If you live in the Chicago land area, Chicago pride is an absolute must. the whole month of June is dedicated to celebrating some of the most suppressed people in our society and celebrating diverse bodies. this is a guide to the top Chicago pride events.

1. WorkingOUT 2017 (6/3/2017)

This event welcomes LGBTQ cross fitters and allies to come out and compete in a variety of workout activities. The event will be held on Saturday the third of June and will be located at 2750 W Lawrence Avenue in Chicago. This event will run you about sixty-five dollars, and proceeds go to Lambda Legal; a civil rights organization dedicated to LGBTQ people and all people living with HIV. All participants must be eighteen years or older, and there will be an after party for those of the legal drinking age. The after party will take place at Crew Bar + Grill and for every cocktail purchased there will be a dollar donated to Lambda Legal!! Register here!

2. Pride Kickoff Brunch (6/4/2017)

The pride kickoff brunch will include an award ceremony, guest speaker, and other entertainment. Tickets will vary from twenty-five, forty, or fifty dollars depending on when and what tickets you purchase. The brunch will take place on the fourth of June from eleven in the morning to two in the afternoon. You can attend this event at 1655 Walnut Street in Chicago.

3. Pride Takeover (6/4/2017) & (6/11/2017)

For the first and second Sunday nights of June, the Scarlet Bar on Halsted in Chicago will be hosting “The Takeover”, which features a different artist and celebrates pride month. The fourth will be Beyoncé night and the eleventh will feature Britney Spears. Drinks will be three dollars and bottles of Champagne will be ten dollars

4. Chicago Equality Rally at Andersonville Midsommarfest (6/11/2017)

On Sunday, June eleventh a rally will be held at the Andersonville Midsommarfest, there will be a variety of speakers and musicians. It is recommended that individuals RSVP on Facebook, and there will be a one-dollar donation to three LGBTQ organizations based in Illinois with every donation made at the gate. Midsommarfest is going to be a great time as it is, now combine that with an LGBTQ rally and we’ve got a good time ahead of us.

5. Salute to LGBTQ Veterans (6/14/2017)

On Wednesday, June fourteenth at Daley Plaza in downtown Chicago, there will be a salute to LGBTQ veterans. This event will be hosted by American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) and will take place from twelve o’clock to one o’clock in the afternoon. Come out and support the veterans in our community!

6.Trans Beach Party 2017 (6/17/2017)

There is going to be a trans beach party at Ardmore Hollywood Beach on June seventeenth, from ten in the morning to five at night! This beach party will be a celebration of trans bodies, and just, in general, have a great time! Come wearing the trans colors and bring every trans flag you own!

7. 2017 Chicago Pride Fest (6/17/2017) & (6/18/2017)

Pride Fest will take place on the weekend of the seventeenth and eighteenth, from eleven in the morning to ten o’clock at night. You can find the fest down North Halsted Street and will be impossible to miss with the thousands of supporters coming to celebrate pride. There will be a variety of talent including Taylor Dayne, Thelma Houston, and much more. For the first time in the festival's history, there will be a Pride pageant, and of course loads of fun activities. Organizers suggest a ten dollar donation upon entering, which will be well worth it.

8. Transgender Community Ice Cream Social (6/21/2017)

This will be the second trans ice cream social to take place and will be located at the Center on Halsted. The social will be on the twenty-first of June and will be from five-thirty to eight-thirty at night. This event is free, and I really hope there is a large turnout from the trans community (so I can make more trans friend)!

9. Backlot Bash 2017 (6/23-25/2017)

The Backlot Bash is an outdoor woman’s musical festival that takes place during Chicago Pride every year. This festival takes place from Friday, June 23rd to Sunday the twenty-fifth. On the first day (Friday) there will be a whiskey, wine, and craft beer tasting party which will be located at REZA’S Restaurant and will cost twenty dollars online or thirty-five dollars at the door. There is also two passes, one for the three-day weekend pass (forty dollars online) and one for the two-day music festival (twenty-five dollars at the door). There is a TON of information on this festival weekend and loads of different pass options that you can check out here!

10.Proud to Run 2017 10k Run & 5K Run (6/24/17)

This annual run takes place during Pride week and supports the Chicago land area LGBTQ community with its proceeds. The race costs forty-five dollars but is a small price to support the community and run along the lake front. The 10K will start at eight o’clock in the morning, with the 5K starting at eight fourteen am. If pride and cardio are your things, then head down to the corner of Montrose Avenue and Simonds Drive on Saturday the twenty-fourth of June!

Register at http://www.proudtorun.org/.

11. Chicago Dyke March 2017 (6/24/2017)

The twenty-first annual Chicago Dyke March will take place on the twenty-fourth of June. It will start at two o’clock in the afternoon and end at six at night. This half mile long march will go through Little Village and is a celebration of queer, dyke, and transgender resistance. This event celebrates acceptance and brings communities together.

12. 48th Annual Chicago Pride Parade (6/25/2017)

The annual pride parade brings over a million visitors each year and celebrates some of the most suppressed people in the country. This iconic event is a must for community members and allies. It starts at the corner of Montrose and Broadway at noon and makes its way through Uptown, Boystown, Lakeview, and finishes off at Lincoln Park. Please come bearing all the pride that you can muster, and be ready to have an exhilarating time.

13. 2017 Chicago Black Gay Pride (6/30/2017)

June thirtieth through July third will be a celebration for black community members and allies. The festivities will include Elation (kickoff celebration), love fest rooftop day party, and a whole lot of other incredible parties. For more information about the festivities, you can visit here!

Feel free to come out and celebrate visibility at these events, keep in mind the lives of minorities have been everything but a celebration. So if you do attend these events make sure to respect the space to which you are in, and enjoy yourself and diversity!