Chicago Gay, Lesbian Hall of Fame Celebrates 20 Years

The Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, which bills itself as the only government-sponsored hall of fame honoring gay, lesbian, and transgender people, turned 20 this year and honored 11 more individuals and four additional organizations. The nominees will be inducted at a ceremony Wednesday evening at the Chicago History Museum.

"It makes us proud that, even 20 years after our first ceremony, there are still important figures from the past and a constantly growing list of current Chicagoans whose accomplishments and community contributions merit being honored by the Hall of Fame," Israel Wright, associate director of the Hall of Fame Committee and secretary of the Friends of the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, said in a press release.

Some of this year inductees include Antonia "Tata" Flores, who founded Chicago's Dykes on Bikes motorcycle contingent in 1987. She was involved with the organization, ran lesbian nightclubs in the city, and aided charitable causes before her death in 2008 from breast cancer. Also honored will be 48-year-old Brett Shingledecker, who founded People Like Us in 1988, Chicago's only LGBT bookstore at the time. Shingledecker not only served the community through literature, but used his store to promote local philanthropy. Read more about the inductees here.