Happy Pride Month from the Chicago Association of REALTORS®! We continue to celebrate the strength and diversity of our industry and organization. This month, we celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and its culture, which continues to drive significant impact and contributions throughout our industry.
We believe the strength of our organization, industry and society is built through every dimension of diversity. During Pride Month, we reaffirm our commitment to equitable access to homeownership for the LGBTQ+ community.
We elevate LGBTQ+ members, partner with organizations that support LGBTQ+ homebuyers and continue to champion policies that ensure every Chicagoan can build wealth and stability through homeownership, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Why does PRIDE Month occur in June?
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, plainclothes police officers descended on a Greenwich Village fixture known as The Stonewall Inn. Bar raids targeting gay establishments were routine in that era, typically met with compliance and quiet humiliation. That night was different. The crowd pushed back and what began as a single act of defiance spilled into the streets and stretched across several days of protest. Those uprisings gave the scattered LGBTQ+ rights movement something it had lacked: momentum, visibility and a shared origin story.
Decades later, the site received formal recognition, first from New York City in 2015, then from President Obama, who designated Stonewall a national monument in 2016 — the first of its kind honoring LGBTQ+ history.
Northalsted: America’s First Officially Recognized Gay Village
A year after Stonewall, Chicago took to the streets for its first Pride parade in 1970. Around that same period, the LGBTQ+ community began putting down roots in what would become Northalsted, opening health centers, gathering spaces and bars that fostered a growing sense of belonging.
That cultural foundation caught the attention of city leadership. In 1997, Mayor Richard M. Daley formally designated the neighborhood as the first officially recognized gay village in the United States, a distinction it still holds today. The community has continued to evolve on its own terms, including a 2020 decision to rename the neighborhood from Boystown to Northalsted, reflecting a broader and more inclusive identity.
Celebrate Pride with the Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign is the nation’s largest LGBTQIA+ civil rights organization in the U.S., working to achieve equality and inclusion for all. Click here to learn more about getting involved!
PRIDE Month 2026 Events
June 20 – June 22
Chicago Pride Fest: Make plans to attend this two-day street festival held in the Northalsted neighborhood the weekend before the Chicago Pride Parade, featuring live music across three stages, drag performances, over 150 vendors and dedicated spaces for teens and seniors.
June 23
Chicago Association of REALTORS® D77 Community Meetup: Join fellow REALTORS® for a networking event at Lark Chicago, an LGBTQ+ owned business in Northalsted, where attendees can connect with local leaders, share business ideas and build relationships within the Chicago REALTOR® community in honor of Pride Month.
June 28
Chicago Pride Parade: Be a part of one of the biggest and most electrifying Pride celebrations in the entire country as the iconic Chicago Pride Parade returns under the powerful theme “Free to Be Proud,” bringing together millions of people for a joyful, defiant and unforgettable declaration of LGBTQ+ visibility, dignity and community pride.
July 5
South Side Pride Festival: Enjoy live music, performances by local LGBTQIA+ artists, educational programming and resources from community partners, all at one of Chicago’s most iconic lakefront destinations.
LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance — 5th Annual LGBTQ+ Real Estate Report (2025)
The Alliance’s fifth annual report examines the current state of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in housing and the future of LGBTQ+ homeownership. Key findings: a third of responding Alliance members reported an increase in discrimination against potential LGBTQ+ homebuyers over the past three years — the highest level since the report began in 2022; real estate professionals were cited as the leading source of housing discrimination (22.2%); and 85.6% of LGBTQ+ respondents believe the dismantling of federal DEI programs will reduce equal access to fair housing. The report draws on a survey of 304 real estate professionals and on data from UCLA’s Williams Institute, Gallup, Pew Research Center and the Human Rights Campaign.
Read the full LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance report.
Learn More About Our Industry Partner, The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance
The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance advocates for fair housing for all and promotes LGBTQ+ homeownership. It elevates professionalism in the industry through education and networking and celebrates diversity and inclusion among our members and allied partners.
This year, the Future Forward Business & Networking Rally will be held in Chicago on October 13-14th. Visit the conference website to learn more and register.
