Illinois

Award-Winning Actor

b. June 7, 1928
d. October 2, 1985

“I can at least know my misfortune has had some positive worth.”

Rock Hudson was an award-winning actor of Hollywood’s Golden Age. A handsome leading man who appeared in nearly 70 films, he became the face of the early AIDS epidemic at a time when the virus and its victims were demonized. In coming out with his diagnosis—and his homosexuality—he helped raise public awareness and humanize the disease.
 
Born Leroy Harold Scherer Jr. in Winnetka, Illinois, Hudson served as an aircraft mechanic in the Navy during World War II. After his discharge, he moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. In 1947 a talent scout took him on as his protégé, crafting the stage name “Rock Hudson.” Despite Hudson’s lack of experience, he landed a bit part in the 1948 feature film “Fire Squadron.”

Hudson played minor roles in a number of films before he scored the lead in “Magnificent Obsession” (1954). The film established Hudson as a star and his career skyrocketed.

He made five more movies in two years, before appearing in the critically acclaimed “Giant” (1956), alongside Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. The performance earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

In 1959 Hudson’s career took another positive turn when he was cast opposite Doris Day in the romantic comedy “Pillow Talk.” The charismatic actor quickly became a Hollywood heartthrob, starring in two more comedies with Day. The couple’s on-screen chemistry made box office magic and ignited a lifelong friendship. In the late 1960s, Hudson turned his talent to television, most notable starring in “McMillan & Wife,” a popular police drama that ran through the 1970s.

Despite his public success, Hudson’s private life was shrouded in secrecy. Fear of social stigma and professional disaster kept him, and other gay actors of the day, closeted. In 1955, to keep up appearances, Hudson entered a short-lived marriage to Phyllis Gates, arranged by his agent.

Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS in June 1984. In 1985 Doris Day asked him to guest on her television talk-show premiere. He appeared in July for the taping and post-show press conference looking shockingly ill and gaunt. Shortly thereafter, he publicly acknowledged his health status.

He was one of the first major celebrities to disclose his homosexuality and his battle with AIDS. The revelation helped catalyze awareness and change public perceptions about the disease.

Hudson died in Beverly Hills just a few days after the program with Day aired. He was 59.

Transgender Activist

b. May 26, 1989, Chicago, Illinois

“I felt like they wanted me to hate myself as a trans woman.”

CeCe McDonald is a transgender prison-reform activist. While on her way to the grocery store with friends, she encountered a drunken group outside of a bar. Seeing McDonald and her friends, the group began taunting them with racial, homophobic and transphobic slurs. After taking a stance that their hate speech would not be tolerated, McDonald was assaulted with a shattered drinking glass across the face. The attack perforated her cheek and lacerated her salivary gland.

McDonald defended herself against a second assailant with fabric shears, the only weapon she had. The assailant died.

McDonald was arrested and imprisoned. After two months in prison, she finally received care for her wounds.

Experiencing the inhumane treatment of prisoners firsthand, McDonald began speaking out against the criminal justice system. “Prisons aren’t safe for anyone, and that’s the key issue,” she said. For McDonald, the issue of safety included her status as a transgender female in a men’s prison. Transgender prisoners were assigned to prisons based on their sex at birth rather than their gender identity. The penal system frequently placed them in solitary confinement—a psychologically debilitating isolation—purportedly for the safety of the individual. The experience served to strengthen McDonald’s character and establish her resolve to become a transgender leader. “Free CeCe,” a documentary about her experiences, focused on the issue of violence against trans women of color.

Activist

b. June 29, 1892

d. December 31, 1972

“Nobody believes we can do it—reporters, opponents—except ourselves."

Henry Gerber was among the earliest gay rights activists in America. He founded the nation’s first gay organization and gay publication.

Born Joseph Henry Dittmer in Bavaria, Germany, Gerber moved to Chicago in 1913. From 1920 to 1923,  he served in the U.S. Army during the occupation of Germany. While in Germany, he was exposed to the homosexual emancipation movement. Gerber subscribed to gay publications and was inspired by Magnus Hirschfeld, founder of a German homosexual and science advocacy organization.

