Daniel Sotomayor: Chicago Cartoonist and AIDS Activist

Daniel Sotomayor’s work connected Chicago’s queer community, political art and the growing AIDS movement. Born on August 30, 1958, to Mexican and Puerto Rican parents, Sotomayor grew up in Humboldt Park. He later became known as the first openly gay political cartoonist in the United States, contributing to newspapers across the country, including Chicago’s Windy City Times.

Sotomayor’s path to cartooning began with several forms of creative work. He studied acting at the Center Theatre and appeared in plays, including a production of “It’s A Wonderful Town.” He also enrolled at the American Academy of Art College before studying graphic design at Columbia College Chicago. That training became the foundation for his career as an artist.

His personal experience as a gay man shaped the public work that followed. In 1988, at age 30, Sotomayor was diagnosed with AIDS. The diagnosis led him into more direct political and organizing work as he collaborated with advocacy groups, news organizations and political figures on AIDS education and public awareness.

Sotomayor was also a cofounder of the Chicago chapter of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, commonly known as ACT-UP/Chicago. ACT UP was an activist organization focused on confronting the AIDS crisis, and its Chicago branch gave local residents a vehicle for organizing around information, visibility and political action. Sotomayor’s combination of illustration and activism made him a distinctive public voice during a period when people living with AIDS faced widespread fear, misinformation and stigma.

His journalism and political cartoons offered another way to challenge those conditions. By working in openly gay media and drawing on his experience as an artist, he helped make LGBTQ+ life and AIDS activism part of the public conversation. His career also reflected the importance of Chicago institutions and communities in his development: Humboldt Park, Columbia College Chicago and Windy City Times all formed part of the story of how he became an artist and advocate.

Sotomayor died on February 5, 1992. He was 33 years old. Although his life was short, his work linked cultural expression with organizing at a crucial moment in LGBTQ+ history. In Chicago, his legacy can be understood through both sides of that work: the visibility created by an openly gay political cartoonist and the collective action represented by ACT-UP/Chicago.

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Further links listed by the Wikipedia page (not independently checked): - https://chicagolgbthalloffame.org/adams-paul/ - https://chicagolgbthalloffame.org/sotomayor-daniel/ - https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1992-02-06-9201110701-story.html - https://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/2984883.html - https://vimeo.com/297755355 - https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/daniel-sotomayor Image rights Original illustrative artwork created from story keywords. It is illustrative, not a documentary photograph.