1975: Grant Ford, publisher of Gay Life, declares for alderman of the 44th Ward and then, after voter registration efforts are well under way, mysteriously drops out of the race and supports te regular Democratic candidate. 1986: A gay rights ordinance is defeated in City Council, a “wake-up call for the community.” 1987: Dr. Ron Sable challenges incumbent 44th Ward alderman Bernmard Hansen and nearly wins with 46.3 percent of the vote. 1988: In December the City Council passes a redrafted “human rights” ordinance. 1991: Sable again challenges Hansen, who has become a strong advocate of gay causes. This time the gay community supports Hansen and he wins easily. 1994: Tom Chiola wins a Democratic primary for Circuit Cout judge and becomes the city’s first openly gay elected official.
In March, Chiola won the Democratic primary for a seat on the Eighth Judicial Subcircuit in Cook County, and he learned to play politics well. At the reception, he was approached by Alderman Bernard Hansen, whose 44th Ward has the largest gay and lesbian population in the city. Hansen asked Chiola about the upcoming gay pride parade.
Hansen leaned toward Chiola and cupped a hand over his mouth. “They need to give you a fuckin’ break,” he whispered, and broke out laughing.
“Oh yeah?” Kuzas said. “Where’s your place?”
After the mayor’s speech, Chiola worked his way around the podium to get into a picture with the mayor and leaders of Team Chicago, the city’s delegation to the Gay Games. Then he fell into a conversation with the mayor.
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Chiola came into contact with AIDS very early. His platonic roommate, Michael Murphy, contracted the virus in the early 80s. Chiola remodeled his house to accommodate Murphy, a runner who started a nonprofit support organization, the Marathon Project, for people with AIDS. “Tom was affected by AIDS in the early wave,” says Lori Cannon, cofounder of Open Hand Chicago and a longtime friend of Chiola’s, “not just through the headlines and not through Rock Hudson. I think the two men meant a lot to each other. Tom’s devotion was important to Michael, and Michael’s courage was an inspiration to Tom. So where Tom might not have been in the streets with ACT-UP getting arrested or screaming at City Hall for more funding, he was a caretaker in a house where somebody was dying.”
