How LGBTQ+ Chicagoans can join Q Force to help sway battleground-state elections
LGBTQ+ Chicagoans are heading to neighboring battleground states to mobilize voters and help Democrats win in competitive races in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Q Force, a local grassroots organizing group, is ramping up its canvassing efforts in Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa as Election Day…
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IN BRIEF Transgender Arizonans, community centers, Spirit Day, Irish plan, homeless in Lebanon, Nikki Hiltz film, top queer horror films, new Barbies
Warning: This column mentions violent activities and sexual abuse. NATIONAL The San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that transgender Arizona residents can amend their birth certificates without surgery, Gay City News noted. The court found that the Arizona statute made clear that such changes can be obtained without getting a…
SAVOR Queer chef honored, Chick-fil-A stays mum, Mango Pickle’s high tea—and a vintage show
Marvel-ous: Following the success of Meals to Astonish: Spider-Man #1, chef/restaurateur/humanitarian/educator José Andrés and his team at World Central Kitchen continue their journey through the Marvel Universe in Meals To Astonish: Avengers #1, which arrived this month. The Meals to Astonish items team Andrés with Marvel’s greatest heroes for adventures that celebrate World Central Kitchen’s…
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PASSAGES Michael Siverling
Michael Glen Siverling passed away Oct. 4 at his home in Chicago. Michael was born Oct. 6, 1964 in Salina, Kansas, to Donald and Marietta (Reed) Siverling. He attended Central High School, graduating in 1983. He attended Kansas Technical Institute and Colorado Institute of Art, earning a degree in Visual Communications in 1989. Michael enjoyed…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Kansas challenge, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Elliot Page, queer Taipei bar raided, Pet Shop Boys, ‘Heated Rivalry,’ Robin Roberts
Warning: This column mentions violent activities. NATIONAL While transgender and intersex Kansas residents challenge the state’s driver’s license and restroom restrictions, Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach contended that the plaintiffs have not shown the law…
Theater / Dance
THEATER Lookingglass Theatre tells a tall tale of Tennessee in ‘Kowalski’
“I don’t want realism. I want magic!” Blanche DuBois says in the 1947 play A Streetcar Named Desire. A new Lookingglass Theatre Company production, titled after that play’s main character, Stanley Kowalski, is a magical fantasy Blanche would surely appreciate. Kowalski is a fictional story where Marlon Brando visits Tennessee Williams in his Provincetown, Massachusetts, beach house…
Music
MUSIC Riot Fest went boldly where no punk celebration had gone before
The legendary three-day punk rock music gathering known as Riot Fest returned to Chicago’s historic Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr., where it has been held annually since 2015. From Sept. 18-20, the anti-establishment event embraced raw energy on five stages, each beginning with the letter R: Riot, Roots, Rebel, Rise and Radical. Historically, punk…
Film / TV / Gossip
FILM Queer Fright: Filmmaker Zach Lorkiewicz brings “psychosis incarnate” feature debut to Chicago
After graduating from Northwestern University, gay filmmaker Zach Lorkiewicz headed for Los Angeles. While he has found a successful creative home there, his ties to the Midwest remain strong. “The Night Jane Went Insane,” his colorful seven-minute grand dame freak-out, had its local premiere in 2023. Now his feature film debut, a horror film entitled It…
Books / Art
Trans
IN BRIEF Election items, ‘Witt v. Air Force,’ Mount Sinai’s anti-trans move, Switzerland’s government, Freddie Mercury mural, WNBA, Janet Jackson, ‘Tip Toe’
Warning: This column mentions details of killings. NATIONAL In Indiana, six candidates for Owen County township offices in the November election are coming out to voters, introducing themselves on two billboards, WISH noted. The promotion, paid for by the Stonewall Democrats of South Central Indiana, marks the first time the organization has endorsed any candidates…
Lesbian
Legacy Walk marks Cannon and Pulaski’s contributions to history
On the unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon of Oct. 10, Open Hand/Chicago Co-Founder, LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS ally/activist and Legacy Project Co-Founder Lori F. Cannon and U.S. Revolutionary War Brigadier General, Father of the American Calvary and hero Casimir Pulaski were inducted into the Legacy Walk in Chicago’s Northalsted neighborhood. The 15th annual event included a…