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WORLD Quebec lesbians, violence study, Rugby World Cup, Ugandan bill
The hidden history of Quebec lesbians is being explored, the CBC reported. Between 1985 and 1996, a group of lesbians leased the Plateau-Mont-Royal school and ran it as a community center. The school was also home ...
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African American Arts Alliance of Chicago names new president for first time in 25 years
--From a press release
CHICAGOThe nonprofit African American Arts Alliance of Chicago announced Charlique C. Rolle as its new board president, effective immediately. Rolle is the first new president in the Alliance's 26-year history ...
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Amigas Latinas Forever and queer Gage Park art exhibits open at Chicago Art Department
Amigas Latinas Forever, an art exhibit exploring this important Chicago organization (1995-2015), opened Aug. 11 at the Chicago Art Department, 1932 S. Halsted St. An additional exhibit, En El Abismo, Me Encontre by the Gage Park ...
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Diana Taurasi becomes first WNBA player to score 10K points
Diana Taurasian LGBTQ+ WNBA player who was already the highest scoring athlete in league historyextended her record in a significant way. Taurasi (a teammate of Brittney Griner) became the first player in WNBA history to score ...
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SHOWBIZ Emmys, 'Top Chef,' Hyphen Hyphen, Da Brat, 'Transparent,' Ben Cohen
Videos below
As the Emmy nominations were announced (with Succession leading with 27 noms), openly gay Paris Barclay made history. According to Deadline, the two-time Emmy winner is the first Black (and, certainly, Black gay) director to sweep ...
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Out at CHM hosts its first 2023 event
On June 28, Chicago History Museum (CHM), 1601 N. Clark St., transformed itself into a "supportive space for trans joy" to mark its support for transgender individuals. The event was presented as part of Out at ...
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Woman running to be first openly trans president in world's history
Tamara Adrian recently registered as a presidential candidate in the Venezuelan primarybecoming the first openly transgender person in the world to do so, The Washington Blade reported. The professor/attorney/author/LGBTQI+-rights activista ...
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Supreme Court ruling on 303 Creative: How bad was it? Depends on who you ask
Some believe the U.S. Supreme Court's decision June 30 in 303 Creative v. Elenis may be one of the most consequential in LGBTQ legal history—a kind of "separate but equal" pronouncement on how the courts should ...
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Chicago Fire scores historic victory over Portland
Chicago Fire FC defeated the Portland Timbers for the first time in Fire history with a 2-1 victory on June 21 at Providence Park. Striker Kei Kamara scored the game-winning goal in the 83rd minute to ...
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Chicago City Council approves landmark status for The Warehouse building
On June 21, the Chicago City Council, among other things, approved landmark status for The Warehouse building that featured a now-shuttered club that catered to queer Black and Brown patrons and that is known as the ...
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Patric McCoy exhibition unearths forgotten moments from Chicago's Black queer history
It's the unusual person who is able to transform commutes to and from their office into anything meaningful, let alone a profound body of work documenting a generation. But Patric McCoy has done just that. McCoy, ...
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Fabrizzio Subia navigates loss and grief through art
When it comes to loss, Fabrizzio Subia may know more than most people. Having dealt with everything from familial loss to the erasure of his history, the Ecuadorian-American multidisciplinary artist (who has also done things like ...
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Poet Laureate avery r. young draws inspiration from West Side upbringing
By Michelle Zacarias
North Austin native and multi-dimensional poet avery r. young made history in April after being selected as Chicago's inaugural Poet Laureate. The announcement came as no surprise to those who follow young's career as an award-winning ...
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Ehrenfeld becomes first gay AMA president during Chicago event
On June 13, a truly historic inauguration took place at the annual American Medical Association (AMA) meeting of its House of Delegates as Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld became the first openly gay president in the history of ...
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Nonbinary actors make history at Tonys
A Tony Awards ceremony that was already unique when queer Oscar-winning host Ariana DeBose hosted an unscripted event (because of the writers' strike) became even more historic when two nonbinary ...
