Pride Fest in Irwin Park: ‘Homewood has my back'
It said, 'I don't mind straight people as long as they act gay in public.'
For the record, Crump is not gay and has been married for 38 years. However, she does have three gay children and that's one of the reasons she has attended all three of the Homewood-Flossmoor Pride Fests, including this year's version, which took place Friday at Irwin Park in Homewood.
'I'm all about supporting the people who are not the same as us,' she said.
Crump said such pride events are a step in the right direction, even through there is still a lot of resistance when it comes to accepting gays and their lifestyles.
'We haven't come far enough but we are a lot farther than we were,' she said. 'But love is love is love.'
Her daughter, 25-year-old Mica Crump, attended Friday's celebration and said she is proudly gay. She appreciates being able to come out to an event such as Pride Fest and feel comfortable.
'I love that this suburb is doing this,' she said. 'A lot of suburbs don't have this. It's something you see in the city. But Homewood has my back. I like it here.'
Mica was active in Homewood-Flossmoor High School's Gay-Straight Alliance and said she found acceptance there.
She liked Pride Fest is able to draw different types of people, including families.
'It makes me so happy to see the little kid wearing the pride merch,' Mica said.
The fest featured food, drinks, vendors offering various services and music from The Divas and the Bel Canto Choir.
Organizers said the first two Pride Fests drew between 1,200 and 1,400 patrons.
There were a few speeches regarding the importance of the fest, inclusion and continuing the fight for acceptance.
U.S. Robin Kelly, the 2nd District representative who announced in May that she is running for the U.S. Senate, spoke about not giving up the fight.
'Despite what looks like an ugly climate and despite what is an ugly climate, those of us out here and beyond are saying they are not taking this,' she said. 'Do me a favor. Do not get weary. That's what they want you to do.
'We have to fight the good fight and we have allies in congress. Many allies,' Kelly said.
She said that everyone needs to stay together and respect each other.
'At the end of the day, we are all human beings,' she said. 'We all have something to contribute to this society.
'I want you to know I am fighting the good fight for you in Washington and I will continue to fight that fight,' she said.
Park District Recreation Supervisor Zac Kerby urged patrons at the fest to have fun but to reflect on the struggles that gay and trans people have to go through.
'It's more than a celebration,' he said. 'It's a reminder of how far we've come and how much further we still have to go.
'Today, we honor the courage, the resilience and the joy of the LGBTQIA-plus community. Here in this space, everyone is seen and everyone is heard. Everyone is valued.'
Homewood-Flossmoor Park Board member Angie Coderre wore a shirt that said 'Gay Mom' and although her two young children were not interested in addressing the crowd, she had good things to say about the success of Pride Fest.
'Today is always a special day for me personally,' she said. 'I came back here to raise my family with my wife and two kids. This always touches my heart in a way that is impossible without this community.'
Homewood Mayor Rich Hofeld gave a brief welcome and Flossmoor Mayor Michelle Nelson led crowd in a chant.
'Thank you for coming out to support individuals in their journey to find love, acceptance and resiliency,' Nelson said. 'That journey is so much better when you are not doing it alone. It's important to have the support of friends, family and neighbors.'
The fest is a collaboration of the Park District and the two villages. Oralethea Davenport, who manages special events for the Park District, said the first two years were successful.
'It's one of our largest attended events,' she said. 'And this is an event for anyone and everyone. Families. Individuals. Supporters, Everyone.
'Anyone who wants to come out is more than welcome.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Should the gay Muslim man forgive his homophobic immigrant parents?
