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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Murray Hill reflects on ‘Showbiz’ memoir ahead of Chicago appearance
For three decades, Murray Hill has captivated audiences around the world as a successful entertainer and actor. Sometimes referred to as “Mr. Showbiz,” this award-winning trans comedian—and now author— blends camp with a cabaret-style live act that fans can see in person at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave., on Sunday, Nov. 1. The Chicago appearance…
Community leaders honored at TaskForce Vogue For Good event
The Black, Latiné and LGBTQ+-led nonprofit TaskForce Prevention and Community Services (TaskForce) held its second annual Vogue For Good event honoring the creativity, resilience and legacy of Ballroom culture and LGBTQ+ community leadership Oct. 15 at City Hall in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. For the second year in a row, TaskForce honored community leaders with…
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TRAVEL Pride in Dallas was a weekend of unabashed joy for Texas’ queer community
Courtesy of the Los Angeles Blade Pride arrived for a second time this year in Dallas, Texas, with the local community coming together for a few more days to uplift their LGBTQ+ neighbors. It was a weekend of fun inclusivity that this city is no stranger to; Dallas currently boasts the sixth-largest population of LGBTQ+…
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
Chicagoans reflect on Gloria Steinem’s relationship with LGBTQ+ community
Gloria Steinem is being remembered as a feminist leader and icon. But the Chicagoans who interacted with her said she never made the movement about her—it was about all of us. “She treated everyone like a peer,” said Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, who met Steinem several times, starting when Cassidy worked for the National Organization for Women’s (NOW)…