Rick Garcia (activist)
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Rick Garcia | |
|---|---|
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| Born | September 15, 1956 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 2026 (aged 69) |
| Occupation | LGBT activist |
| Known for | Co-founded Equality Illinois |
Rick Garcia (September 15, 1956 – January 12, 2026) was an American LGBTQ activist known primarily for his work in Chicago and for LGBTQ acceptance within the Roman Catholic Church.[1] As a co-founder of Equality Illinois, he advocated for equal treatment and social justice for the LGBTQ community.
Garcia was born on September 15, 1956,[2] to parents of Spanish descent[3] and grew up in the "Spanish Colony" neighborhood of St. Louis.[4][3] He attended Saint Louis University.[2] While there, he was first thrust into the media spotlight after he was filmed confronting a Catholic priest and theology professor who had just given a speech on the "sins of homosexuality".[2] Garcia, who had told no one he was gay, was at first fearful of reactions, but his family and the nuns he was then working with responded positively.[2][3] Garcia was already working with the United Farm Workers in Missouri, and decided to expand to gay rights activism, soon joining the local Dignity chapter.[3][5]
In 1980, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he began working with Maryland's New Ways Ministries, a Catholic organization focused on the gay and lesbian community.[3][4][6] He also spent time living in New York City.[2]
After moving to Chicago in 1986, Garcia became a significant figure in the successful 15-year campaign for a 1988 ordinance prohibiting sexual-orientation discrimination as part of the activist group known as the "Gang of Four," working under the auspices of the Gay & Lesbian Town Meeting organization.[4][2] He later contributed to the passage of the Cook County Human Rights Ordinance in 1993.[4]
He co-founded Equality Illinois in 1992, advocating for statewide protections against discrimination.[4][3] He continued to work with the organization until 2010.[5] He helped establish the national Federation of Statewide Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Political Organizations[4] and was a staff member of The Civil Rights Agenda from 2012.[5] In the 21st century, Garcia also advocated for statewide discrimination protections and same-sex marriage.[7]