Elise Malary Becomes 1st Black Trans Woman With Chicago Honorary Street Name

CHICAGO — The late Evanston resident transgender activist Elise Malary was honored Friday with an honorary street dedication in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood.

Catalpa Avenue from Ashland Avenue to Clark Street, was named "Elise Malary Way" with an unveiling event on what would have been her 34th birthday.

Malary was a founding member of the Chicago Therapy Collective, 5237 N. Clark St., a LGBTQ mental health nonprofit, where she spearheaded the organization's Hire Trans How initiative. She also worked for Equality Illinois, the Civil Rights Bureau of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and AIDS Foundation Chicago.

Friends, family and local elected officials made remarks at the street-naming ceremony in Malary's native Andersonville neighborhood.

"Elise fearlessly navigated a world that often sought to diminish her light," said her sister, Fabiana, Windy City Times reported. "However, Elise continued to stand tall, unapologetically embracing her true self and advocating for the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ community."

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis, the first black trans person appointed to public office in Cook County and the first trans water reclamation board member in U.S. history, also spoke at the event.

“It is up to each and every one of us to keep her legacy alive, to fight for justice in her name, to affirm that Black trans lives matter,” Brady-Davis said, according to Block Club Chicago. “Our lives are worthy of dignity, and the assault on our lives must stop.”

Malary drowned in Lake Michigan more than two years ago. The manner of her death could not be determined by the Cook County Medical Examiner's office. Evanston police said their death investigation did not indicate foul play, and there were no signs of injuries.

Malary went missing on March 9, 2022, a day after quitting her job with the attorney general's office. She had been due to receive an award later that month at the Chicago Trans Visibility Pageant in Chicago. Her car was found in an Evanston parking lot on March 14, and her body was found in Lake Michigan on March 17.

Read more:

• Late Evanston Trans Activist To Be Honored With Chicago Street Sign, Mural
• Stop Hate Speech On House Floor, Honor Elise Malary, State Rep Says
• Body Found In Lake Identified As Trans Activist Elise Malary
• Woman's Body Found In Lake Michigan In Evanston