"Embracing Diversity, Creating Change”
The inspiration behind our 2024 Theme…

Agito, a trans man and artist, has masterfully designed Evanston Pride's logos for several years, reflecting the rich history and evolving struggle of the LGBTQ+ community with each creation, culminating in this year's powerful dragon symbol to embody the theme of embracing diversity and creating change.

 My name is Agito, I'm a trans man and an artist and for the past couple years have had the honor to design Evanston pride’s logos, including it’s very first. Just like in previous years, Iconography for a queer pride organization carries with it history, and I wanted to find something that could honor that legacy. 

To take the words from myself from last year, The first year Evanston had a pride parade, I chose the pink triangle as its symbol, for it’s huge significance in the AIDS crisis protests, ACT UP and the fight for queer rights in the 80s, it was an act of reclamation of a symbol previously used to hurt us. I wanted to show that we are proud to be exactly who we are. 

The next logo I designed was a rose, something I created from a somber and grieving perspective. I was angry, and for all intents and purposes I still am, for my trans siblings and for the injustices, the violence we go through each day. Our fight is far from over. 

Last year I chose a butterfly made of knots to encompass the message “Pride Unites Us”. A butterfly is an age-old symbol of transformation and rebirth. Recreating ourselves in the future as we find who we truly are. I can very personally relate to this message, as I’ve slowly discovered more about my trans identity and been able to be open about it in a way I couldn’t before. It feels like cutting open a cocoon and finally spreading wings that had been curled into myself for so long.

This year, I designed a dragon. One that breathes fire and is covered in little spines. This dragon is to embody the “Embracing Diversity, Creating Change” message for this year’s pride. I have always loved dragons, even from just the standpoint of thinking they were cool as a kid. The dragon, in many myths is a fantasy creature often othered and painted as the villain. A dragon is pushed out from public spaces, targeted, hunted down and often murdered in their own private caves. I found this a subject that relates a lot to how queer people are treated by wider society. I wanted to take the dragon as a monster and reclaim it. To show that this dragon was fighting in self defense, fighting to exist as they are, in their own home. That the people who saw them as a villain never respected its unique existence in the first place.  

In yet another year with increasing anti-trans and anti-queer legislation, a year with a terrifying election on the horizon, I wanted this logo to yet again call back to the start of pride as a riot. Black trans community who fought back against police brutality. Marsha p. Johnson. Silva Rivera. The only way queer people have won any rights is by fighting. In the courts, in the streets. For each other. This is why the trans flag is centered in the dragon’s design, along with black and brown stripes as a reference to the progress flag and how those colors were added specifically to 

 honor queer people of color. In addition, I feel centering trans rights and lives in this current climate is vital for making a community where we can be safe to be ourselves. 

Importantly, This dragon is fighting back against those who would want it gone, and that dragon’s defense is out of love. I think we can not afford to lose sight of that, we are fighting for each other out of love. We deserve to be here and nothing will change that. The dragon and it’s flame begin to form a heart in the logo, with the flame bursting forth from the confined shape.

The dragon is a mythological creature that is just as natural to the world of fantasy it lives in as any other animal in that world. Even though it is regarded as a monster. Queer people likewise are natural. We’ve existed in the world across cultures and civilizations. No part of our existence is new, we’ve always been here. Language is the only thing that’s changed. 

Even though I have spoken at events like this before, I still get nervous. I still worry that I’ll be overwhelmed with the grief of a day of remembrance like this. I want all of us to live. And we don’t… we aren’t all here. We continue to lose more and more of our community due to violence and bigotry and fascism and it’s a heartbreaking thing. And as I watched this year's list, there are names I recognize. A stark reminder of how hostile society still is towards trans people of any age and any gender. 

There are so many barriers placed in front of us that do not need to exist. Roadblocks In getting medical care, insurance, finding understanding doctors, legal issues. Barriers to name changes. All pointing at the reality that so many people think we aren’t deserving of happy futures. That we need to struggle to conform in order to gain a small portion of their approval. Or that we are dangerous just by existing. There still exist so many structures that have no room for trans people, or that seek to push us out of public life entirely. I want to push back against both of these. Conformity will not save us, and we are not dangerous. We are resistant. This again just reinforced my choice to make the pride symbol for this year the dragon. 

Thank you to Evanston pride, your support of me still means more than I can express in words. Thank you for inviting me to speak again. Thank you to my friends and my family and my community, who’ve embraced me warmly as I pursue further avenues of my transition. You are why I'm still standing here today. You are why I’m able to feel safe being openly me in front of you now. 

It is still so difficult to hold onto hope, but we need to. My hope is, like this dragon, that you’ll keep fighting. That your flames will be your treasure, your shield and your weapon. Keep fighting queerphobic legislation, keep fighting for your community. Keep fighting to show that all of us deserve better! We deserve to live full and happy lives! And I wish that for us and more.