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

LOOKING BACK AT '06 - Chicago
by Amy Wooten
2006-12-27

This article shared 5140 times since Wed Dec 27, 2006
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Participants at the Gay Games VII Opening Ceremony, July 15 at Soldier Field. Photo by Dmitriy Margolin

____________

Here are some of the local news items from this past year. Some made the community rejoice; others surprised or shocked us.

Game on: Perhaps the hottest news of the summer was when Chicago hosted the Gay Games July 15-22. Nearly 12,000 participants from all over the globe competed in 30 sports—from ice skating to softball. Chicago was bumpin' that week with countless cultural events; steamy parties; and beautiful and moving Opening and Closing ceremonies.

Breaking ranks: Early in 2006, in a bold move, Chicago's Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network ( GLSEN ) split from the national organization to form Creating Safe Schools in Illinois. The group wanted to operate as an autonomous entity in order to better create change locally.

Welcome back: After dwindling 11 years ago, ACT UP/Chicago was reincarnated and held its first meeting. Activists met in late January to address the need for the reemergence of the direct action group created to fight AIDS and LGBT discrimination.

That's criminal: An Elgin man, Martin McCoy, was charged with first degree murder for running over estranged wife Francis McCoy multiple times after spotting her with a female lover.

Crystal clear: March 2 marked the beginning of the Crystal Lake controversy. The Crystal Lake Park District Board rejected Gay Games' request to hold the rowing competition with a 2-2 vote, but later approved their request after a March 7 meeting. The agonizingly long meetings were filled with protesters and homophobic remarks. However, local supporters and PFLAG parents came out in droves to battle homophobia. Gay Games would later come before two other area boards before overcoming the final hurdle in April and gain approval for the summer event, which went off in July without a hitch and only a handful of naysayers.

Rage against the ( political ) machine: The March primaries didn't exactly go off without a hitch, however. Community darling and Ravenswood attorney Forrest Claypool lost to incumbent John Stroger for the Democratic spot of Cook County Board President, despite the fact that Stroger was hospitalized for suffering a stroke, in a race that last through election night. The LGBT community made some strides when out lesbian Debra Shore grabbed one of the three Democratic slots for Metropolitan Water Reclamation District ( MWRD ) Commissioner. Openly gay judicial candidates Mike McHale and Mary Colleen Roberts won easily.

Sweet victory: In the Spring, anti-gay group Protect Marriage Illinois ( PMI, a sister organization of the Illinois Family Institute ) hand-delivered over 345,000 signatures Downstate in an attempt to place an anti-gay advisory referendum on the upcoming November ballot. In the summer, Fair Illinois filed an official challenge to PMI's marriage referendum petition with the State Board of elections. The GLBT community and its supporters rallied together, volunteering the necessary hours to check each signature for validity. The hard work of many ensured the anti-gay organization fell short of the valid signatures needed to move forward in August. This was a major victory for the state's lesbian and gay community.

Three strikes, you're out: Shortly after PMI's failure to place a marriage referendum on the November ballot, the anti-gay head of the Illinois Family Institute, Peter LaBarbera, stepped down from his position to pursue his career as head of a long-neglected anti-gay organization he created years ago.

Nothing to sing about: Former Gay Men's Chorus general manager Paul Weldin pleads guilty to meth possession. He was sentenced to 24 months probation and 20 hours of community service.

Arresting news: A 20-year-old Chicago man was arrested in April in connection with the murder of transgender individual Krystal Heskin, 31, whose body was found in an Elk Grove Village Motel.

Continued ally: Gov. Rod Blagojevich extended domestic partner benefits to all state workers in May.

Fahrenheit 451: An act of arson at Lakeview's John Merlo Library destroyed many books from the library's GLBT section—just weeks before Gay Games and days before the annual Pride Parade—leading many in the community to believe it was a hate crime. Later, a 21-year-old homeless woman, Erica Graham, was charged with the fire.

Full support: In a victory for a local gay-straight alliance ( GSA ) , Lambda Legal came to the rescue for Noble Street Charter School's GSA, which filed a settlement in federal court in June that guaranteed the group full support for the next three years.

Making radio waves: The Illinois attorney general's office filed suit against Christopher DeChant and Kim Leffert of the nationally syndicated HIV Talk Radio Project for misappropriation of over $1.4 million of the organization's funds. The case will continue early next year.

Passing the torch: Longtime openly gay and HIV-positive Illinois Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago, announced his plans to retire in January 2007 after 42 years of public service. A month later, openly gay and HIV-positive Greg Harris, the chief of staff for Chicago's 48th Ward Ald. Mary Ann Smith, was announced as McKeon's replacement. Four of the six candidates for the open seat were openly gay or lesbian.

Let the jury decide: AIDS activist and former City of Chicago worker Michael Jackson was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the February 2005 death of taxi driver Haroon Paryani. The two got in a fight over an $8 fare. Jackson ran over the taxi driver three times with his own vehicle.

Don't discriminate: A local gay superintendent was fired from a suburban high school in November. The school's lawyers said Rich Mitchell was fired based on poor leadership and communication with the school board. Represented by Lambda Legal, Mitchell filed a sexual orientation discrimination suit with the Cook County Commission on Human Rights in December.

Democrats are tops: Democrats came out mostly on top in Illinois with the election and re-election of multiple supportive legislators. Incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich defeated Republican opponent Judy Baar Topinka. After a heated and unusual battle that lasted throughout election night and led to ridiculous late-night marching in the streets and mayhem, Democrat Todd Stroger—son of incumbent John Stroger—declared victory in the race for Cook County Board President. Debra Shore made history by becoming the first open lesbian elected to a non-judicial office in Cook County when she won a seat as Commissioner for the MWRD. Gay visibility on the bench increased to an all-time high thanks to the election of judges Mike McHale and Mary Colleen Roberts, as well as the retention of out judges Tom Chiola and Colleen Sheehan.

