Wednesday, May 14, 2008
News / Clout City Remembering Larry McKeon
Posted by Ben Joravsky on Wed, May 14, 2008 at 4:25 PM
Larry McKeon died Tuesday. He was 63.
The obits will tell you that he was the first openly gay member of the Illinois General Assembly--which is a lot different than being the first gay member of that august body, as McKeon once said to me.
Politically, McKeon came of age in the 90s, an opportune time for gay politicians in Chicago. Mayor Daley, son of Bridgeport, had decided that it would be politically worth his while to build an alliance with the city's north-side gay community. In 1992 he hired McKeon to be his liaison to the gay and lesbian communities.
Four years later, in 1996, Daley gave McKeon his blessing to run for state rep in what would become the 13th District, which includes parts of Uptown, Ravenswood, Andersonville, and North Center. The seat was open because incumbent Nancy Kaszak was stepping down to run for Congress, and 47th Ward Democratic committeeman Ed Kelly had put up his own guy, Luke Howe. McKeon's Daley connection -- which he played up on his campaign literature -- helped him defeat the machine candidate by convincing conservative Democrats that it was OK to vote for the gay guy. I still bump into folks who tell me their allegiance to Daley will never die because he helped elect McKeon.
Once in office, McKeon was unbeatable, and he served until 2007, when illness (cancer and AIDs) forced him to step down.
I liked him because he was never afraid to answer my questions, he didn't hold grudges (at least not against me), and he had a pretty good sense of humor. The last time I talked to him was shortly after he had retired from office. He was telling me about how he'd used his contacts with house speaker Michael Madigan to win some state money for Truman College.
I teased him that he was the Man, calling the shots with the big boys in Springfield. He joked that if you're going to have connections, you might as well use them for someone other than yourself.
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May God have mercy on his soul.
We should all remember the heroes of liberty and freedom for all and equal rights of both sexes and transgender, gay and straight and bi, male and female, all races and ethnic groups and even both parties (although certainly more Democrats) including Mayor Daley who hired Larry McKeon and fought for marriage as an equal right. Governor James "Jim" Thompson Ronald Krol Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri Congressman Jerry Weller Brad Goodrich Jason the ED of the ILGOP Alderman Tunney Allen Fore State Rep Debbie Mell Clark Pellet
Larry McKeon was a real leader! Jim Thompson and Peter Silvestri are still hiding in the closet.
Jim Thompson is out of the closet. Everyone knows he is gay. Who cares? He is a great smart leader.
There's a lot more to the McKeon story. Go to the Reader archives and see Joravsky's article "Their Own Worst Enemies?" (June 25, 1999) for background on the controversy over whether McKeon, despite being Illinois' first openly gay legislator, actually was responsible for STALLING passage of Illinois' gay rights bill.
Screw the lakefront and Daley's Gay alligience ,if people come out to vote they will get the short end of the stick. How dare they turn a blind eye to corruption and criminality of Daley.
Daley is a great Mayor. Chicago is a great city. Daley is the first Mayor to have a human rights ordinance and push for gay marriage and have recognized homosexuals in his own family. Mayor Daley is the best most pro-homosexuals Chicago ever had.
Daley has a Gay following, because is a confirmed Bi-sexual. His favorite when he was in Springfield was Frank Kruesi. Don't get me wrong live and let live. Many of the Gays hate everybody else,they are definitely not progressive. Look at Ald Tunney,he is corrupt as they come. He loves sticking it to other citizens.
Marry and live with whom ever,as long as you are adults. The Gay community cosigning with depotism will leave a serious void in the progressive fabric of this city long after Daley is gone .
"The Gay community cosigning with depotism will leave a serious void in the progressive fabric of this city long after Daley is gone ." It's despotism. And progressives cooperating with this administration is both the height of folly and the depth of hypocrisy. Homosexuals should especially abhor hypocrisy, not embrace the hypocrites for temporary meager benefits. This just proves that assholes abound in every community, no pun intended.
Coburn is right. There is more to the McKeon story. McKeon was a troubled man whose life was a complicated mixture of good and bad but who ultimately succumbed to self-destructive bitterness and made himself and many others around him miserable. My regret is not for the loss of his life but for the loss that his life might have been.
RIP Larry. You will be missed by many especially the gay community. We created a tribute in his honor. Please share your memories and photos. http://respectance.com/Larry_McKeon
Vote for the Green Party. Do you remember the GAY Games of Chicago i2006 incident? We all said that we would. Vote for the Green Party.
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