LGBTQ college confab April 4
The Illinois GLBTQA College Students' Conference, "Achieving the Triple Threat: Academic, Leadership, and Social Excellence for all members of the GLBTQA Community," will take place Saturday, April 4, at Lake Forest College.
A welcome/breakfast will take place at 9 a.m. There will be academic, leadership and social workshops throughout the day. Dinner ( at the attendees' own expenses ) is at 6 p.m.
Visit pridelakeforest.com/triplethreat.html or e-mail Pride@LakeForest.edu for more information.
Pictured: Windy City Gay Idol, first-round competition at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark Tuesday, April 7 ( photo by Kirk Williamson ) and Performance artist Staceyann Chin, sppearing Women & Children First, 5233 N. Clark, Saturday, April 8. For more go to www.windycitymediagroup.com/calendarevents.html
'Dirty Details' at Saks April 2
Saks Fifth Avenue and Details Magazine will host "The Dirty Details," a fashion event to benefit Center on Halsted, on Thursday, April 2, 6-8 p.m., at Saks Fifth Avenue: The Men's Store, 717 N. Michigan.
A $20 donation is requested. Admission is complimentary for all Center on Halsted Director's Circle members and their guests.
For more information, please contact Nathan Harris at nharris@centeronhalsted.org or 773-472-6469, ext. 252.
CAWC gala April 4
On Saturday, April 4, Connections for Abused Women and their Children will host its annual fundraising benefit gala, "Sounds of Silence," 6-11 p.m. at the Union League Club, 65 W. Jackson.
Tickets are $225 each; call 773-489-9081 or by visit www.cawc.org .
Obama poet at UIC April 7
Elizabeth Alexander, who was selected to compose and deliver a poem at the inauguration of President Barack Obama at the United States Capitol this past Jan. 20, will be at the University of Illinois at Chicago Forum, 725 W. Roosevelt, Tuesday, April 7, 4-6 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. Space is limited; please RSVP to gwsinfo@uic.edu . For more information, call 312-413-7629.
Men's event a sweet affair
Men on Mondays, the monthly social networking night for men, will next take place Monday, April 6, 6-9 p.m. at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted, with a hilarious and tasty night of baking fun with "Baking with Bertha."
The audience mixes and mingles while eating tasty treats. To learn more about Bertha visit www.berthamason.com .
Tickets are $20, ( includes one drink ticket ) with a cash bar available. E-mail tballentine@centeronhalsted.org or call 773-472-6469, ext. 245.
Lauper and Brandy at Milwaukee PrideFest
On June 12, Milwaukee PrideFest will be the place to be, as Cyndi Lauper takes to the Miller Main Stage. The following day, Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Brandy will be the headliner.
"It's an honor to always have the genuine affection of the gay community," Lauper said in a statement. "They have never turned their back on me. I will never turn my back on them. We've had a long and enduring love affair."
With hits such as "Time after Time," "True Colors" and "Girls just Want to Have Fun," Lauper cemented her position as one of the all-time greats. She also has spearheaded the ''True Colors" tour, which benefited the Human Rights Campaign.
Ever since her 1994 four-time self-titled platinum debut, Brandy has been a force to be reckoned with. Late last year, Brandy released her fifth full-length studio album, Human.
Special VIP reserved seating is available; see www.pridefest.com .
Coalition presenting teach-in April 4
The Coalition for Justice and Respect will present a teach-in Saturday, April 4, 12-5 p.m., at the Chicago Theological Seminary, 5757 S. University.
Among the slated topics of discussion are civil rights, social justice, same-sex marriage and modern-day miscegenation.
RSVP at cjr.chicago@gmail.com .
Daley, trust announce $1M in grants to fight hunger
Mayor Richard M. Daley and the Chicago Community Trust have announced seven grants totaling $1 million to address hunger and homelessness in the metropolitan area through the Trust's new "Unity Challenge Fund" initiative.
The announcement was made at Interfaith House, 3456 W. Franklin, a homeless shelter that will benefit from the program. The Trust is working to raise $1 million for the Unity Challenge Fund. To encourage donations, it is providing a two-to-one match, with the overall goal of a $3 million fund.
Among the other first-round grant recipients are the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Alliance to End Homelessness in Suburban Cook County.
Club BEHIV April 4
Better Existence with HIV ( BEHIV ) will host friends and supporters at the organization's sixth annual Club BEHIV & Cabaret on Saturday, April 4, at the Women's Club of Evanston, 1702 Chicago, 6:30-11 p.m.
Returning this year, NBC-5 Chicago personality Lee Ann Trotter will serve as emcee.
See www.behiv.org .
Mapplethorpe show to end April 5
Largely unknown works by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe are being exhibited this winter during two major exhibitions at Northwestern University's Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston.
The "Polaroids: Mapplethorpe" exhibition, featuring more than 90 photographs, are in the Block Museum's Alsdorf Gallery through April 5. New York's Whitney Museum of American Art, in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, New York, organized the exhibition.
Admission is free. Call 847-491-4000 or see www.blockmuseum.northwestern.edu .
Sexual abuse center to hold open house
Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center, 4275 Old Grand, Gurnee, is inviting everyone to join in celebrating the courage and spirit of sexual assault survivors and their families at its annual thank-you open house, themed "The Art of Peace," Saturday, April 4, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
For details, visit www.zachariascenter.org or contact Community Education Director Jane Hunter at 847-244-1187, ext. 26.
Windy City Gay Idol
Windy City Gay Idol will hold a first-round competition at Jackhammer, 6406 N. Clark. Photo by Kirk Williamson