As we commemorate 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at CHM, we are asking questions about our nation’s democracy in progress. Are all people in our city equal? What happens when workers, people of color, or members of the LGBTQIA+ community stand up for their rights? How do we honor the Indigenous stewards of the land we now call Chicago? What can we do to create a “more perfect union” today in Chicago and the United States?

Join us for an evening outside for Movies in the Parks as we screen To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar. Featuring Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo, this 1995 comedy film directed by Beeban Kidon centers civic action through the everyday strategies of confronting violence and discrimination while living one’s full, authentic life.

To Wong Foo depicts the power of intersectional coalitions in daily life for three gender-bending gay men of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds traveling across the country to compete in the “Drag Queen of America” pageant. They face racist and homophobic challenges along the way, all the while building deep and meaningful relationships with members of a small town.

To Wong Foo stands as a film that challenges our very assumptions of how we can all live and work together to build a stronger community that values and embraces our differences as sources of power.

All Movies in the Parks screenings are free and open to the public and are provided in partnership with the Chicago Park District. Closed captioned. All films begin shortly after sunset. This film is estimated to begin at 8:30 PM and has a runtime of 1 hour and 49 minutes.