A Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago ( LAGBAC ) reception recognizing the retirement of the Hon. Tom Chiola and the appellate court appointment of the Hon. Sebastian Patti was held Jan. 27 at Rockit Bar & Grill.
Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Tim Evans introduced both, calling Chiola a "trailblazer" and Patti "an icon." Chiola urged the crowd, which was filled with political figures and candidates, to become more involved with LGBT organizations and with establishing/reporting downstate contacts in advance of a possible vote on a civil-unions bill. Patti, who is on the Feb. 2 ballot for his court seat, talked of being "seduced by the magic" of being on the appellate court. In addition, Chiola accepted LAGBAC's Vanguard Award, while both he and Patti accepted awards from the Alliance of Illinois Judges, which, among other things, seeks to promote equal treatment of LGBT members of the judiciary on issues affecting judges. Photos and text by Andrew Davis.
View a video retrospective of Chiola's career told by members of the community at http:// www.tomchiola.com .
Many more photos by Andrew Davis at www.windycitymediagroup.com/photos/PattieChiolaJAN2010