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HRC issues 'state of emergency' for LGBTQ+ Americans
On June 6, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) officially declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ people in the United States for the first time in its history, which spans more than four decades. According to a ...
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SHOWBIZ Lily Tomlin, Daniel Craig, Lizzo, 'Noah's Arc,' Maurice Jamal, 'Heartstopper'
Video below
The Peabody Awards announced that Lily Tomlin and Issa Rae will receive honorary awards at the June 11 ceremony, to be held in Los Angeles for the first time in Peabody's 83-year history, per the Hollywood ...
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White House proclaims 70th anniversary of the 'Lavender Scare'
On April 25, the White House issued a proclamation noting April 27 as the 70th anniversary of the Lavender Scare, which negativelyand extensivelyimpacted the LGBTQ+ community. In 1950, the U.S. State Department fired 91 employees because ...
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PASSAGES: Retired Chicago Fire Department district chief, paramedic Pat Ciara
Retired Chicago Fire Department (CFD) district chief, paramedic and at one time the highest ranking out lesbian in the history of the CFD, Pat Ciara died April 19 of lung cancer in Lake Worth, Florida. She ...
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Gerber/Hart Library and Archives holds Spring Soiree benefit event at Sidetrack
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Gerber/Hart) hosted "This Library is QUEER! The Gerber/ Hart Spring Soiree" benefit April 20 at Sidetrack. A large collection of the history and culture of Chicago and the Midwest's LGBTQIA communities is ...
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House History: World-premiere musical was inspired by the early days of '80s house music
Gay composer Scott Free can rattle off the names of several documentaries celebrating the Chicago origins of house music. This style of electronic dance music was pioneered by Black DJs like Frankie Knuckles and Larry Heard ...
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'Birthplace' of house music to become a Chicago landmark
Shortly after being named to Preservation Chicago's annual list of the city's "most endangered" buildings, the Warehousethe club at 206 S. Jefferson St. that has been often called the "birthplace" of house musicis on its way ...
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Chicago's Fine Arts Building celebrates 125th anniversary with exhibits and tours
--From a press release
CHICAGO (March 7, 2023)—Chicago's historic Fine Arts Building (410 S. Michigan Avenue) celebrates its 125th anniversary this year with two new public exhibits, a self-guided walking tour of significant sites ...
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DuSable Black History Museum to show paintings from collection of Emmy award-nominated actress CCH Pounder
--From a press release
CHICAGO (Feb. 24,2023) — The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center is pleased to announce a new exhibition featuring paintings from the Collection of Emmy® award-nominated actress CCH Pounder. ...
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Passages: Longtime activist Achebe (Betty) Powell passes away
Veteran social justice organizer and educator Achebe (Betty) Powell passed away Feb. 21, according to multiple reports. Powell died of COVID-19 related complications at New York Presbyterian Hospital in Brooklyn, according to a Feb. 22 statement ...
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Hidden History: Pamela Bannos brings the life of 19th-century lesbian photographer to new audiences
Few people outside of New York may know about 19th-century photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952)but author/historian/Northwestern University professor Pamela Bannos wants to change that. Bannos recently completed a podcast series about ...
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Old Town home of gay pioneer Henry Gerber finds buyer
An Old Town row house that was home to two of the founders of the country's first gay-rights organization recently found a buyer, according to Crain's Chicago Business. The Henry Gerber House, 1710 N. Crilly Ct., ...
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Poll: Black Americans support gender equality but split on trans and non-binary issues
--From a press release
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 16, 2023) — Discussions about gender equality and feminism have a long history among Black Americans, with hallmarks like Maria Miller Stewart in 1832; the Combahee River Collective in 1977; Anita Hill in ...
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WORLD Church of England, Japanese officials, Hong Kong ruling, drag kings
The Church of England has voted to bless same-sex marriages for the first time in its history; however, its ban on conducting ceremonies will stay in place, PinkNews reported. It was approved after a six-year consultation ...
