Where are the lesbians? Every week I get mail, sometimes from the other side of the country ... and always from men! Chicago Whispers has become a column about the gay male history of Chicago. This does not make me happy, because I'm only telling half a story.
I do realize that a small minority of women are not willing to talk to me, because I have the 'limb of Satan' between my legs, and I can't do anything about that, but where are all the others?
It's impossible for me to get into the women-only groups in this city and so I'd like to appeal to these groups. Please bring up the issue of Chicago Whispers at your next gathering. I can interview over the phone, anonymously etc., etc.
Perhaps it's just me, but I believe it's our political duty to hand down our stories to the next generation of young people struggling with their sexuality.
I would appreciate some help from the lesbian community, and perhaps the following list of events and occurances might jog some memories:
On June 19, 1970, about 80 women attended the first all-lesbian dance in Chicago. Does anyone know where this took place, or have any information about it?
On September 22, 1973, a Lesbian Cultural Festival was held at the IWW Hall, sponsored by Amazon Nation and Chicago Lesbian Liberation. Does anyone have memories of this?
I'd like to speak to anyone from the Women's Caucus or Chicago Lesbian Liberation group. I believe they were the same group, but changed their name.
Any women who visited pre-Stonewall lesbian bars e.g. Evergreen, Midget Inn ...
Any members of the Artemis Players, a lesbian theater group in the 1970s.
In November 1973 the women's center at 3523 N. Halsted opened under the auspices of Women's Center, Womanart and the Counseling and Resource Center for Lesbians. The center offered art and literature for sale, served as a drop-in center and was a meeting place for a number of organizations.
Does anyone remember activist Barbara Beckman?
On Sept. 13 and 14, 1974, a Lesbian's Writer's Conference was held at the First Unitarian Church in Hyde Park. Over 130 women attended. This was an annual event.
In October, 1975, a Miss Windy City Contest for lesbians was held.
On Oct. 20, 1975, two women, Nancy Davis and Toby Schneider were arrested when they staged a sit-in after being refused a marriage license by the Cook County Clerk's Office. More than a dozen gay groups ( mostly male-dominated ) called a press conference several days later to disavow the action as "badly timed" and a "publicity stunt." Several lesbian groups were upset they had not been consulted or been given notice about the press conference and its statement.
On May 16, 1976, 42 Chicago lesbians participated in the Springfield rally for ERA.
Aug. 1— 8, 1976, was Lesbian Pride Week. Events included workshops, film and slide presentations, a demonstration at the House of Corrections, a Grant Park Picnic and a rally. Locations included the Lesbian Feminist Center, 3523 N. Halsted and Liberty Hall, 2440 N. Lincoln. The week was sponsored by Lesbians for Equal Rights.
On Dec. 5, 1978, the Lesbian Community Center opened its doors in a facility at 1226 W. Grace St. The site was the first such facility since the previous spring.
On July 20, 1979, the Lesbian Community Center had moved to 3435 N. Sheffield.
I'm especially looking for women who worked for Blazing Star, Women's News for A Change, Lavender Woman, Sister Source, and Catalyst newspapers.
On March 1, 1983, the Lesbian Community Center at 3435 N. Sheffield closed for financial reasons. It had been in incorporated in 1979 and had several locations.
On June 21, 1984, after seven years in business, the Jane Addams Bookstore, at 410 S. Michigan, closed down. The store had catered to the women's movement and had carried many items of interest to the lesbian community.
The following article is from the Chicago Gay Crusader January 1976 issue. Does anyone remember this bar?: "And Donna Smith, 40, was beaten and stabbed to death in an alley near her home at 4801 N. Bell Ave. on November 6, 1975. She was an employee and close friend of Patricia Hurley, operator of the Stop Inn Lounge, a neighborhood lesbian and gay bar at 1812 W. Montrose Ave. Smith was the mother of two children. The victim's ex-husband, Eugene Smith, who operates a tavern down the street from the Stop Inn, and his friend Sandy Barr, an ex-policeman, were arrested while driving in a car shortly after the murder. Barr had been discharged from the police force earlier in 1975 after being charged with breaking the windows of Hurley's bar. Eugene Smith and Barr were arraigned on murder charges December 15."
Does anyone have memories of the following performances at the Mountain Moving Coffeehouse at 1655 W. School St.?