Yes! OBVIOUSLY! But my answer might've been different when I was younger — or before I left America to travel the world. Last month, the New York Times published an essay, 'I Let My Parents Down to Set Myself Free' by Tarek Ziad, about a young gay Muslim man and his difficult relationship with his very traditional immigrant parents. The man's family immigrates from Morocco to Florida, opens a small business, and experiences what sounds like fairly vicious racism and Islamophobia. The future writer acts out, and the parents discipline him according to the mores of their homeland — that is, very strictly. After a series of massive sacrifices by his parents, Ziad ends up in college, where he begins 'the process of finding myself, unburdened by the expectations of their traditionalist worldview.' That is, he cuts his parents off. Later, when Ziad hears his parents are desperate to make contact with him, he unblocks his number. 'My eyes scanning the floor, I called [my mother] back,' Ziad writes. 'I heard the relief and happiness in her 'Hello?' I told her I'd finished my junior year. I was studying acting and writing solo shows. And, oh yeah, I was having sex with men.' Now his parents block him. 'It's a tough lesson,' he writes, 'accepting that my happiness could be linked to my parents' misery. But I had to shatter their idea of me as simply the troublesome son with authority issues.' Later, his parents reach out again, asking if they can attend his graduation. But he insists that his college boyfriend be there, so they reluctantly decline. After that, they still regularly invite him home for holidays, but now he always declines because they still can't accept his 'queerness.' 'Even though I crave the love of a family dinner, I can't head home knowing not all of me is invited,' Ziad writes. 'I must refuse to splinter my ego, even as it deprives the part of me that misses his parents. And I do.' Instead, he cultivates 'new memories, a new relationship to faith, a new life. My life. People who love me, make me laugh, whom I love' — a chosen family. Obviously, it's none of my business how this guy lives his life, and I'm generally reluctant to judge other people's choices anyway, especially when it comes to something like being gay. On the other hand, when you write about your life-choices online, you're asking people to judge them — by definition. That's the whole point of writing a personal essay, right? Problem is, even hearing this story from within his own self-serving framing, my judgment is that this guy sounds like kind of a selfish jerk. He cuts his parents out of his life without explanation, and when they reach out to him, one of his first comments is to announce he's having sex with men? Despite their coming from an incredibly traditional background? Dude's apparently never heard of the concept of 'diplomacy.' Which, again — fine. It really is none of my business. But I also think he's making a huge mistake — if only because it sounds like his parents really are trying to meet him halfway. Okay, yes, his parents won't accept 'all' of him. But he's clearly not willing to accept all of them either: he's asking them to splinter their egos by foregoing their traditional Muslim beliefs. Funny thing, though. As immature as this Ziad guy seems, he sounds vaguely familiar. When I was in my twenties, I said very similar things. My parents were also socially conservative — devoutly Catholic — and they had an extremely difficult time accepting that I'm gay. When I came out, my parents both said horrible things to me too. Honestly, even after all these years, I've never been able to forget them. When Ziad's parents reach out to him, and he responds by saying he's having sex with men, he is obviously trying to hurt them — a fact that even the author acknowledges. Back then, I wanted to hurt my parents too. After all, they hurt me first. And they were the adults — I was just a kid. Then two things happened. First, I grew older, and I realized that life was far more complicated than I had thought. To my great surprise, my parents changed; slowly but surely, they evolved. By the time my dad died at age ninety-four, my devoutly Catholic father was proudly introducing me and Michael all around his retirement community: 'This is my son Brent and his husband Michael.' I also realized that even adults still make mistakes — big ones. Over the years, I've said my own share of horrible things to people that I suspect they can't forget either, even if I really wish they would. That's why I can't even judge Ziad that harshly. He's still in his twenties. Forgive me if I sound condescending, but he has absolutely no idea how in need of grace and forgiveness he will soon be. Most of us are pretty good at demanding dignity for ourselves, but we're less good at granting it to others, especially when it comes at a cost to ourselves. As for the chosen family, I have one of those too, and I treasure it. But here's another thing you don't realize in your twenties: sometimes members of your chosen family start families of their own, and their priorities shift. And sometimes people just move on. Meanwhile, your parents will always be your parents. There are absolutely things that parents can do where the kid is fully within their rights to cut them out of their life forever. And I also recognize that sometimes