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Ben LaBolt of Illinois to be first gay White House communications director
Ben LaBolt—a native of La Grange, Illinois and an alumnus of Middlebury College—is making history as the first openly gay White House communications director, according to an official press release. Kate Bedingfield, who has served as ...
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Pauli Murray becomes first Black queer person on U.S. currency
Pauli Murray (1910-85)—who was an LGBTQ+ human-rights activist, lawyer and Episcopal priest and who is the subject of the documentary My Name Is Pauli Murray—will soon be honored with a quarter of her own, USA Today ...
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Kim Petras is first openly trans singer to win a Grammy
On Feb. 5, Kim Petras made history, becoming the first openly transgender singer to win a Grammy. The German-born singer won in her category of Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Unholy," her chart-topping collaboration with non-binary singer Sam Sm ...
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Beyonce adds second Chicago date to tour
Beyonce—now the most-decorated singer in Grammys history—has added a second Chicago date to her newly announced "Renaissance" world tour, according to The Chicago Tribune. She will now perform at Soldier Field on July 22-23. H ...
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Let's Talk presents "Let's Talk & Celebrate" foodie bash March 2
--From a press release
(CHICAGO) — Kick off Women's History Month with a "Let's Talk & Celebrate" Gold Glamour Gourmet bash by 35+ Chicagoland Let's Talk Womxn LetsTalkWomxn.com restaurateurs on Thursday, March 2, at Moe's Cantina in River North fr ...
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Oak Park Festival Theatre makes history with new artistic director
The Oak Park Festival Theatre (OPFT)—the oldest professional classical theater in the Midwest—announced that Peter G. Andersen will be joining the company as its new artistic director in January 2023. It is the first time that a person ...
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Washington skates by Blackhawks as Ovechkin makes history
At the United Center on Dec. 13, the Chicago Blackhawks (7-16-4) fell to the Washington Capitals (15-12-4) by a score of 7-3. Washington's Alex Ovechkin scored three times to become the third NHL player with 800 ...
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Blackhawks end losing streak; UChicago makes soccer history
On Dec. 3, the visiting Chicago Blackhawks (7-12-4) defeated the New York Rangers (11-10-4) 5-2, snapping an eight-game losing streak. With an assist on Taylor Raddysh's goal to put the team up 4-1 in the third period, ...
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Kris Mayes shatters lavender ceiling; first LGBTQ person elected Arizona Attorney General
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Kris Mayes won the election for Arizona Attorney General. With this historic win, she is now the first out LGBTQ Attorney General in Arizona history. Mayor Annise Parker, ...
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NATIONAL Political results, communicable-disease law, Urvashi Vaid
Sharice Davids won the election for Kansas' 3rd Congressional District. In 2018, she made history when she became the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Kansas and one of the first two Native American women ever ...
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U.S. women's soccer makes history after loss to Germany
The United States women's soccer team lost again, falling 2-1 to Germany on Nov. 10 at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to The Guardian, it's the U.S. team's first three-game skid since 1993 ...
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Erick Russell shatters lavender ceiling; first Black LGBTQ person elected to statewide position in U.S. history
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Today LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Erick Russell won the election for Connecticut state Treasurer. With this victory, he is now the first Black out LGBTQ person ever elected to statewide office in U.S. ...
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HISTORY MADE: Oregon's Tina Kotek one of first lesbian governors in U.S history
-- From a press release
SALEM — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, hailed the victory of HRC-endorsed Tina Kotek in her bid to become the governo ...
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History made: More LGBTQ+ people elected to congress than ever before
-- From an HRC press release
Washington, DC — Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) — the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization — hailed the victory of at least ...
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Maura Healey shatters lavender ceiling in Massachusetts; no U.S. state had elected a lesbian governor
-- From a press release
Washington, DC — Tonight LGBTQ Victory Fund candidate Maura Healey won the Massachusetts gubernatorial race — becoming the first out LGBTQ governor of Massachusetts and one of the first out lesbian governors in U.S. history. Tina ...
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Chicago History Museum holds special screening, panel discussion
The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum presented a special screening of the Youtube Originals series Supreme Models: The Documentary and a panel with an array of A-list fashion industry panelists. Among the participants were ...
