The Barack Obama Presidential Center held media previews on Thursday ahead of its official Juneteenth opening, marking the debut of the first presidential center dedicated to the 44th and only Black U.S. president.

The 19.3-acre campus, located on Chicago’s South Side within historic Jackson Park, features a museum, garden, basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Multiple artifacts related to the LGBTQ rights movement appear in the presidential museum’s collection, though none appeared to be on display at the time of publication, according to the center’s website.

Among the objects in the collection are the pen Obama used to sign the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that prohibited gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals from serving openly in the military; a set of Harvey Milk commemorative stamps honoring the first openly gay elected official in San Francisco; and an Out2Enroll rainbow sweat wristband used to connect communities — specifically LGBTQ people and their families, friends, and allies — with health insurance coverage options available under the Affordable Care Act.

The artifacts reflect a broader LGBTQ legacy associated with the Obama presidency.

During the televised opening ceremony, former first lady Michelle Obama thanked her husband for “standing up for marriage equality.”

During his presidency, Obama took a number of actions affecting LGBTQ Americans, including repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” signing the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act, directing the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act in court, expanding federal benefits and leave to same-sex domestic partners of federal and Foreign Service employees, broadening Affordable Care Act coverage for LGBTQ health issues, including HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, and signing a 2014 executive order prohibiting federal contractors from discriminating based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The opening event drew numerous celebrities, including Stevie Wonder, Christina Aguilera, Oprah Winfrey, and Tom Hanks.

It also attracted political figures from both sides of the aisle. One notable exception was President Donald Trump, who was not invited to the ceremony. All other living former presidents were invited and attended.

The Obama Presidential Center will open to the public on June 19, with tickets available on its website.

Embattled Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Tuesday became the first city chief executive in four decades to lose a bid for reelection. Lightfoot’s term in office has been plagued by persistent crime in the city, including a high murder rate and unceasing gun violence.

The Associated Press projections in the nine person race showed the incumbent mayor failing to secure enough votes to move on to an April 4 runoff election.

NBC News reported that Paul Vallas, a former CEO of Chicago schools, will face Brandon Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union.

NBC noted that Lightfoot’s unfavorable ratings have soared with Chicagoans fed up with gun violence, as well as carjackings and robberies. And despite being the sitting mayor, she routinely failed to lead in recent polling, falling behind Vallas.

On the issue of crime, Chicago, under Lightfoot, in 2021 reached the highest number of killings in a quarter century, with 797 and more than 3,500 shootings — which was 1,400 more shooting incidents than were recorded in 2019 when Lightfoot first took office.

Lightfoot became the first openly lesbian, Black woman elected Chicago mayor four years ago claiming more than 70 percent of the vote. Lightfoot’s election made Chicago the largest city in the United States with an openly gay mayor.

During an exclusive interview with Washington Blade after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade last June, Lightfoot said in response to a question about how she feels about being the first Black lesbian mayor of a major U.S. city that there are now “so many more of us who are living our authentic lives.”

She added that she “didn’t see any role models that looked like me” and “didn’t see a lot of gay and lesbian leaders on a national level or even at the local level” when she was younger.

“One of the greatest gifts that we can give is to say to those young people, you’re going to be great,” she said. “Be who you are, embrace, embrace your authentic life. Because there’s always going to be a home for you. There’s going to be a village, a community that’s going to be supportive. That’s one of the things I think the most powerful statement that I can make as mayor, using my platform as mayor of the third largest city, to say to our young people, you’re always going to have a home here.”

Lightfoot lives in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood with her wife, Amy Eshleman, and their daughter.

Following the escalation of anti-LGBTQ attacks against a bakery northwest of Chicago last weekend, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed to the Los Angeles Blade their concerns over the rise of hate and extremism in America. 

On July 23, a man was arrested and charged with a hate crime after allegedly smashing the windows of UpRising Bakery and Café and spray-painting offensive messages on the building in Lake in the Hills, Ill.

After announcing plans to host a family-friendly drag show, the establishment was targeted with a campaign of harassment that, ahead of the vandalism, included an incident where a bag of feces was left outside with a note proclaiming, “pedophiles work here.”  

“No one should have to live in fear for being who they are,” Durbin told the Blade. “Yet we continue to see extremists target minority groups, including the LGBTQ community, with threatening, hateful acts.” 

More broadly, Durbin said domestic extremism and hate is among the biggest threats facing our country.

“Groups like the Proud Boys are weaponizing violent extremism to target communities, traumatize our country, and leave unimaginable pain and fear in their wake,” he said. “That’s why we must finally pass my Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would put serious federal resources toward combatting these threats with research, training, and investigations.”

Durbin, who chairs the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, first introduced the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act in 2017 and reintroduced it this year with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). A companion bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) passed the House on May 18, but Senate Republicans filibustered the legislation on May 26. 

“I am deeply troubled by the empowerment of extremism we’re experiencing at this moment in history,” Pritzker told the Blade. “But Illinois will continue to fight against it at every turn.”

“I welcome every effort by LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations to pursue additional policy at the state and federal level to ensure this nation is safe for all who call it home,” he added.

Pritzker said the “disturbing” attacks against UpRising Bakery are wholly inconsistent with “the Illinois I know.” He pointed to an incident in which a homeowner’s Pride flag was stolen and replaced with an American flag and the entire neighborhood decided to decorate their homes and yards with rainbow flags in a show of solidarity. 

The state’s record on human rights came into sharp relief with developments over the border in Indiana, whose legislature convened a special session this week to consider legislation that would outlaw most abortions and permit criminal prosecution of women who lie to terminate their pregnancies. 

Asked about these developments, Durbin took the opportunity to draw a stark contrast. Unlike Republican legislatures, he said, which are “hellbent on instituting draconian restrictions at the expense of women and people who rely on” healthcare including abortion, Illinois — a “safe haven surrounded by states with increasingly restricted access” — plans to hold a special session to “bolster abortion protections.” 

At the federal level, Durbin said, “I’m committed to ensuring that our state remains open to those seeking care, which is why I cosponsored the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act.” Durbin was joined by U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in introducing the bill, which was defeated by Senate Republicans earlier this month. 

“We are a hub for the heartland on reproductive rights,” Pritzker said, “and so long as I’m governor, we always will be. I’m incredibly disturbed by the attacks on healthcare freedoms at our borders, so I’ve directed my administration to do everything in our power to double down on Illinois’ support and protections and I’ve asked that the Biden administration do the same.”