giving yourself space is an important part of a process that can lead to reconciliation. You prune a tree, and it grows back stronger than before. But the older I get, the higher I think the bar for 'family estrangement' should be. That's because I've also discovered how incredibly short and precious life is. A few years after my disastrous coming out, I learned my mom was sick with Early Onset Alzheimer's Disease. Before long, she didn't recognize anyone, not even her husband. Except she always recognized me, right up to the very end. How incredible is it that I was there to be recognized? Now I'm almost the age that she was then, and in the last three weeks, I've learned that three of my closest friends have some form of cancer. Back in March, another friend learned he had cancer too — the husband of one of those just diagnosed. At this point in my life, I couldn't care less if I have to splinter myself a bit to have more time with my dead parents or any of my close friends. Only someone in their twenties could possibly be foolish enough to decline a dinner you yearn to attend because of a difference of opinion. Go! Sort all that other stuff out later. The second thing that happened that shifted my view of family? I left America to travel the world as a digital nomad — and I saw that outside of the United States, people have a completely different relationship with their relatives. I quickly realized what a massive outlier America is, prioritizing things like 'self-expression' and 'personal happiness' over things like 'duty' and 'familial obligation.' I'd always heard that America was 'individualist,' but I had no idea how true this was — nor how extreme the individualism. In America, the self is really important, and our personal wants and needs usually come first, and this is rarely even questioned. In other countries, it's often the other way around — and this is also rarely questioned. Ziad doesn't seem to have realized it yet, but this is one of the things his immigrant parents gave him: an identity as an American. He's deeply absorbed and is now displaying America's deep individualism. But I'm not sure this gift was such a good one. And I'm not sure rejecting his parents has made him 'free.' Back in my twenties, I was certain that 'family' was a dying institution — oppressive and dysfunctional. And some of the time, it is — especially for LGBTQ people, women, and anyone who feels 'different.' But 'family' is one of the things that age has made me realize is very complicated. The more I travel the world, the more it seems to me that people are happier when they're part of a vast, complicated network of relatives — the more extended the family, the better. The ties that bind also provide much-needed support — not to mention a sense of purpose and belonging. And the longer I'm away from America, the more Americans seem to me to be miserable — so often isolated and lonely, paranoid and angry. I think American values — and our troubled relationship with the concept of 'family' — are a big part of the reason why. Anyway, should Tarek Ziad forgive his homophobic immigrant parents, at least if they really are willing to meet him halfway? It's obviously not up to me. But if it was me, I sure would. Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
4 days ago
- CBS News
Fifth annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival rescheduled for Oct. 18
The 2025 Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival has been rescheduled for Saturday, Oct. 18 due to forecasted severe weather and thunderstorms, Annapolis Pride Board Chair Joe Toolan announced. The parade will begin at 10:00 a.m. at Calvert and Bladen streets, go around Church Circle and up West Street, to end at Amos Garrett Blvd. The festival will take place outside the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts and the Bates Athletic Complex between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Toolan said the theme of the 2025 parade is "Growing in Pride, Growing in Community." "This year's theme celebrates the vibrant, evolving strength of our LGBTQIA+ community and reflects how Pride is not only personal — a journey of self-acceptance and authenticity — but also collective, rooted in connection, community support, and shared progress," Toolan said. Toolan added that the board is looking forward to hosting the event in October due to its historical significance. Retired U.S. Space Force Colonel Bree Fram will serve as the Grand Marshal for this year's parade. "October was previously designated as LGBTQIA+ History Month because it closely aligned with other important celebrations in the queer community, including National 'Coming Out' Day on Oct. 11," Toolan said. Thousands attended the 2024 parade and festival, marching and dancing to celebrate Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community. Fashion designer and Maryland native Christian Siriano was the Grand Marshal and delivered the keynote speech. Siriano rose to fame after he won the fourth season of Bravo's "Project Runway" in 2007. He then went on to launch his own label. He was inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2013. About 80 floats participated in the 2024 parade, and an estimated 10,000 supporters attended the festivities. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was also in attendance.