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Ginsburg, Morrison, women's soccer to be honored with stamps
The U.S. Postal Service announced that the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the late author Toni Morrison (Beloved; The Bluest Eye) will be honored with new postage stamps next year. The sport of ...
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Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs honors LGBTQIA+ leaders and celebrates LGBTQIA+ History Month
-- From a press release
CHICAGO — On Oct. 21, Illinois state Treasurer Michael Frerichs hosted a celebration to commemorate LGBTQIA+ History Month at the state government building at 555 W. Monroe St. The event was an opportunity to reflect on ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH bell hooks: A voice of love, activism and intersectionality
When bell hooks died on Dec. 15, 2021, it was a gut punch. There was no time when bell hooks' extraordinary writing and feminist and lesbian theorizing was not part of the queer community. There was ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Podcast sheds light on forgotten murders of gay men in Montreal
When people ask about or Google the murders of gay men in Montreal in the '90s, it all leads to the podcast "The Village: The Montreal Murders." LGBTQ+-rights advocates encouraged me to listen to the podcast. ...
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Chicago History Museum to host 'Supreme Models' screening Nov. 4
The Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum will host the official Midwest screening of Supreme Models and an exclusive in-person celebration on Friday, Nov. 4, 5:30-9:30 p.m. at The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark ...
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Gerber/Hart Library and Archives holds 'Unboxing Queer History LIVE' fall benefit
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Gerber/Hart) held its fall benefit, "Unboxing Queer History LIVE!," on Oct. 15 at Gerber/Hart to raise funds in support of the library's mission to preserve LGBTQ+ history in Chicago and the Midwest. ...
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Legacy Walk marks 10th anniversary with newest dedications: Hart, Sarria and Sotomayor
On the afternoon of Oct. 15, the Legacy Project celebrated its 10th anniversary with the dedication of three new bronze memorials along Chicago's Legacy Walk. The Legacy Walk, which runs along Halsted Street between Addison and ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Putting an end to the myths of Stonewall
For years, people have debated what actually happened that night in June 1969 when Stonewall was raided and a new, more militant struggle for equality was born. Due to the debates, and insistence of some to ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Dave Kopay shocked the sports world in 1975
When the NFL's 2022 season began, just one player, Carl Nassib, identified openly as gay. An outside linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nassib came out in a video posted to his Instagram account in June ...
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BOOKS 'Last Call Chicago' release party held at Sidetrack
On Oct. 12, co-authors Rick Karlin and St. Sukie de la Croix held a book-release party for their book, Last Call Chicago: A History of 1,001 LGBTQ-Friendly Taverns, Haunts & Hangouts. Last Call Chicago is a ...
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Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame 2022 induction ceremony honors activists, artists, community organizations
The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inducted eight individuals, three organizations and three "Friends of the Community" (allies) at an Oct. 11 ceremony hosted by The Chicago History Museum. Founded in 1991, it's the only city-sanctioned ...
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Chicago Women's History Center celebrates 50 years of documenting women's lives
-- From a press release
Over the past 50 years, the Chicago Women's History Center has researched, written and shared valuable information about women in Chicago who have made a difference to the city and beyond. To celebrate 50 years of ...
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Black Public Media launches gender affirming doc series during LGBT History Month
-- From a press release
NEW YORK (October 5, 2022) Black Public Media (BPM) is going beyond the gender binary and weighing in on the pronoun debate with a short film series part of its latest BE HEARD! social ...
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OutHistory reveals discovery in LGBTQ+ history: identity of pioneering LGBTQ+ author Jennie June
-- From a press release
New York, NYOct. 10, 2022In celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month, the website OutHistory announced a groundbreaking discovery: the probable identity of Jennie June, the pioneering LGBTQ+ author who bravely defended ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Urvashi Vaid: A Voice for Liberation and Justice
When Urvashi Vaid died at 63 in May 2022 after a valiant fight with breast cancer, thousands of LGBTQ+ people who had been touched by her decades of activism mourned her passing. Over a half-century of ...