Saturday, Oct. 28, 1978: Chicago favorite Carolyn Ford. Nov. 4, 1978: Cynthia Hendricks. Sept. 30, 1978, Diana-Straight-As-An-Arrow's first performance at the Coffeehouse. ( Does anyone have copies of Diana's two singles "Silver Spur Dance Hall" and "Gay"—they sold for $2 each and could be bought at His 'N' Hers bar ) . Jan. 6, 1979: Pat Bryson and Lindsay Elam. Jan. 20, 1979: Deidre McCalla and Llena de la Madrugada as Gypsy, a lesbian/feminist duo. May 9, 1986: Alix Dobkin and Lucie Blue Tremblay. May 3, 1986: Rosi Gowdey.
Are any of the above performers still around in Chicago? Have you ever performed on stage?
I'm also looking for information about the following characters: Judy and Karen ( Up Your Alley Lounge at 5748 Chicago Ave. Circa October 1970 ) , Ruthie, Lundi Fisher, Chicago Molly, Dago Rose, Danny Reilly ( owner of Alfie's ) , Jack David ( Up North ) , Vera Vinyl, or Rita, the shopping bag lady ... what happened to all these people?
Always looking for your memories of the bars. Ask yourself this question: What was the first gay bar that I went to in Chicago? Write down the answer and send it to Sukie de la Croix at Outlines. He also interviews over the phone or by e-mail sukiedelacroix@iname.com
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What a Difference a Gay Makes
The Gay/Lesbian Movement, 5, 10, 15 & 20 Years Ago
by Sukie de la Croix
Feb. 6— 12
1995: 5 Years Ago
U.S.: Paul Monette, author of The Gold Diggers, Afterlife, and Becoming A Man, dies of AIDS at age 49. *A gay man from Nicaragua is the third person to be granted political asylum in the U.S. since officials established a new policy of recognizing gays and lesbians as political refugees in 1990. t In Tacoma, the Washington state judicial conduct commission censures Eatonville District Judge Alan Hutchinson for calling two preoperative transsexuals "immoral and mentally ill." t Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story airs on NBC. * James Merrill, a gay poet who won a Pulitzer Prize, two National Book Awards, the Bollingen Prize and a National Book Critics Circle Award, dies from a heart attack at age 68. * Activists with the Lesbian Avengers descend on the offices of Exodus International, just north of San Francisco, to bring a "plague of locusts" on the "ex-gay" organization that claims to cure homosexuals and convert them to heterosexuality. * In Laurel, Miss., jurors convict 17-year-old Marvin McLendon of the murders of two gay men, who were both shot once through the head. McLendon receives two consecutive life terms in prison. * Canada: Real Menard, one of two open gays in the Canadian Parliament, reveals that his lover is HIV-positive during an emotional outburst at a House of Commons committee meeting.
1990: 10 Years Ago
U.S.: Anti-gay William Dannemeyer, R-Calif., publicly denounces Kathleen Sullivan, host of the CBS This Morning Show, as well as two lesbian and gay activists—Urvashi Vaid and Tom Stoddard—in printed comments inserted in the Congressional Record. * The U.S. Senate passes the Hate Crimes Statistics Act by a landslide 92— 4 vote, overcoming an anti-gay amendment from Sen. Jesse Helms. *Christina Orr-Cahall, director of the Concoran Gallery, resigns after the furor she raised canceling the scheduled Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit in Washington D.C. * In Boston, Michael Duffy, an openly gay Republican announces his candidacy for the seat of the incumbent Democratic state representative. * Director Bill Sherwood ( Parting Glances ) dies of AIDS at age 37. * Netherlands: The government develops a new, specially designed condom to protect people from transmitting HIV during anal intercourse. * Romania: After the recent overthrow of dictator President Nicolae Ceausescu, doctors discover hundreds of children with AIDS in the nations orphanages and hospitals. This is blamed on Ceausescu who banned the use of condoms and ordered the reuse of syringes.
1985: 15 Years Ago
U.S.: The Club Atlanta and the Locker Room Health Club, two bathhouses in Atlanta, are raided by police with guns drawn. * The Democratic National Committee retains its Lesbian and Gay Caucus for now, despite an effort to purge the party of minority caucuses.* In Superior, Wisc., an anti-gay slogan is placed on a marquee by Rev. Craig Hultgren, a fundamentalist minister. It reads: "STOP AIDS NOW: QUARANTINE GAYS." * Britain: The London publishers of Burke's Peerage begin to exclude the names of people with AIDS from their eligible marriage partners for British nobility.
1980: 20 Years Ago
U.S.: Lucille Ball says: "It's perfectly all right with me. Some of the most gifted people I've ever met or read about are homosexual. How can you knock it?" t More Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin is in bookstores. * Dr. King Holmes, a Seattle public health official, announces that 20 types of venereal disease have reached epidemic proportions in the nation.
