Hundreds of community members, nonprofit representatives, food vendors, and Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson attended Homewood-Flossmoor Pride Fest at Flossmoor Park in Flossmoor on the evening of Friday, June 12.
Pride Fest, an annual event celebrating and supporting LGBTQ+ members of the community, previously has been held at Irwin Park in Homewood. It was moved to Flossmoor Park this year because of the approximately $1.2 million renovation project in Irwin Park.
Flossmoor was one of the first south suburban communities to host a Pride Fest in 2017, before the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District took over the event and moved it to Homewood.
Beyond the Blonde singer Charity Marie gets help from youngsters in the audience on “Pink Pony Club” by Chapel Roan. (Nick Ulanowski / H-F Chronicle)
Attendees enjoyed food and live music and waved Pride flags distributed by the Park District and other vendors. Some were draped in Pride flags or wore extravagant, Pride-themed outfits or furry costumes.
During Nelson’s speech, she wore rainbow-colored bead necklaces. She said she was proud that Flossmoor is hosting Pride Fest this year, after years of the event being held in Homewood.
For the fourth year in a row, the Bel Canto Choir was the first musical act.
Beyond the Blonde, a Chicagoland band that covers rock and pop songs by women, was the second musical act to perform.
During Beyond the Blonde’s rendition of the song Pink Pony Club by Chappel Roan, singer Charity Marie hopped off the stage and joined the audience. Marie put the microphone in front of kids’ faces, and they sang the song’s chorus instead of the band.
Homewood balloon store Luckeyia Balloons & Distribution constructed a rainbow-colored balloon arch in front of a mirror-like wall that sparkled.
Jordan Schroeder, owner of Schroeder’s Electric in Olympia Fields, had his picture taken in front of the arch by his friend Therese Swigart. Schroeder’s husband, Kory Risner, and his employee, Mateo De La Rosa, also posed for the picture.
“The trades are traditionally seen as not LGBT-friendly. I want to change that perception,” Schroeder said. “We’re here. We’re in every community. We’re in every field of work, and that attention needs to be broadcast more.”
Anxiety & Stress Center, Creative Approaches to Therapy, the Homewood Business Association, Homewood-Flossmoor High School student club Alphabet Soup, Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Homewood-Flossmoor, Planned Parenthood of Illinois and Sertoma Star Services provided information about their organizations to attendees.
Local religious organizations, Flossmoor Community Church and Faith Lutheran Church, also had booths at the event.
“You were fabulously created in God’s image,” read a banner at the Flossmoor Community Church’s booth. It had the subheading: “We welcome you. We affirm you. We love you. Just as God intended you to be.”
Park District board member Angie Coderre attended Pride with her wife and two kids. She wore a “This is the gay that the Lord made me” sticker that she grabbed from the Flossmoor Community Church’s booth.
“I identify squarely as a beautiful lesbian,” Coderre said. “I didn’t come out until after college. And the way that the Homewood-Flossmoor community has embraced the LGBTQ community in the last 10 years is a core component of why my wife and I moved back here.”
“There’s a lot of stress in the world for LGBTQ folks, especially young people. The risks of self-harm are really high,” Coderre said, adding that Pride festivals are “a signal” that LGBTQ+ people can be happy and thrive.
Crab Bagz cooked and served vegetable, shrimp, chicken and steak kebabs for the third year in a row.
A genderqueer Homewood resident with the furry name “Chomper” ordered food from Crab Bagz. They said Pride is important because it pushes back against religious and political institutions that have demonized the LGBTQ+ community.
Furry refers to a community of people who like to create and inhabit anthropomorphic animal characters.
“When the people in power in the world you live in have created an environment that is, by default, antagonizing to you, I think it’s important to have pride in your daily life,” Chomper said. “They take away your rights, take away your dignity and take away your right to exist. The one thing you have is your pride.”
Ronak Patel, owner of Family Wine and Liquors in Homewood, served drinks.
Other food vendors included Buona Beef, Flossmoor Brewing Station Co., Jaunacho’s Tacos, Kona Ice, Nissa’s Nana Pudding & More and Rainbow Cone.
Several attendees wore furry costumes. Not all furries are LGBTQ+, but some LGBTQ+ people have found it to be a safe place for them to explore their gender identity and/or sexuality. A 2020 survey from FurScience.com found that only about 10% of furries identify as heterosexual.
Wrenn Konkolich, a nonbinary Beecher resident, said when they saw Flossmoor resident Audie Simmon’s furry costume, they approached her because they’re also a furry.
“This is my first Pride. I know I’m sounding a little emotional right now, because I finally get to express,” Konkolich said, beginning to tear up. “Everyone is so happy. And I’ve been very jaded because of everything that’s been going on.”
“It’s so important, especially in times like these when you’re seeing so much queer suffering, that there’s still queer joy,” Simmon said, describing why events like this matter.
