Marching with Pride: Berwyn’s Fifth Annual Parade to Celebrate LGBTQ+ Community
The participants gathered at the intersection of Stanley and Gunderson Avenue on Saturday, June 24, 2023, while holding rainbow flags and play cards. The march commenced at Proksa Park. Chelsea Zhao/Cicero Independiente.
By Chelsea Zhao
Vibrant rainbow flags waved on a bright summer day as an energetic crowd buzzed in excitement for the annual pride parade held on June 24, which had been interrupted in previous years by the pandemic.
Youth Crossroads, a Berwyn organization, hosted a Pride Welcoming Gathering at noon, featuring a LGBTQ+ Youth Advocate Panel reflecting on past obstacles and triumphs.
The participants gathered at the intersection of Stanley. and Gunderson Avenue while holding rainbow flags and playcards. The march commenced at Proksa Park.
The youth passed candy and rainbow flags to the residents of Berwyn, who smiled and waved at their doorsteps down East Avenue and 30th Street.
Yadira Padilla, a member of the Junior State of America Club, shared that the group initiated the panel of speakers last year to combat misinformation about the LGBTQ+ community. Padilla said this year the panelists are from Berwyn, Naperville and Hinsdale, providing a broader perspective across the suburban LGBTQ+ community.
Chelsea Zhao/ Cicero Independiente
“A lot of things are changing and there's more acceptance, but there's a lot of legal stuff and laws aren’t getting passed that are preventing change from happening,” Padilla said.
Alexa Cruz, a 20-year-old resident of Berwyn, attended the parade for the second time. She walked toward the front of the parade holding a flag representing the lesbian community. The Rainbow flag featuring the Berwyn symbol flowed like a cape behind her
“I like the people on the sidewalk outside their houses, watching and cheering. It makes you feel happy,” said Cruz, who has lived in Berwyn her whole life. “I feel safe here.”
Ted Krobos, a 68-year-old Berwyn resident, used to march in the Chicago Pride Parade from 1995 to 2005, and said there were some bad reactions for the first Berwyn Pride Parade.
“We would send letters to newspapers and get nasty responses,” Krobos said.
Walking with Krobos was Jane Anderson, a member of Bungalo+, Berwyn United Neighborhood Gay and Lesbian Organization. Anderson reflected on the past negative behaviors toward the LGBTQ+ community.
“We had a lot of very good reactions from some people,” Anderson said. “There were a few that didn't like that we existed. Occasionally [there were] some phone calls at our homes. I guess stalking you call it now.”
Quinn Stitt, a Berwyn Library staff, has been involved with the parade every year except during the pandemic. She said the Berwyn Public Library creates pride lists for patrons to access available library resources and features all the represented LGBTQ+ communities.
“Especially now we have things happening – not here – but book bans and different challenges that harm the community,” Stitt said. “Thankfully, Illinois is the first state to effectively ban book bans. We'll see how the legislation works.”
Jeannette Hess, another Berwyn librarian who came with Stitt, said she is excited to show support for her first parade.
“Just coming from the library standpoint is that the library is for everyone, so we want to make that clear – that we are open and available for everyone in Berwyn and everyone in the community,” Hess said.
Chelsea Zhao is a freelance writer for publications including Cicero Independiente, WebMD, and South Side Weekly. She is passionate about covering topics related to health, the environment, and social justice. You can read more of Chelsea's work on her site here.
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