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Buzz Feed
43 Products With Such Remarkable Results You'll Be Like "Oh, Cool, Witchcraft"
Gold Bond's firming neck and chest cream your skin will be SO happy to soak up — this is formulated with aloe, salicylic acid, and jojoba oil to help hydrate, tighten, and gently exfoliate your skin so effectively that you should be able to see early results in two weeks. (For some reviewers, it only took a few days!) Laneige's Neo Blurring Powder to absorb oil and blur pores so effectively that you'll be like, "Oh ... witchcraft??" Might be the only explanation for how this can matte-ify your complexion while still keeping it radiant and glowy ✨. The Pink Stuff's new "Sqeezy" sponge set, which is living up to its "miracle" catchphrase by helping reviewers with their toughest cleaning projects, like grimy pans, mildewed showers, and marked-up walls. If you aren't already in the cult of Pink Stuff cleaning paste, it's so good at its job that reviewers call it "gold in a jar" and "witchcraft." Olay Super Serum Body Wash that will make anyone with dry or dull cold weather skin REJOICE — this is packed with niacinamide, shea butter, and collagen peptides to nourish your skin for 24-hour hydration that will make you feel ~luminous~. (Psst — this is the body wash version of their TikTok-famous, super effective facial Super Serum, so you KNOW they mean business.) A no-scrub weekly shower cleaner you can quite literally "set and forget" to maintain its cleanliness over time — once you apply it after a shower, you just have to wait eight to 12 hours and it'll quietly tackle the soap scum, grime, oils, mold, and mildew stains without any elbow grease from you. Catrice "Instant Awake" Under Eye Brightener, which became the internet's holy grail — now in four shades! — for concealing and brightening dark circles under your eyes so fast that everyone's old concealers are doing double takes. This lightweight color-adapting formula is designed for truly ~invisible~ coverage that makes a drastic difference. Plus Good Molecules Yerba Mate Wake Up Eye Gel, a cult-fave product for your beauty arsenal that will quickly help minimize eye puffiness and swelling thanks to its winning combo of caffeine and hyaluronic acid. It's basically an alarm clock for your eyeballs, because boy howdy are they awake now!! Clinique Almost Lipstick Tinted Lip Balm in Black Honey you're definitely going to want to stock up on *now*, before TikTokers go feral again (guilty as charged). This cult-classic, lightweight, slightly glossy shade is beyond "holy grail" status — it matches skin tones so beautifully that I'm personally starting to suspect witchcraft, after seeing so many TikToks of it subtly transforming entire beauty looks with just a few swipes. Mielle's Rosemary Mint strengthening oil, a reviewer-beloved, TikTok-famous beauty prod that lives up to the hype — this is infused with biotin so it doesn't just strengthen hair, but helps encourage growth. Reviewers who use this consistently swear by it for thinning hairlines, sparse hair at their part, bald patches, and even their eyebrows! And Boldify Hairline Powder for anyone who's like, "Hmmm. Wasn't there ... a lot more hair there before??" when they're styling their roots. This "makeup for hair" helps effortlessly fill in the gaps in your hairline so you don't have style around it. Reviewers also swear by this for touching up their roots between appointments! E.l.f's Lash XTNDR Tubing Mascara, a GODSEND for anyone with thin or fragile lashes. This uses lightweight ~tubing~ technology to wrap around lashes and give them a natural-looking, smudge-proof extension so good it almost looks fake. The real boon, though, is how easily the "tubes" slide off in clean, easy swipes at the end of the day when you're washing your face — absolutely no smudging, over-scrubbing, or special eye makeup removal products required. Biodance's TikTok-beloved Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask for an overnight ~refresh~ to help firm skin, boost elasticity, and minimize pores. Reviewers mention noticing a visible difference even after one use! You are about to become the definition of "I woke up like this" ✨. A bottle of callus-removing gel so effective at sloughing off dead, hardened skin that one reviewer described it as, "Horrifically satisfying." It's also super easy — you presoak your feet, apply for five