Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

GUEST CORNER Queer Chicago Landmark? I don't think so!
by Marie J. Kuda
2001-04-11

This article shared 2265 times since Wed Apr 11, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


I'd like to go on record as being opposed to granting landmark status to 1710 Crilly Court, one-time home of gay pioneer Henry Gerber, a proposal announced by Peter Scales, spokesman for Chicago's Planning Department and reported in local papers before the New Year [ see updated news this edition of WCT ] . But first I'd like to apologize for Windy City Times' attribution of an article on Gerber, to Joseph Sprague-;the article's writer was Gregory Sprague. Greg was a preeminent gay historian who was indeed co-founder of Chicago's Gerber-Hart Library and inductee into Chicago's Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame a few years back.

The charter issued by the State of Illinois for the non-profit corporation "Society for Human Rights, Chicago. Illinois" was indeed granted on Sept. 10, 1924 to the Society with a business address of 1710 Crilly Court—the home address of two of the Directors, Henry Gerber, Secretary and Henry Teacutter, Trustee. The Rev. John T. Graves, President and Ellsworth Booher, Treasurer were shown at 1151 Milton Ave., while Al Meininger, Vice President is listed at 1044 N. Franklin St. John Sather, Trustee ( any relation to Ann Sather of restaurant fame?? ) resided at 5855 University Ave. Fred Panngburn, Trustee the last of the seven Directors is shown at 1838 East 101st St. Cleveland, Ohio.

In a 1962 article Gerber described these fellow directors as a Preacher of brotherly love to small groups of Negroes, an indigent laundry queen and another "whose job with the railroad was in jeopardy when his nature became known." Later Gerber learned that Al Meininger had two small children and a wife who had reported his "strange doings" to a social worker who called the police into the affair when she learned that Al and the young men he brought home were carrying on before the kids. Gerber was also arrested and his stock of homophile periodicals, including copies of the Society's Friendship and Freedom ( which lasted only two issues ) , and his diaries were confiscated. The case was eventually dismissed, but Gerber lost his job at the Post Office and his diaries were never returned.

Regardless of what lofty ideals led Gerber to try to put this organization together-;he wanted to pattern it on one of the same name he had visited in Germany while stationed there with the Army of Occupation after World War I-;the purpose of the Corporation makes me cringe. I quote from the document: "The object for which it is formed is to promote and protect the interests of people who by reasons of mental and physical abnormalities are abused and hindered in the legal pursuit of happiness which is guaranteed them by the Declaration of Independence... ." Gerber left Chicago fairly soon after the Society crashed, but continued to write in support of and/or criticism of gay issues throughout the following three decades. I have no quarrel with his memory being honored in the name of our Midwest Lesbian and Gay Resource Center, though my bias would argue that Pearl Hart's contribution to Chicago gays certainly outweighs his.

It was my understanding from the early days of the Old Town Triangle Art Fair that the Crilly Court block was already an architectural landmark. I guess I'd have to check that out. There probably is no reason the same structure couldn't have two landmark designations. But if you want to put a bronze plaque on something meaningful to gays in the city-;I could suggest a number of other structures. Or better yet, how about naming a park in our honor-;the Free Speech bastion of Bughouse Square, long a cruising ground for gays and kick-off point for the first Pride march in Chicago. Henry Blake Fuller may even have sat cogitating there on one of his many trips to the Newberry Library in the century before last. He may even have plotted his gay play "At St. Judas'" there or perhaps his 1919 gay novel, Bertram Cope's Year—both the first of their kind in the U.S. Nearby Newberry is the home of the papers of both Pearl Hart and Greg Sprague. Preferable by far to making a landmark building where a guy drafted a document that said I had rights even though I was abnormal. I wouldn't put a plaque on Orchestra Hall either, even though in 1915 lesbian Edith Ellis spoke there to an audience of 1,200 women and 300 men urging acceptance—Nature has and therefore, society should have, a place for "abnormals" like Oscar Wilde, Michaelangelo, Rosa Bonheur and Tchaikovsky.

