Equality Illinois Applauds Designation of Henry Gerber House as a
National Historic Landmark
Site Played a Pivotal Role in the LGBT Civil Rights Movement
CHICAGO (June 19, 2015) – Equality Illinois applauds the designation Friday of Chicago’s Henry Gerber House as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. In 1924, at this site, Chicagoan Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights, the first chartered lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organization in the United States. The Henry Gerber House is only the second LGBT site in the nation to receive this significant designation.
“It is very fitting that the Henry Gerber House in our home state of Illinois receives this important designation,” said Bernard Cherkasov, Chief Executive Officer of Equality Illinois, the largest and longest-operating advocacy organization for LGBT Illinoisans. “The story of LGBT people is part of the story of America, and we applaud the National Park Service for ensuring that these voices are part of the American experience.”
“It is also appropriate that this recognition comes during Pride Month, when we commemorate the historic struggle for LGBT civil rights and resolve ourselves to continue fighting for LGBT rights and the rights of all marginalized and disenfranchised communities.”
The Henry Gerber House is the first LGBT site in Illinois to be designated as a National Historic Landmark. Last year, the Stonewall Inn in New York City was so designated, marking this important site in the LGBT experience as the first to be a National Historic Landmark.