Shapiro proclaims June LGBTQ Pride Month in Deerfield

At the Deerfield board of trustees meeting on June 6, Mayor Dan Shapiro proclaimed June LGBTQ Pride Month in the village.

He drew on President Bill Clinton's June 2, 2000, proclamation for "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month" to commemorate the June 1969 Stonewall uprising in Manhattan. He noted President Barack Obama's June 1, 2009, expansion of the commemoration to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.

In the proclamation, Shapiro also cited the 2015 United States Supreme Court decision guaranteeing marriage equality nationwide. Shapiro said the decision "was a historic victory for LGBTQ Americans, and continues to affirm our belief that we are all more free when we are treated as equals."

Stating "there remains much work to do" regarding discrimination, Shapiro concluded his proclamation by "encourag(ing) all community residents to eliminate prejudice wherever it exists and to celebrate our great diversity by celebrating our LGBTQ friends and neighbors."

The proclamation drew applause from those at the dias and in the village hall chambers.

At the village's invitation, Ann McAuliffe and Sue Ginsburg of the Deerfield chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) addressed the board. Both have gay children.

"My kids are just like yours," said McAuliffe, a 26-year Deerfield resident. "They're students, athletes, musicians, siblings and friends. And, yes, they are gay. It's just one of their many wonderful qualities. I'm so lucky that they grew up in Illinois and in Deerfield - a safe, accepting and inclusive community."

McAuliffe said PFLAG supports "three pillars": coping with an adverse society, education to enlighten an ill-informed public, and advocacy to end discrimination and secure equal rights.

The group meets from 7:15-9:15 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at Congregation B'nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim, 1201 Lake-Cook Road.

McAuliffe said Deerfield PFLAG representatives "have had a very busy Pride month already," with two stops in Glenview, one in Deerfield and another in Buffalo Grove, as well as their visit to Monday's board meeting.

"Being an ally is probably one of the most important things you all can do," Ginsburg said. "You don't have to have a gay kid. You can be an ally by supporting the gay community in Deerfield ... It's just a great thing to do to be an ally."

Trustees approved the motion to approve the proclamation by a 5-0 vote, whereupon Shapiro presented a copy of it to McAuliffe.