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Kane County board adopts Pride Month proclamation after failed amendment to add sports-policy language
Summary
After public comment in support of the measure and a heated floor amendment seeking to cite a presidential executive order on women’s sports, the Kane County Board approved a proclamation recognizing June 2025 as Pride Month. The amendment failed on a roll-call vote; the proclamation was adopted afterward.
The Kane County Board on June 10 adopted a proclamation recognizing June 2025 as Pride Month, after public testimony from local LGBTQ advocates and a contested amendment that sought to add language about men competing in women’s sports.
Supporters urged the board to formally recognize Pride Month and to stand with local LGBTQ residents. “Now more than ever, it is incredibly important for local government leaders to show their unwavering support for members of the LGBTQ plus community,” said Zachary Bishop, chair of Aurora’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, during the public-comment period. Gwen Ciesla, president of Aurora Pride, accepted the proclamation on behalf of local organizations and thanked the board for the recognition.
The debate on the floor turned sharply when Board Member David Young offered an amendment to add a sentence referencing a February 2025 presidential executive order described by the mover as “keeping men out of women’s sports.” That amendment was the focus of prolonged discussion by board members and members of the public. Board Member Linder and others argued against inserting the language into a proclamation meant to recognize Pride Month. Board Member Iqbal called the proposed addition “ridiculous, hateful, and disrespectful” and urged members to keep the proclamation’s intent focused on recognition and inclusion.
The amendment failed at roll call. The board then voted to adopt the Pride Month proclamation. The proclamation recognizes the Stonewall uprising as a founding moment for Pride and names local groups such as Belong Fox Valley, Elgin Pride and Aurora Pride as community partners. Board members said they expected the proclamation to be a symbolic statement of inclusion rather than a policy directive.
The board’s action came after multiple public speakers who urged the board to pass the proclamation and stressed the importance of local leaders taking a visible stance in support of LGBTQ residents. The measure passed on the subsequent roll call vote.