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LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH San Francisco Public Library digitizes LGBTQ+ archives, including Harvey Milk holdings
LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH
Shot with black-and-white film, two small children stand outside in a San Francisco public plaza draped in protest signs. One reads, "We're Proud, Not Stigmatized." The other declares, "We Love Our Gay Parents." In the right ...
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Congressman proposes national LGBTQ+ museum
Recently, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin)a co-chair of the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucusintroduced two measures to begin the process of creating a National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture. ...
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BOOKS Events related to 'Last Call Chicago' on Oct. 10 and 12
Last Call Chicago: A History of 1,001 LGBTQ-Friendly Taverns, Haunts & Hangouts is a historical account of LGBTQ+ venues in the Windy City. The book's authors, Rick Karlin and St. Sukie de la Croix, are journalists ...
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MOVIES 'Bros' stumbles at box office
The Billy Eichner/Luke Macfarlane same-sex romantic-comedy film Bros made history with its LGBTQ+ cast being in a big-budget movie—but, unfortunately, it fizzled at the box office. The Paramount horror movie Smile debuted to a sizzling $22 ...
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UpRising Bakery hosts LGBTQ+ history event; protesters still a constant
A handful of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters regularly stand outside the mall that houses UpRising Bakery and Cafe in Northwest suburban Lake in the Hills. That was the case again Oct. 1, the start of LGBTQ+ History Month, ...
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NATIONAL Gay political contest, trans man killed, Kansas Pride, researcher dies
In New York, two gay candidates, Democrat Robert Zimmerman and Republican George Santos, are running to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Tom Suozzi in New York's 3rd Congressional Districtmarking the first time in U.S. history ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH 'Memory Book' details history of 1970s-era LGBTQ+ attorneys in U.S.
Stephen Lachs remembers the 1970s as being a particularly wonderful era in the history of the LGBTQ+-liberation movement. Lachs, 83, was the first out LGBTQ+ person appointed to a judgeship in the United States. Tapped by ...
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LGBT HISTORY MONTH Archives for ALL, y'all!
The contributions of LGBTQ people toward the betterment of the world cannot be underestimated and the world is a better place when LGBTQ people are allowed to flourish. From government and warfare to engineering and science ...
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Gerber/Hart fall benefit on Oct. 15
Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, 6500 N. Clark St., will hold its fall benefit on Saturday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. "Unboxing Queer History LIVE!" will be an in-person event to celebrate and support its mission to ...
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National AIDS Memorial releases 'The Black Community & AIDS'
The National AIDS Memorial has released its latest mini-documentary, "The Black Community & AIDS," the seventh film in its oral history project. "The Black Community & AIDS" chronicles the personal stories of nearly two dozen survivors ...
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Out comic/writer Sam Jay talks career ahead of Wicker Park performance
Stand-up comic and Emmy-nominated writer Sam Jay will be performing at The Den Theatre, located in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood, on Sept. 23-24. The first Black lesbian writer in Saturday Night Live's history, Jay is a ...
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Human Rights Campaign makes history with new president
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRCF) announced that Kelley Robinson (she/her) will become the organization's ninth presidentand the first Black, queer woman to lead the ...
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'Phantom of the Opera' closing on Broadway after 35 years
After more than three decades, The Phantom of the Opera, the longest-running show in Broadway history, is closing. A representative verified that the play's final performance will be on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023. It will have ...
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ART Jonathan D. Katz previews his upcoming 'First Homosexuals' exhibit
Activist, art historian, educator and writer Jonathan D. Katz's new exhibit, "The First Homosexuals: Global Depictions of a New Identity, 1869-1930," will be available to see at Wrightwood 659, 659 W. Wrightwood Ave., on Fridays and ...
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Mayor Lightfoot to present awards at Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame induction ceremony
-- From a press release
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is scheduled to present awards to 14 individuals and organizations being inducted into The Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame on Oct. 11, at 6 p.m, at The Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. ...
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