TaskForce Prevention and Community Services led Chicago’s Pride Parade on June 29 as the first Out Front Leader, marking a historic moment for LGBTQ+ organizations from the West Side.
The 54th running of the Pride Parade served as the grand finale for Pride Month’s celebration, with 15,000 people in floats marching through the North Halsted neighborhood. The theme for this year’s parade was “United in Pride.” Organizers said it’s a call to action and a chance for the community to come together to embrace diversity and fight for equality.
TaskForce Prevention and Community Services has been serving Chicago’s West Side since 1990, offering vital programs that support LGBTQ+ youth and the broader community. Their services include a Vogue School for creative expression, a food pantry, HIV/STI testing with medical referrals, mental wellness initiatives and advocacy for equity and inclusion.
Denise Cunill, a pediatrician from Humboldt Park who is starting to get involved with the organization to support its medical programs for youth and young adults, marched with the organization during the parade.
She was mentored by two of the organization’s founding physicians, Dr. Margo Bell and Dr. Elisa Henry Reid, who helped shape its mission.
When asked what message the group is sending by being in the parade and being named the Out Front Leader of the 2025 Chicago Pride Parade, Cunill said it feels empowering to celebrate diversity and life.
As a child in the 1980s, Cunill grew up with ballroom culture, from which voguing later emerged and gained prominence in the 1990s. Cunill described voguing as an expression of art and an expression of sexuality.
“As you vogue, you’re expressing what you feel — and that can be through mind, body, and soul movement. It’s a cohesive way of identifying who you can actually merge with. Voguing isn’t just one person; it’s multiple people merging together in similar movements. It’s kind of like a synchronous way of sharing energy,” Cunill said.
Reyna Ortiz, the group’s program director, got involved with TaskForce because she has been advocating for the transgender community for over 20 years and found that the organization’s approach closely aligned with her own advocacy style, making it a perfect fit for everyone involved.
“I’m very excited for more people to understand the beautiful work that we do, and for more LGBTQ+ youth to be recognized for the work we’re doing with them. We want more youth to come to our space. It’s a safe space on the West Side of Chicago,” Ortiz said.
When asked how events like Pride complement the year-round work in prevention, outreach, and community care, Ortiz emphasized that it’s about acknowledgment.
Regarding TaskForce leading the parade and performance, Ortiz expressed pride and gratitude that the city recognized their impact. She described it as a testament to the dedication and work TaskForce Prevention and Community Services has done and continues to do, appreciating the acknowledgment from the community.
Jairmiah Melendez is a staff member at TaskForce Prevention and Community Services who supports the organization by handling tasks such as setting up food trays, organizing back-to-school drives, cleaning, painting and general maintenance.
“We’re starting off the parade, so we’re making a lot of noise. So everybody behind us has to have the same energy. We’re turning up the crowd and showing that we love the crowd,” Melendez said.
Melendez’s initial reaction to learning that TaskForce Prevention and Community Services was leading the parade was shock and disbelief, feeling it was a significant accomplishment.
“We know how hard it is to actually be labeled as her when you’re really him. We’re helping the community. We’re loving the community,” Melendez said.
Melendez emphasized that the more years TaskForce Prevention and Community Services is involved and invested in the community, the bigger the organization will become.