OPINION The unapologetic queer history at the new Obama Presidential Center
Walking onto the 19.3-acre campus of the Obama Presidential Center on Chicago’s South Side was a respite, and a revelation. As a proud Chicagoan and an inductee into the Chicago LGBTQ Hall of Fame, I didn’t step onto the grounds expecting to experience all of…
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PASSAGES Ron Fritsch
Ron Fritsch, age 87, a Chicago, resident for many years, died on July 22. Ron was born on May 8, 1939, in a farmhouse in Glen Ellyn. He grew up on a rental farm near Big Rock, Illinois. He is a graduate of both University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history…
Second Annual Dignity Dash cuts through heat to finish first
On the morning of July 26, Brave Space Alliance (BSA) kicked off its second Annual Dignity Dash under cloudy skies and temperatures climbing toward 90 degrees. The event launched at the AIDS Garden at 3003 N. Lake Shore Drive and trailed along the Chicago lakefront, welcoming over 150 participants who gathered to run, bike or walk…
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IN BRIEF Avoiding Idaho, Baltimore gay bar, partnerships vetoed in Poland, UK prime minister, ‘Barbara Forever,’ Michael Urie
Warning: This column mentions a violent attack. NATIONAL Trans journalist/activist Erin Reed updated her Anti-Trans National Legal Risk Assessment Map, adding Idaho to the list of “Do Not Travel” states for trans people because of the state’s harsh new restroom law, LGBTQ Nation noted. Idaho now joins Florida, Texas and Kansas on the list; Reed…
Nation & World
IN BRIEF Trans ban upheld, bathhouse ban repealed, Stonewall re-enactment, conversion therapy, ‘Broadway Bares,’ ‘X-Men ’97’
NATIONAL In a major development, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld state bans on transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s school sports, The Advocate reported. In a six-to-three decision written by Justice Brett…
Theater / Dance
Malik Gillani helps Chicagoans find their voices while reclaiming his own
For more than two decades, Malik Gillani has helped people tell stories that might otherwise have gone unheard. As the cofounder of nonprofit Silk Road Rising—now the Silk Road Cultural Center—Gillani helped build one of Chicago’s leading theater companies dedicated to amplifying the voices of Asian, Middle Eastern and Muslim artists. In doing so, he…
Music
Drag queen and DJ Kevin Aviance looks ahead to Chicago appearance
Kevin Aviance will have an upcoming DJ set as part of the Ladybear party at Smartbar, 3730 N. Clark St., on Aug 8 at 10 p.m. alongside Lucy Stoole, Shaun J Wright, and Rika B. Aviance is a New York City-based drag queen, a part of the iconic House of Aviance, and a DJ and…
Film / TV / Gossip
John Early smells like Maddie’s Secret at the Music Box
Director, writer and actor John Early doesn’t hide who he is as a gay man, but his character struggles with private information in the new Magnolia Pictures movie Maddie’s Secret. On July 2, he brought his latest endeavor to the Music Box Theatre for a sold-out screening accompanied by a post-show question-and-answer portion of the program. Maddie proved so popular…
Books / Art
Trans
“Restroom Rally” held to highlight Illinois’ Equitable Restrooms Act
Pride Action Tank, an AIDS Foundation Chicago(AFC) project and Community Restroom Access Project (CRAP) organizer, and Rainbow Café LGBTQ Center in Carbondale joined forces to hold a Restroom Rally July 18 at both The Hideout in Chicago and Lost Forest Coffeehouse and Pub in Carbondale to raise awareness about Illinois’ Equitable Restrooms Act. The amended act, which was signed into law…
Lesbian
BUSINESS Revolutionary pleasures: Searah Deysach’s on a mission to bring sex positivity to Chicagoans
Twenty-five years ago, Evanston native Searah Deysach was at a crossroads and realized she needed to shake up her professional life. Deysach had done a pastry program and worked in kitchens for a while before she “boomeranged back to working in an office at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC).” She had…