Tag: richard pfeiffer

The 50th annual Chicago Pride Parade – held Sunday, June 30, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York – ended early due to "inclement weather," according to Chicago Police.At 3:01 p.m., the Chicago Police Department tweeted: The Chicago Pride Parade has been canceled due to inclement weather.City officials ordered the cancellation, according to parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer.The parade, as it has in recent years, was expected to draw record crowds, with many saying beforehand...

The parade, featuring 160 colorful entries, steps-off at noon from Montrose and Broadway and will then travel the 21-block parade route before it ends near Diversey and Sheridan in Lincoln Park.Related: Pride parade line-up for Sunday More than 1 million people are expected to move in and out of the Lakeview and Uptown neighborhoods throughout the day.Street closures will go into effect at 8 a.m. and are expected to fully reopen by 8 p.m. Public transportation is highly recommended. Metra and CTA both announced...

The 2019 parade, under the theme "Stonewall 50: Millions of Moments of Pride", will honor the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, an event that served as a catalyst for the gay liberation movement.Related: A look back at the Chicago Pride Parade: 1970 - 2018"This year's parade is special because it's the 50th anniversary," parade coordinator Richard Pfeiffer told GoPride.com. "We have some new surprise entries, along with multiple Grand Marshals, which is new this year."Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city's...

Richard Pfeiffer has been riding along the Chicago parade all 50 years.He watched Chicago's first-ever parade in 1970, was a volunteer marshal at the second, third and fourth parades, and he volunteered to be the coordinator at the fifth parade in 1974.Pfeiffer remains the Pride Parade Coordinator for Chicago's annual Pride Parade, held every year on the last Sunday of June.The parade, he said, "is special for many reasons.""I was barely out of my teens (during the first-ever parade),...

And yet, in spite of the seemingly stagnant waters, there were tell-tell signs of a maelstrom stirring, as two months after Stonewall a raid at the Annex bar prompted a scuffle between patrons and police – at the time it was unheard of for Chicago gays to resist arrest. In another development, a University of Chicago student named Henry Weimoff started a Gay Liberation group on campus.Over the cold winter of 1969/1970 the topic of homosexuality pervaded the local media:...

The annual parade has traditionally featured one Honorary Grand Marshal, such as actor George Takei (2006), actress Alexandra Billings (2009), country singer Chely Wright (2010), former NFL player Wade Davis (2013), and professional boxer Orlando Cruz (2018), to name a few.For the first time, there will be an Honorary Grand Marshal, still to be announced, plus a Youth Grand Marshal, several Legacy Grand Marshals and an Organizational Grand Marshal.Molly Pinta, the 12-year-old middle school student who lobbied to have...

Chicago's 50th annual parade steps off at noon on Sunday, June 30.Lightfoot was overwhelmingly elected to lead the Windy City in a historic election on April 2. She is the first African-American woman and first openly lesbian mayor in Chicago's history.During her victory speech, Lightfoot told supporters:"One day, you will stand on my shoulders, as I stand on the shoulders of so many: The shoulders of strong black women, like Ida B. Wells, Gwendolyn Brooks and Annie Ruth Lowery. The shoulders of...