Passages

Jim Zulevic, 40, passed away Jan. 7. Zulevic was resident director of the gay and lesbian comedy troupe GayCo. Between 1999 and 2005, he directed several revues for the company. Zulevic also appeared in many films and TV series over the years.

Ethel Cotovsky, 74, passed away in March. She was a longtime activist who was very involved in the Oak Park Area Gay and Lesbian Association.

Thom Dombkowski, 55, Iconic GLBT community figure and AIDS activist, passed away in April after a brief illness after living with AIDS for 22 years. Dombkowski was crucial to the formation of the AIDS agency Chicago House, and was a prominent figure in the Chicago's gay leather community.

Ellen O'Donnell, 59, passed away March 9. She was a fixture in Chicago before moving to Kentucky. O'Donnell opened the women's bars Razmataz and Visions, and was a member of the Mayor's Commission on Human Relations.

Dow Harter, 65, former Chicago House volunteer and board member of the Chicago NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial quilt, passed away in May.

Pat Carrara, 57, passed away on May 12. She was a huge supporter of and volunteer for the Lesbian Community Cancer Project.

Ralph Paul Gernhardt, 72, passed away in June of lung cancer. Gernhardt was the founder of Gay Chicago Magazine and pioneer for the GLBT community. He helped organize the Gay Athletic Association, which preceded Chicago Metropolitan Sports Association, and founded the Gay and Lesbian Press Association. Gernhardt also aided many fund-raising efforts.

Patrick 'Tim' Moore, 51, passed away on Sept. 27 due to an HIV/AIDS-related illness. Many gay men wore his elaborately designed costumes to balls in San Francisco and Chicago.

Rudolph Johnson, Jr., the original owner of the bar The North End, passed away in October.

Milestones

On Jan. 15, Gerber/Hart Library—the largest GLBT library in the Midwest—kicked off its 25th anniversary year.

Gay Jewish group Congregation Or Chadash celebrated its 30th year in February.

The Leather Archives & Museum, a vital part of Chicago's GLBT scene, celebrated its 15th anniversary during International Mr. Leather weekend.

In June, Chicago's Dyke March—the grassroots and mostly lesbian alternative to the annual Pride Parade—turned 10.

Chicago Women in Trades celebrated 25 years of those one-of-a-kind hot pink hard hats.

Executive Sweet, the oldest and largest of all women's parties in Chicago, marked 25 years Dec. 9.


This article shared 5140 times since Wed Dec 27, 2006
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

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

Chicago alder proposes renaming street after Obama
2024-03-22
Openly gay Black Chicago Ald. Lamont Robinson has proposed renaming Columbus Drive after former U.S. President and city resident Barack Obama, media outlets noted. The street stretches through the Loop from East Grand Avenue to DuSable ...


Gay News

2024 OLYMPICS U.S. women's soccer team's opponents set
2024-03-20
The United States women's national soccer team will face Australia, Germany, and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported. The tournament will mark the Americans' first competitive games with ...


Gay News

Small LGBTQ+ candidate pool nevertheless scores some important victories March 19
2024-03-20
Relatively few openly LGBTQ+ candidates were running in the March 19 Illinois Primary Election. But there were some significant contests in play at the local, state and federal levels. Openly gay Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward) ...


Gay News

Gay Irish prime minister to step down
2024-03-20
In a surprise move, openly gay Irish Prime Minister (or Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing "personal and political, but mainly political reasons," according to CNN. Varadkar said he felt he was no longer ...


Gay News

Florida settles 'Don't Say Gay' lawsuit
2024-03-11
On March 11, the state of Florida settled a multi-year lawsuit against the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits how LGBTQ+ topics can be discussed and presented in schools, The Hill reported. The settlement agreement ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle
2024-03-08
Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

WORLD Israeli reservist, man detained, Ghana bill, medic denied honor
2024-03-08
Hanania Ben-Shimon—the gay Israel Defense Forces reservist who was wounded as he killed one of the terrorists in the attack at the A-Za'ayem checkpoint near Ma'ale Adumim recently—published a post in which he pleaded that his ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

Illinois's first openly gay elected official voices support for Cunningham
2024-03-05
Judge Thomas Chiola, who served in the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994-2009, has officially endorsed Justice Joy Cunningham for reelection to the Illinois Supreme Court. Chiola is the first gay man to be ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Illinois' first openly gay congressman isn't done yet: A conversation with Eric Sorensen
2024-02-23
A Rockford-born meteorologist, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorenson didn't plan on being a politician. But after seeing how his work in broadcasting impacted his viewers in both the Rockford and the Quad Cities areas, he wanted to ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health Names Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO
2024-02-23
--From a press release - Howard Brown Health's Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO. Dr. Gay, who most recently served as Chief Dental Officer, assumes the role formerly held by outgoing ...


Gay News

WORLD Caribbean ruling, Pussy Riot, Russian raid, Canadian warning, anti-trans bar
2024-02-23
The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to colonial-era anti-gay laws, Reuters reported. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish—two gay men who had pushed to decriminalize ...


Gay News

GLAAD releases report on LGBTQ+ inclusion in video games
2024-02-19
LGBTQ+ media-advocacy organization GLAAD has released a report on queer inclusion in the world of video games. Among the key findings in "Gaming: The State of LGBTQ Inclusion in Video Games" is that 17%—nearly one in ...


Gay News

Human Rights Campaign report releases new data on experiences of Black queer youth
2024-02-14
--From a press release - WASHINGTON — Today, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization, released a report in ...


 


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.