Photos: Capturing Chicago's Pride Parade over the years
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Last year's Pride Parade. Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images
The 2023 Chicago Pride Parade kicks off today at noon in Northalsted and is expected to draw tens of thousands of people.
Why it matters: "It will be one of the largest Pride parades in many years," coordinator Tim Frye told Windy City Times. "There will be a recognition of the anti-LGBTQ actions that have taken place in the past few months directed at our community."
The big picture: Human Rights Watch this month issued its first state of emergency in response to the hundreds of anti-LGBTQ+ bills that have been proposed nationally, especially against the transgender community.
- Transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming youth are losing access to life saving medical care, comprehensive education and safe spaces, according to the report.
Zoom in: Diane Alexander White, whose street photography is on display at a new exhibit at the National Hellenic Museum, has documented several of Chicago's Pride Parades since 1976, when her UIC professor assigned the class to cover the event.
- White's photography focuses on Chicagoans gathering together.
- "I hope that my photos motivate people to get out there and support each other no matter what your endeavor is as long as it's positive, good, happy, inclusive," White tells Axios. "That's what gathering together is all about."
White shared with us some favorite photos from past parades:

Flashback: The early parades had a "grassroots DIY" vibe, White recalls. It was mostly gay men who lived in the area.
- The '76 parade was only seven years after the Stonewall uprising and still decades away from legalized same-sex marriage and other rights.



Go deeper: Check out this year's parade route. See more of White's Pride photos.
