It's okay to be gay the 'burbs. That's acrdg to the folks at OPALGA (Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn), a wt suburban nonprof that sponsors
Contents:
- PERMANENT RERD: 30 YEARS OF OAK PARK’S GAY AND LBIAN HISTORY
- TAG: OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN
- OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN - OPALGA
- OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN IS BACK
- OPALGA+’S BIG GAY DECADES
- OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN HS THE EBACK PARA
- OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN TO PRODUCE READG OF PLAY ABOUT PROP 8
- DEBT-EE OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN WILL DONATE GALA FUNDS
PERMANENT RERD: 30 YEARS OF OAK PARK’S GAY AND LBIAN HISTORY
OPALGA - Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn.
Up until then, there was no way for gay and lbian people to gather, outsi of some very discrete social groups and a uple of Fort Park bars. Gays and lbians were totally visible to the larger Oak Park muny, which was then noted, as is now, for diversy and muny volvement.
TAG: OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN
This began to change as the numbers of HIV and AIDS s were reported and the disproportnate numbers of posive gay men Oak Park revealed that ed many gay men lived Oak Park and surroundg areas. My partner, the late Mel Wilson and I were asked to jo their board, as reprentativ of the gay populatn.
Mel was already advotg for gay and lbian rights and tn at Oak Park and River Fort High School. Mel and I, along wh longtime Oak Parker Bryan Fdlay, then cid that a visible muny group was need, which led to the formatn of the Oak Park Lbian and Gay Associatn. The name of the anizatn was modified 1994 to the Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn (OPALGA) as the group creasgly clud participants om surroundg muni.
Early achievements of the group are well known, cludg the human rights ordance, persuadg each ernment un to adapt protectns for LGBT cizens, beg among the first domtic partnership registri tablished the state, electg openly gay officials, creatg servic for youth, and myriad cultural and social events. The rult is the new book, The Oak Park Lbian and Gay Associatn: Stori om the History-Makg First De. Every sprg the Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn (OPALGA+) grants scholarships to lol stunt lears.
OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN - OPALGA
About Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn - OPALGAThe Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn (OPALGA) has been regnized for over 20 years as the voice of the lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) muny suburban Chigoland. Sce s ceptn 1989, OPALGA has bee one of the largt muny-based, multipurpose lbian and gay membership anizatns Illois.
OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN IS BACK
A few years ago, the Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn was mired red k, s future was doubt, and some of s amb programs were curtailed. Benefg will be PFLAG Oak Park (Parents and Friends of Lbians and Gays), which provis support servic; the Lbian Communy Care Project, which offers health and support servic to women; PCC Communy Wellns Center and s efforts at HIV preventn among gay, bisexual and transgenr young men; the Illois Safe Schools Alliance, which works wh LGBTQ youth of school age; and the Broadway Youth Center at the Howard Brown Health Center, which offers a wi range of servic to youth. Storyteller: Nathan Lsk, -founr of the Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn, viss the Oak Park River Fort Mm’s exhib markg the 30th anniversary of the anizatn.
| ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer GAY OLD TIME: Mm exhibs feature OPLAGA+ foundg members and showse the group’s servic to the muny. | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer | ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer To look at Oak Park’s history of cln of people of all sexual orientatns is really to look at the history of the Oak Park Area Lbian and Gay Associatn + (OPALGA).
OPALGA+’S BIG GAY DECADES
“If you’re gog to live a diverse muny, you have to accept differenc and that’s what the gay movement was all about, ” said Bob Trezevant, one of OPALGA foundg members. “And ’s signifint that a lol mm would then take on a project volvg gay history. ”At the time of s foundg, the anizatn was simply lled Oak Park Lbian and Gay Associatn.
OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN HS THE EBACK PARA
We wanted the word lbian to prece gay, which is why the name was chosen, ” said OPALGA -founr Nathan Lsk. “The big al was havg an anizatn that was intified as a lbian and gay anizatn, which is all was back then, and beg out.
OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN TO PRODUCE READG OF PLAY ABOUT PROP 8
“They tried to nvey there were lots of gay people out there and we are really anized. Well that was not the se, ” Trezevant said wh a add, “There were lots of gay people and we were all kds of anizatns the wtern suburbs and the cy, but nothg Oak Park.
DEBT-EE OAK PARK AREA LBIAN AND GAY ASSOCIATN WILL DONATE GALA FUNDS
”Fdlay, a Republin, created a qutnnaire about lbian and gay issu for board ndidat.
“We sent out the origal qutnnaire unr the letterhead of the Chigo-Area Republin Gay Associatn and that stirred up a lot of tert the polil parti, ” Lsk remembered. “By that time, people opposed to gays and lbians had anized, particularly om Calvary Memorial Church and other more fundamental church Oak Park, ” Lsk orientatn was add, months after OPALGA had s first official meetg at the Maze Library.
The foundg members immediately started workg wh other stutns, cludg the schools and police partment, to clu polici barrg discrimatn based on sexual orientatn and to te them on the unique issu faced by the lbian and gay long after, Oak Park beme one of the first muni to implement a domtic partnership ordance and a registry of homosexual great stris didn’t e easily.