Aurora on Friday, May 4th and Friday, June 1st!

In addition, The Yetee generously donated t-shirts to all of our volunteers who will be helping out on the day of Aurora's Inaugural Pride Parade!

A huge thank you to The Yetee team!

Scott Mackay and Danielle Tufano, from 95.9 The River, to MC Aurora's Inaugural Pride Parade

We are honored to announce Scott Mackay and Danielle Tufano, weekday morning show hosts from 95.9 The River, will officially be MCing Aurora’s Inaugural Pride Parade!

Not only are we excited to have the amazing support from the Mackay in the Morning with Danielle Tufano show, but Danielle has also been an Aurora resident for more than 20 years!