The GLBT Chicago Area Advocacy Network, which replaces the Joliet Human Rights Campaign Group and the Human Rights Campaign-People Like Us Group, will hold a meeting April 26 in Joliet. E-mail GLBT_CAAN-owner@yahoogroups.com .
The North Edgewater Beach Association will hold a community safety meeting on April 12 at 7 p.m., Thai Grill, 1040 W. Granville. Contact Barbara Sloan at Barb@NEBABlockClub.org .
Holy Covenant Church, 925 W. Diversey, is holding 'Courage and Fire: A Celebration of the Sacred in Women's Voices,' April 10-17. There will be four special events, including a service of celebration April 10 at 10:30 a.m.; a show featuring the artist Barbara Herring April 15 at 7 p.m.; a night of theater April 16 beginning at 7:30 p.m.; and a service April 17 at 10:30 a.m. Call ( 773 ) 528-6462.
The sociology department of Northeastern Illinois University is looking for one or two transgender speakers ( ideally a M2F and a F2M ) to speak during Pride Week April 12. Contact Brett Stockdill at ( 773 ) 442-4772.
RU Proud, Roosevelt University's LGBT student organization, will be sponsoring a variety show April 6, 6:30-9:30 p.m. at Roosevelt University, 430 S. Michigan ( 2nd Floor ) . E-mail ruproudclub@yahoo.com .
Thousand Waves Martial Arts & Self-Defense Center, 1220 W. Belmont, is hosting a forum on the death penalty April 13 from 7:30-9 p.m. Scheduled guests are Gary Gauger, a former death row inmate who was wrongfully convicted and subsequently exonerated, and Jane Bohman, executive director of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. For more info, contact P. Marie O'Brien at ( 773 ) 472-7663 or e-mail mobrien@thousandwaves.org .
As part of Columbia College's Spring Poetry Series, poet Robin Becker will read from her work at the college April 20 in Hokin Hall, 623 S. Wabash, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Call ( 312 ) 344-8138 for more information.
Helen Hill, a male-to-female transsexual, will present 'The Challenge of Being' at Hokin Hall, 623 S. Wabash, Columbia College, April 6, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For more information, call ( 312 ) 34-8594.
The Chicago Spring Formal, which will feature queer art and music, will take place April 7, at High School Space, 1542 N. Milwaukee, 8 p.m.-12 a.m. The suggested donation is $5. For information, visit www.tsurechka.com, e-mail ouchpapercut@gmail.com, or call ( 773 ) 799-5027.
Howard Brown Health Center, Center on Halsted, Directions Psychological Services, and the VALEO Program at Lakeshore Hospital are providing a free workshop to address substance abuse issues. The discussion will take place April 20, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Community Room of the Howard Brown Health Center, 4025 N. Sheridan. For more info, call ( 773 ) 388-8904 or visit www.howardbrown.org .
The 17th annual Spring Brunch and Fashion Show will be presented by Chicago House in the Winter Garden Room of the Harold Washington Library, 400 S. State, May 1, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. A tribute with fashions by Marshall Field's, His Stuff, Frette, Celeste Turner, and other local Chicago retailers will follow an elegant three-course gourmet brunch. Tickets begin at $150 for garden seating. For more information, call ( 773 ) 248-5200, ext. 303 or visit www.chicagohouse.org .
Cirque! 2005, the annual fundraiser benefiting AIDS vaccine research, will take place May 12, at Architectural Artifacts, 4325 N. Ravenswood, 6-10 p.m. Recipients of this year's event are the UCLA AIDS Institute and the HIV Care Program at Michael Reese Hospital. For more information, contact Malina Lee at ( 312 ) 373-2571 or mlee@playboy.com; and Paul Bjorneberg, ( 630 ) 954-0500, ext. 5017 or pbjorneberg@nrmadv.com .
For those interested in submitting musical, film, or other artistic items to Estrojam, the local Sept. 21-24 music and culture festival organized exclusively by women, the submission deadline has been extended to May 1. Contact info@estrojam.org or visit www.estrojam.org/2005/submissions.html .
— Andrew Davis