In 2001, the 32nd annual Chicago Pride Parade drew a crowd of more than 300,000, including eighteen-year-old Amber M. Billey. While participating in his first Chicago Pride Parade, Billy T. Holly, Amber’s Drag King persona, wore this sailor’s uniform. Pride Month has become an annual celebration for the diverse community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Chicago. For gay adolescents, especially those struggling with their sexuality, the Pride Parade is a time to publicly rejoice in their identity and feel a sense of community.

This ensemble is not only a part of the permanent collection of the Chicago History Museum, it was used in an exhibition in 2002 that displayed clothing worn by Chicago teenagers during rites of passage.

> View a slideshow of the Billy T. Holly costume
> Learn more about the history of Gays and Lesbians in Chicago

Tags: 2001, Costume and Textile, Drag King, lgbt, Out at CHM, Pride Parade, Timothy Long

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2009 at 1:16 pm and is filed under Collections, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.