But I might opt for a plaque next door on the Fine Arts Building for a variety of gay/lesbian endeavors housed there including Margaret Anderson's The Little Review in which she ran her response to Ellis' lecture. Historian Jonathan Ned Katz says: "Anderson's critique also constitutes the earliest ( 1915 ) militant defense of homosexuality known to have been published by a lesbian in the United States." Space precludes listing but a few of the dozens of other LGBT milestones anchored there. Gay author Henry Blake Fuller and gay artist J. L. Leydendecker who created the "Arrow Shirt" man were part of the turn-of-the-last-century scene. In 1969 Mattachine Midwest held a benefit performance of Boys in the Band at the Studebaker Theatre on the main floor, and in the 1970s the Jane Addams Bookstore, that hotbed of lesbian ferment, was located on the 2nd floor.

If, dear reader, you'd like to peruse documents by Gerber, Ellis, or Anderson please refer to Katz's classic reference books Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. published in 1976, and the 1983 Gay/Lesbian Almanac: A New Documentary.


This article shared 2265 times since Wed Apr 11, 2001
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Lambda Legal Launches "Speak OUT" awareness campaign uplifting trans, nonbinary voices
2024-03-28
--From a press release. VIDEO BELOW - (NEW YORK, NY — March 28, 2024) In advance of Transgender Day of Visibility, Lambda Legal, the nation's oldest and largest legal nonprofit working to achieve full equal rights for LGBTQ people and everyone living with ...


Gay News

Brown Elephant Returns To Northalsted
2024-03-26
Brown Elephant's Lake View location is moving to Northalsted and already accepting donations. Howard Brown Health, the largest LGBTQ+ health center in the midwest, operates three Brown Elephant resale shops in the Chicagoland area to help ...


Gay News

Be here, be queer, play polo: Gay Polo League creates safe athletic space for LGBTQ community
2024-03-26
LGBTQ+ athletic clubs aren't too hard to come by, offering a variety of sports such as softball, soccer and more in cities across the country. But LGBTQ+ athletes would be harder pressed to find someplace to ...


Gay News

After 30 Under 30: MAP Executive Director Naomi Goldberg
2024-03-25
NOTE: In this series, Windy City Times will profile some of its past 30 Under 30 honorees. Windy City Times started its 30 Under 30 Awards in 2001, presenting them each year through 2019. This year, ...


Gay News

Kara Swisher talks truth, power in tech at Chicago Humanities event
2024-03-25
Lesbian author, award-winning journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher spoke about truth and power in the tech industry through the lens of her most recent book, Burn Book: A Tech Love Story, March 21 at First ...


Gay News

Former Chicago Girl Scouts CEO Brooke Wiseman to receive Luminary Award
2024-03-22
Brooke Wiseman, a now-retired nonprofit leader in the Chicago area, spent most of her career creating leadership development opportunities for girls and women—and making sure that hungry children could be fed. While leading Girl Scouts of ...


Gay News

THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar'
2024-03-21
Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...


Gay News

Affinity celebrates Burning Bowl while looking toward the future
2024-03-19
On March 17, Affinity Community Services held its annual Burning Bowl ceremony even as it already sets its organizational sights on 2025. The event, titled Burning Bowl 2024 Evolution, was held at Studio Imani, 5917 N. ...


Gay News

RuPaul finds 'Hidden Meanings' in new memoir
2024-03-18
RuPaul Andre Charles made a rare Chicago appearance for a book tour on March 12 at The Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Presented by National Public Radio station WBEZ 91.5 FM, the talk coincided with ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community
2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union
2024-03-13
Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

No 'explanations' needed: Affinity remains a haven for Chicago's Black queer community
2024-03-12
Back in 2007, Anna DeShawn came out while she was studying for her undergraduate degree. At around the same time, she searched online for "Black lesbians in Chicago." Her search led her to Affinity Community Services, ...


Gay News

Longtime LGBTQ+-rights activist David Mixner dies at 77
2024-03-12
On March 11, longtime LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS activist David Mixner—known for working on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign but then splitting from him over "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT)—died at age 77, The Advocate reported. ...


Gay News

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund remembers co-founder David Mixner
2024-03-12
--From a press release - Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker released the following statement on the passing of LGBTQ+ civil rights activist and LGBTQ+ Victory Fund co-founder David Mixner: "Today, we lost David Mixner, a founding ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala to return
2024-03-11
--From a press release - CHICAGO, IL — Center on Halsted's signature Human First Gala will be held on Saturday, April 20 at The Geraghty. The gala brings together LGBTQ+ community members and allies for an evening of celebration to recognize ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.