Flossmoor Adds LGBTQ+ Services To Village Website

FLOSSMOOR, IL -- The village of Flossmoor has added “LGBTQ+” to the list of services offered on its website. They are among the first Chicagoland municipalities to add such services to its list of resources.

From the Village of Flossmoor website, visitors can click on “Our Community,” then “Community Resources.” From there, there’s a drop down menu that includes LGBTQ+.

“We hope this will be the first of many different kind of services we’ll offer on our website,” said Laura Brennan-Levy, program and event coordinator for the village of Flossmoor. “It was the perfect way to open that part of our website, which we hope will eventually include non-profit services and volunteer opportunities.”

The LGBTQ+ resource list includes links to both the Gay-Straight Alliance at Homewood-Flossmoor High School and Lighthouse LGBTQ+, a Flossmoor-based group that offers services and meets regularly in the Community House of the Flossmoor Community Church.

The village jumped in immediately with adding the services to their website once contacted by Lighthouse LGBTQ+ Co-Founder Stephanie Wright.

“We are really proud of the diversity here in Flossmoor. It’s something we like to brag about,” said Wright, who credited a similar listing on the website for the city of Evanston in the north suburbs as what gave her the idea to suggest Flossmoor do the same.

The Flossmoor-based Lighthouse group started in April 2016 as a group to provide services for LGBT residents in the south suburbs. Phillip Barker, a licensed social worker, has volunteered his time to lead meetings and Wright and co-founder Valerie Litchfield have organized vigils and other support group meetings. One event included a Pastor debunking myths related to the Bible and homosexuality. An attorney came to speak another night to talk to younger LGBTQ residents about their rights.

Wright said Flossmoor had the service listing on its website within days of her request and before Lighthouse hosted what they called the “first ever” Pride party in the south suburbs.

RELATED: 'First Ever' South Suburban Pride Party Planned In Flossmoor

The party, a June 21 celebration outside on the lawn at the Flossmoor Community House, was only expected to draw a few dozen people. But publicity before the event exceeded expectations and Wright said “hundreds” were there just as things were getting started.

“There were teenagers, older people and I talked to a woman who came all the way from New Lenox and said there’s been nothing like this in the south suburbs at all,” said Brennan-Levy, who remembers the party being “in full swing” within 10 minutes.

Local businesses helped keep the party going.

“Floral arrangements were donated, breweries brought beer, a special Pride vodka was mane and local artists donated flags,” Wright said.

Wright has begun reaching out to other communities on doing what Flossmoor has and says the village of Homewood has agreed to add the services link to their website as well.

“I know most are on social media by now, but I think that when people decide to truly invest in a community, they are still checking the website,” Wright said. “In Flossmoor, they aren’t interested in just talking the talk about diversity. They are walking the walk.”

Photo: From left, Stephanie Wright co-founder, Valerie Litchfield co-founder, Phillip Barker co-founder LCSW, James Austin Project manager. Provided