(The Center Square) – A planned race-restricted event at a public park in Geneva is raising questions about anti-discrimination policies, with former Illinois state representative and Breakthrough Ideas CEO Jeanne Ives urging local officials to examine whether such gatherings comply with the law after an LGBTQ organization postponed a bonfire advertised for Black, Indigenous and other people of color.
The event, organized by Belong Fox Valley and described as a “Queer BIPOC Bonfire,” was scheduled for Oct. 16 at Peck Farm Park in Geneva. The free, adults-only gathering was advertised as open exclusively to members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are Black, Indigenous, people of color or multiracial.
“This is a segregated event,” Ives told The Center Square. “If you’re LGBTQIA++ and you’re BIPOC, fine, you can come in. All others, it’s closed to. I mean, that’s pretty alarming.”
The event drew backlash over its race-based attendance restrictions. Belong Fox Valley subsequently announced on social media that it was postponing the bonfire because of safety concerns.
“Keep an eye on our social media and website for info about the new plans when we have them. Be safe and kind to one another, friends,” the organization said.
Geneva Park District Executive Director Nicole Vickers told Kane County Reporter that organizers had decided not to proceed with the “Queer BIPOC Bonfire” scheduled for Oct. 16 at Peck Farm Park.
Belong Fox Valley cited safety concerns in its social media announcement postponing the event and said it would share details about future plans online.
The Center Square did not receive a response to requests for comment from the park district or Belong Fox Valley.
Ives acknowledged that public parks routinely rent facilities to private parties that are not open to the general public, including family gatherings and political events.
“The truth is, this public facility also rents out space to private parties,” Ives said. “You could even have your own family party there.”
Ives said that distinction may give the park district grounds to allow the gathering under existing rules, but argued that the organization’s attendance restrictions warrant scrutiny.
“This should be something that the community should be aware of, that this group is hosting,” she said.
Asked whether park districts should ensure private events held on public property comply with anti-discrimination requirements, Ives said officials could review their policies
“I would think that they should,” Ives said. “They could probably rewrite their rules to ensure that all events are compliant with federal discrimination laws.”
She said residents should consider raising the issue with both the organization and the park district, including asking officials to examine whether similar events could legally be held in the future.
Ives also addressed the organization’s stated safety concerns, saying threats or violence against the group would be unacceptable while questioning what evidence supported the decision to postpone the event.
“No organization should be threatened by this,” she said. “I’d like to see the proof of that. I’d like to understand exactly how they were threatened and what was said in the threatening messages because I think a lot of times these groups say one thing and they read into stuff.”
Ives said she would also want to know whether the organization filed a police report if it received threats.
The controversy raises broader questions about how Illinois park districts and local governments handle permits for events organized around particular identities. Supporters of identity-based gatherings may argue they provide a space for historically marginalized communities, but Ives said that rationale does not justify racial exclusion.
“This is 2026. We don’t do that anymore,” Ives said. “We learned a long time ago that we don’t do anymore. We have laws written so that you don’t racially discriminate against anybody.”
Ives said the key issue is whether an event’s restrictions violate applicable anti-discrimination laws, rather than whether an organization is holding a private gathering or hosting an event focused on a particular community.
“The problem here is when it comes to race or sex discrimination of any sort that would be in violation of the Constitution,” she said. “I think that that’s more of the issue than anything.”
The postponement leaves the bonfire’s future uncertain. Belong Fox Valley said followers should monitor its social media and website for information about its new plans.
