EVANSTON, IL — The Evanston transgender activist who was found dead last year in Lake Michigan in unexplained circumstances is set to have a North Side street named in her honor.
Elise Malary was a founding member of the Chicago Therapy Collective, or CTC, a not-for-profit with the mission of advancing queer liberation and alleviating mental health disparities in the LGBTQ community. She was remembered as a tireless advocate for Chicago area trans people following her March 2022 death at the age of 31.
According to 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquez, Catalpa Avenue between Clark Street and Ashland Avenue will be renamed Elise Malary Way, “in tribute to our sister who was taken from us too soon.”
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The Andersonville-based CTC is also planning to create a mural to honor Malary. Initial proposals are due by mid-January, and those selected to make it to the next stage have until the end of March to finalize the design. The mural is expected to be unveiled in November 2024, the next Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience.
“We believe in the future that Elise worked tirelessly for, one where the people and organizations that make up the neighborhood will continue to grow not just as leaders of LGBTQ+ inclusion & equity, but Black and Brown inclusion & equity as well,” CTC representatives said in a request for mural proposals.
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“The mural should inspire friends, family, and local leaders to continue working across conventional lines to accelerate Trans inclusion, equity & justice, and honor Elise’s vision with a spirit of optimism, hope, and resolve,” it said.
City officials have already granted permission for the mural to be located at the wall of Chicago Therapy Collective and Women & Children First’s, at Clark Street and Farragut Avenue, where Malary worked to champion transgender inclusion, economic justice and antiracism.
It will replace a chalk mural that CTC members have kept fresh every month, and maintenance will be funded for at least the first 10 years. The CTC has collected more than $10,000 in support of the effort.
Permission has been granted for the installation of a mural honoring Elise on in Andersonville. Funds will be used to cover costs of the design process, materials, labor, and upkeep for 10 years.
Malary’s body was found in Lake Michigan near Evanston’s Garden Park, in the 500 block of Sheridan Square, on March 17, 2022, nearly a week after a family member reported her missing.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death was caused by drowning but was unable to determine whether she died by accident, suicide or homicide and classified her manner of death as “undetermined” last June.
“The Medical Examiner did not find traumatic injuries from at or near the time of death, and the Evanston Police investigation has not revealed circumstances indicating foul play,” Evanston police said at the time.
The Chicago City Council ordinance to rename a portion of Catalpa Avenue after Malary has already been introduced, according to Vasquez. The alderman said a ceremony to present the honorary street sign is in the planning stage and the ordinance could be approved as soon as next month, he told Block Club Chicago, which first reported plans to rename the street.
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