After returning to Chicago, Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights, which advocated for gays and lesbians. He published the organization’s newsletter, “Friends and Freedom.”

Gerber limited membership in the Society for Human Rights to gay men. Unknown to him, the vice president, Al Weininger, was married with children. In 1925, Weininger’s wife reported the organization’s activities and it was shut down for moral turpitude. The Chicago police arrested Gerber and tried him three times. Although Gerber was found not guilty, the legal fees cost him his life savings and his job.

Gerber moved to New York City and reenlisted in the Army, where he served for 18 years. He led a correspondence club called Connections, which became a national network for gay men. Under a pen name, he wrote articles for various publications, arguing the case for gay rights.

At 80, Gerber died in the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home in Washington, D.C. In 1992, he was inducted posthumously into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. In 2001, the Henry Gerber House was designated a Chicago landmark.

Diplomat/Philanthropist

Actor

b. July 14, 1960

"As for being out in Hollywood—I never thought about it. I never hid who I was."

Jane Lynch is an award-winning theater, film and television actor. In 2010, she shared a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Comedy Ensemble for the hit television series “Glee.” She also received a Golden Globe nomination and won an Emmy for her role on the show.

Lynch grew up in Dolton, Illinois, outside Chicago. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Theater from Illinois State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Theater from Cornell.

Lynch began her career on stage with the Second City comedy troupe, followed by a stint playing Carol Brady in the touring company of "The Real Live Brady Bunch." In 1998, Lynch wrote and starred in "Oh Sister, My Sister." Six years later, Lynch’s play helped launch the Lesbians in Theater program at the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

After playing bit parts and acting in commercials, Lynch caught the attention of film director Christopher Guest, who spotted her in a Frosted Flakes commercial and cast her in "Best in Show." Lynch’s turn as a lesbian dog handler in the movie was her breakout role. She has appeared in more than 50 films, including "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Julie and Julia," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Talladega Nights" and "The Fugitive."

On television, Lynch guest starred on dozens of series, including "Judging Amy," "The West Wing," "Arrested Development" and "Boston Legal." She played recurring characters on "The L Word," "Party Down," "Two and a Half Men" and "Criminal Minds."

As Sue Sylvester, the "Glee" cheerleading coach described as "pure evil," Lynch is receiving rave reviews. Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "Lynch alone makes 'Glee' worth watching."

In 2005, Jane Lynch was named one of the "10 Amazing Gay Women in Showbiz" by the Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up (POWER UP). In 2010, Outfest, the Los Angeles gay and lesbian film festival, honored Lynch with the 14th annual Achievement Award for her contributions to LGBT film and media.

Financial Expert

Suze Orman is a financial expert, author, motivational speaker and television host. She is the most celebrated personal finance advisor in America and has written six consecutive books on the New York Times best-seller list.

Born and raised in Chicago, Orman had a speech impediment as a child. She was belittled in school and suffered from low self-esteem.

To her surprise, she was accepted to the University of Illinois. She majored in social work after a counselor advised her that it was the easiest course of study. After college, Orman bought a van. Ultimately, she ended up in Berkeley, California.

Orman waited tables for six years before a customer loaned her $50,000 to open her own restaurant. She invested the money with Merrill Lynch. Less than six months later, she was broke, having been scammed by a stockbroker.

Orman enrolled in a Merrill Lynch account executive training program to earn back her money. After learning that what her broker did was illegal, she sued Merrill Lynch. She won back her money with interest, and repaid the restaurant customer who made her the loan. Soon after, another company hired Orman as vice president of investments. 

In 1987, Orman started her own firm, the Suze Orman Financial Group. In 1997, she left to pursue a career as a writer.

The author of seven books, Orman contributes to major publications and has created top-selling computer programs for personal finance and money management. She hosts CNBC’s “The Suze Orman Show” and QVC’s “Suze Orman’s Financial Freedom.”  

Orman has won two Daytime Emmy Awards and a record five Gracie Awards for outstanding women in radio and television. Time magazine ranked her among the 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2008 and 2009. In 2009, she received GLAAD’s Vito Russo Media Award.  

Orman lives with her partner, Kathy Travis.