minutes, and rub a pumice stone or foot file on the calluses and corns to watch them effortlessly slide off. Lumify Eye Drops, a product so beloved by TikTok that despite being more $$ than other brands, it's the number one selling brand on Amazon right now. Reviewers swear by this for instant reduction in redness in their eyes, with visible differences within a minute of use. A bottle of wood polish to instantly make your scuffed-up doors, hardwood floors, and furniture look so spanking new that you'll wonder if it's not actually wood polish but a time machine. Why get new tables or fancy professional restoration when you've got a $9 secret weapon?? Mighty Patch Nose Patches for overnight use to help kick "nose gunk" to the curb — this extra-large hydrocolloid patch helps lift sebum to reduce the appearance of pimples, pores, and oil. You can even see all the satisfyingly gross evidence for yourself when you pull it off in the a.m. 👀. Sprayway Glass Cleaner, a reviewer-beloved cleaning staple that did *not* come here to play. This streak-free, fast-acting foam is so effective at cleaning surfaces that a lot of businesses and offices swear by it for that oh-so-squeaky-clean look. MagicMinerals AirBrush Foundation, which lives up to its name and THEN some — one quick spray of the foundation on the included brush, and it glides so smoothly and subtly over your skin texture that you'll feel like a makeup artist did it for you. Reviewers in their thirties, forties, and up especially swear by this lightweight but effective formula, and love that it's ridiculously easy to use. Ninja's new *portable* Crispi Air Fryer system, perfect for people with high foodie standards and a chaotic schedule. This "all-in-one system" cooks your food in the same container you eat from, so you can pop your meal into the air fryer, cook it, and either pack it for later or eat it right out of the container. L'Oréal Paris BB Cream, a FAST-acting, anti-redness moisturizer with results that feel like legitimate magic — especially considering its competitor, the Dr Jart+ Cicapair Color Correcting Cream, is over twice as expensive. Reviewers especially love this as a base for their makeup, because it leaves skin super soft and primed. A Benzene-free, travel-friendly applicator of I Dew Care's dry shampoo powder so easy to use that you can just dab it on your hairline and rub it in for an instant, oil-absorbing refresh. Now your "no wash" days are a secret that you and your roots will never tell 👀. SeoulCeuticals 97.5% Snail Mucin Moisturizer Cream, a reviewer-beloved skin barrier-repairing K-beauty staple that is making an enemy out of dry, irritated, and acne-prone skin with every application. This multifunctional moisturizer has a slightly higher concentration of snail mucin than most competing products, giving it extra repairing strength to help firm, brighten, and hydrate skin. A mold and mildew removal gel — leave this on the offending spots in kitchens and bathrooms for six hours, and you can wipe it off like nothing nefarious ever grew there in the first place. A bottle of Angry Orange pet odor eliminator that's working OVERTIME on preventing you from replacing your carpets — not only does this vanish the evidence of pet-related stains and odors, but it leaves the area smelling so nice that you'll be like, "Um, is this my new signature perfume??" Extremely bonus: It also deters pets from peeing, so if there's a ~hot spot~ your doggo loves to frequent, this ought to curb the habit. Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum, aka humidity's WORST ENEMY 😈. This super lightweight argan oil solution is designed for all hair types to help manage frizz and define waves and curls without weighing them down, and will be the MVP in your hair arsenal in the warmer temps. Bluapple's fresh fridge mats to extend the life of your produce so effectively that you'll be like, "Uhhh, is there a witch living in my fridge?" Also these come in a TON of fun colors, so you can jazz your boring fridge space up and get amped to pull your veggies out. A bottle of sulfate-free biotin shampoo that thousands of reviewers swear by for helping restore their hair and promote healthy hair growth over time. It also includes nourishing ingredients like rosemary oil, zinc, and coconut oil to help moisturize locks and give them a fuller, more volumized look. A painless, mint-flavored teeth-whitening pen reviewers