Pride Month 2025
June is Pride Month! Each year, Pride Month recognizes the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual and other LGBTQIA+ individuals have had throughout history—locally, nationally, and internationally. Pride Month began as “Gay Pride Day,” a celebration honoring the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City, which served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement. “Gay Pride Day” evolved into a month-long series of events, including parades, workshops, concerts, lectures and celebrations culminating into what we now know as “Pride Month.”
TRITON COLLEGE LIBRARY CELEBRATES PRIDE MONTH
Visit the Library this Pride Month
Come by the Library (A Building) to see these titles and many more Pride-related books on display and ready to be borrowed. Check out these subject guides for further information: LGBTQIA+ and virtual display. All books on display are available for checkout!
LGBTQIA+ Books Available in the Triton College Library
- LGBTQ Social Movements in America by Duchess Harris and Martha Lundin (YA HQ73 .H38 2020)
- No Sanctuary: Teachers and the School Reform That Brought Gay Rights to the Masses by Stephen Lane (LC2575 .L36 2019)
- Trans Kids and Teens: Pride, Joy, and Families in Transition by Elijah C. Nealy (HQ77.9 .N43 2019)
- Adventures with My Daddies by Gareth Peter (JUV PIC Peter G)
- The Children of Harvey Milk: How LGBTQ Politicians Changed the World by Andrew Reynolds (HQ76.5 .R49 2020)
PDC Pride Month Workshops
Professional Development Center (PDC) events for Triton College employees in honor of Pride Month:
The PDC events are:
Pride Picnic
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Triton Mounds
Enjoy food, drinks, crafts and live music from WRRG!
Instructor Spotlight
Brian McKnight
Every morning, Brian McKnight takes a moment to count his “lucky stars.” He’s deeply grateful not only for his role as an English as a Second Language (ESL) instructor in Triton College’s Adult Education Department but also for overcoming a life-threatening diagnosis of Stage Four Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2014.
“I’ve led a lucky life,” he said. “I’ve had a good support system of family and friends, as well as amazing doctors when I was sick. I’ve been very charmed.”
Growing up just north of Cincinnati, Ohio, in a rural town called Middletown, McKnight earned his bachelor’s degree from Wright State University and later received a master’s degree from DePaul University.
“While visiting a friend in Chicago many years ago, I fell in love with the city,” he said. “I’ve been all around the world, but Chicago makes me the happiest. There’s no place like Chicago.”
McKnight moved home to Ohio in 2010 after being diagnosed with Stage Four Hodgin’s Lymphoma to be near friends and family. After recovering, he returned to the Chicago area in 2014. Unsure about his path in life but passionate about teaching, a friend suggested he try teaching ESL.
“I started teaching ESL in the city, but I stumbled upon the opportunity to teach ESL at Triton online,” he said. “I was intrigued.”
McKnight began teaching Intermediate Conversation and Level 5 ESL at Triton in January 2023. He says he’s constantly inspired by his students’ bravery to leaving their home countries to start new lives in the United States.
He also notes that many of his students work full time and attend school at night, a testament to their amazing work ethic.
“Michelangelo has a great quote about his statue of David,” he said. “Michelangelo said, ‘[David] was already in there. I just chipped away everything that wasn’t David.’ For me, that’s what teaching is like. I want my students to find their own journey. They have the knowledge inside of them.”
Outside of Triton, McKnight is the artistic director of Glass Apple Theatre in Chicago—further showcasing his passion for communication and bringing people together to exchange ideas.
“I’m very lucky to have had such incredible opportunities to teach,” he said. “Sometimes, I thank my students at the end of class for allowing me to spend time with them. I hope they feel as enriched as I do.”
Triton College Counseling & Wellness Support Services
Triton College Counseling & Wellness Support Services Recommends These Resources
- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
- https://nqttcn.com/en/
- https://www.glsen.org/
- https://www.centeronhalsted.org/
- https://www.loveisrespect.org/
- https://www.nami.org/Your-Journey/Identity-and-Cultural-Dimensions/LGBTQI
Find These Resources on the Counseling & Wellness Support Services Website Under “Resources”
In-District Pride Month Gatherings
PRIDE Trivia
Wednesday, June 4, 2025
7 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Oak Park Public Library
834 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL
https://oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-adult-program-101220
Book Bike: Oak Park Pride Party
Saturday, June 7, 2025
NOON-3 p.m.
Oak Park Village Hall
123 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL
https://oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/book-bike-oak-park-pride-party-102068
Pride Tie Dye Party
Saturday, June 14, 2025
9:30 a.m.-NOON
Forest Park Public Library
7555 Jackson Boulevard
Forest Park, IL
https://forestpark.librarycalendar.com/event/pride-tie-dye-party-8413
Other Pride Month Gatherings
Chicago Pride Parade
Sunday, June 29, 2025
Starts at 11 a.m.
The parade will begin at Sheridan and Broadway in Chicago’s landmark LGBTQ+ “Northalsted” neighborhood.
https://pridechicago.org/