Rimes has been a longtime ally of the LGBTQ community as a supporter of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, Human Rights Campaign, and The Trevor Project. In December 2010, she performed “The Rose,” alongside The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles to remember gay teenagers who took their own lives. She also served as a guest judge on Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“I believe in equality,” Rimes told PrideSource.com in 2011. “Everybody should be treated exactly the same way no matter what their race, no matter what their sexuality.”
Rimes was an international sensation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1997, the 14-year-old Rimes became the youngest person to win a Grammy. She would later go on to win another Grammy, three Academy of Country Music awards, a Country Music Association award, 12 Billboard Music awards, and one American Music award.
Leann Rimes performs the North Stage at 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. The annual Chicago Pride Fest takes place on June 22-23, one weekend before the annual Chicago Pride Parade. It runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. down North Halsted Street from Addison to Grace. A $10 suggested donation is requested at the entrance.
This year’s festival honors the birth of the pride movement by recognizing the 50th anniversary of Stonewall.
The 2019 Chicago Pride Parade, celebrating its 50th year, is Sunday, June 30 starting at noon.
Chicago Pride Fest is organized by and benefits the Northalsted Business Alliance, the organization behind Northalsted Market Days, Frost Fest and the Halloween Parade.