swear by as an alternative to pricey professional treatments and strips. This gets results from the very first use, lightening up years' worth of stains from coffee, tea, wine, or just, you know, existing as a human with teeth. Jergens Natural Glow Firming Self Tanner Body Lotion to give you a gradually-building, vacation-worthy ~sunkissed glow~ over the course of just a few days. Not only is this easy peasy to apply compared to other finickier, streaking lotions, but it's formulated with collagen and elastin to help your skin appear firmer *and* glowier. Ocusoft's Original Foaming Eyelid Cleanser that reviewers with dry, itchy, and allergy-prone eyes swear by. This mild, non-irritating wash removes oil, pollen, and eye makeup to not only cleanse your eyes, but soothe and refresh eyelid discomfort. And a 2-in-1 Mucinex saline nasal spray with two modes: a ~gentle mist~ for every day use, and a 🚀power jet🚀 to deal with tough congestion even on those days during allergy season when the pollen count is high enough to make your local weather reporter flinch. A pack of dual-sided SneakErasers designed so that one side of them cleans scuffs, dirt stains, and grimes, and the other side whitens them, restoring your sneakers and their soles to their former glory. Take THAT, passage of time. A quick-drying top nail coat, because sometimes you just have to get the show on the road, nail polish situation be damned — this helps dry your wet nails within two minutes so you can get back to business (read: sticking your hand in a chip bag without fear). A foaming garbage disposal cleaner you can plop into your sink, run a little water on, and let its blue magic fizz its way up to the top while clearing out all the gunk from your culinary adventures in one go. A clever silicone "Broombi," designed to flex harder than most of us have in a calendar year — it's an all-surface broom, squeegee, *and* pet hair remover, making it your one-stop shop for all your "fix this grimy floor IMMEDIATELY" needs. The internet-famous Revlon oil-absorbing volcanic face roller that swipes over your face like a magic wand to make excess oil disappear — super convenient and *way* less wasteful than using blotting strips and time wasting than fancy powders that need a ton of blending work. A roll-on migraine stick made with peppermint, spearmint, and lavender oils to help you soothe away headaches, which frankly have a lot of audacity interrupting your day. "Gloves In A Bottle," aka the hero of anyone with dry, cracked hands — this game-changing lotion not only helps heal your skin, but actively protects it for four to twelve hours, even through repeated hand washes. Reviewers with eczema or those who have to sanitize frequently for work swear by this! D'alba Piedmont Italian White Truffle First Spray Serum, the best kept secret for getting that ~glowy~ refresh that will have everyone asking you to drop the skincare routine, stat. If you're someone whose skin is like 🥴, this lightweight moisturizer spray is a perfect burst of hydration that absorbs quickly, but leaves skin looking dewy and luminous. A jar of all-in-one decor paint, a chalk-style paint with a built-in primer designed to easily glide on furniture, upholstery, and any wood, metal, and glass surfaces. It's eco-friendly and dries with a chalky matte finish within 30 minutes of application, making it a boon for parents doing DIY projects. Reviewers use it on everything from old couches to front doors to dressers to fences. A deliciously soothing, super gentle Briotech spray reviewers compare to the pricier Tower 28 SOS Spray. It's similarly designed with hypochlorous acid, which targets bacteria that causes acne, skin irritation, and blemishes *without* drying your skin. Reviewers swear by this handy little spray for helping not just with acne, but rosacea, eczema, dryness, dermatitis (scalp included!), and even toenail fungus. A set of super fast-acting retainer, denture, and Invisalign-cleaning tablets so your mouth can stay ~squeaky clean~ with almost zero effort. All you have to do it set these in a container with warm water and they'll be refreshed in 15 minutes! A pack of drug-free Breathe Right nasal strips reviewers quite literally claim "saved their marriage" — these provide instant snoring *and* congestion relief by increasing nasal airflow. Bonus: there's an optional "scratch and sniff" lavender scent if you want an extra dose of calm.
