8 Ways to Celebrate Pride Using Movement and Stories
By Allison Yates
Our favorite way to celebrate or commemorate anything is by using movement and stories, and Pride Month is no exception!
Here are the ways you can use movement and stories this month.
Running Tour of The Girls in 3-B and Lecture with Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
Readers & runners on this tour in 2023 were very colorful!
On this annual tour, Quinn Sluzenski guides runners through the Gold Coast/Near North area and stops at real-life queer hangouts from Chicago history and discusses characters from The Girls in 3-B. Through Valerie Taylor’s 1950s-era story of three small-town Midwestern Girls—Annice, Pat, and Barby— we discuss themes like work, love, independence. After the run, we’ll end with a fun and informative lecture with Jen Dentel of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. This year, our tour is on Tuesday, June 25 at 6pm out of Vuori Gold Coast. A portion of ticket sales will be donated to Gerber/Hart Library and Archives! Full details and tickets available here.
Run the Annual Proud to Run Race on June 30, 2024
Proud to Run Chicago is a 501(c)(3) charity. Their mission is to support organizations empowering the LGBTQ+ community in Chicago. The Proud to Run 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon is organized by an all-volunteer, community-based board of directors.
The first Proud to Run race was organized by Peg Gray of the Gay Athletic Association, along with Rob Williams and Jim White. On June 20, 1982, 40 runners and walkers gathered at Foster Avenue Beach and set off on a 10K run and a 1-mile walk that would evolve into an annual Pride Week event that welcomes thousands of participants and supporters, and has raised almost $700,000 for organizations that support the Chicagoland LGBTQ community.
[Source: Proud to Run]
Read Books About Pre-Stonewall LGBTQ History
If you’re interested in further context for Valerie Taylor’s work—whether you will join our running tour or not!—or if you’re curious about what life was like for queer people in the pre-Stonewall era, this list is for you! Quinn Sluzenski put together a collection of book recommendations and supplementary exhibits (both in-person and online) that center around those experiences, especially for Chicagoans.
Purchase Books from Allstora
Allstora is the independent bookstore committed to sharing all stories and sharing profits fairly. At Allstora, we are dedicated to championing authors. We split our profits with authors, doubling their income on the sale of each book–as opposed to another retailer whose name rhymes with "Glamazon." In a time where important stories, especially from queer and marginalized voices, are being banned and ostracized across the country, Allstora is ensuring there is access to books that represent a vast range of intersections, narratives, and history. Building off the success of the first iteration, ShopQueer, Allstora has expanded its catalog from 3,000 to 10 million titles, offering a catalog that appeals to all audiences through a diversified set of genres and authors. Allstora was co-founded by New York Times bestselling author and LGBTQ+ advocate Eric Cervini, drag performer and actor Adam Powell, and television icon and author RuPaul. [Source: Allstora]
Run a Self-Guided Route Inspired by David Jay Collins’s Gaybash
Gaybash is set during Memorial Day weekend in Boystown. In the novel, main character Matt Thompkins is faced headfirst with the fact he’s always lived a comfortable life within easily-discernible lanes. When he’s confronted with a terrible and violent situation near his house, his awakening leads him to make a decision that will impact his life forever. As David Jay Collins said in one interview, “Gaybash is about trusting yourself and believing in yourself, no matter who you are.” Read the book and run a self-guided route in Lakeview.
Browse the Library or View the Archives at Gerber/Hart Library and Archives
The largest LGBTQ archives and library in the Midwest since 1981 is a welcome, inclusive space where you can view anything from vintage VHS tapes to the newsletters of niche 1990s-era queer women fishing and camping groups!
Visit the LGBTQ-Owned Lakeview Bookstore Unabridged
Read & Run Chicago volunteer Connor Cargill and I showing off my “Lesbians for Cliterature” shirt!
Read & Run Chicago sells all kinds of cool merch items at the end of every event, but before we had that, we had this. This is our silly, Gen Z-inspired, homemade merch made just in time for Pride a few years ago—and when you purchase it, you help support our overhead costs. What a win!
Hot Tip: These shirts do well with some cropping and cutting.